February 27, 2019
In some ways, legislative advocacy is like toilet paper: You don’t really think about it until it’s absolutely necessary. You usually forget to include it in your budget, it feels a little funny to talk about in public, and, frankly, you can never have enough of it. This wasn’t how I always felt. When I… Continue Reading
January 23, 2019
The use of tele-health services—providing therapy over a computer—is changing the landscape of mental health and providing more opportunities to disseminate evidence-based treatments to underserved communities. CAC professionals in South Carolina or any state with a large number of rural counties know the many barriers faced by children and families trying to access mental health… Continue Reading
January 16, 2019
When I sat down to write this post, I had just returned home from visiting a child advocacy center after training their team on a new cloud-based video management solution. The CAC I visited conducts more than 2,000 child forensic interviews per year, and my mind was full with all the ways CACs can benefit… Continue Reading
January 10, 2019
Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.―George Eliot Throughout history, humans have relied on canines to assist in many tasks. Herding, guarding, scent work, and companionship are all duties that dogs have accepted and excelled at. I believe passionately in the human-animal bond, having witnessed firsthand the comfort that animals… Continue Reading
December 5, 2018
Every child deserves the chance to live out their full potential, and yet many are robbed of their childhood. The feeling of being alone and helpless is something no child should ever have to go through. As a survivor myself, and now an adult, I felt as though I had turned a blind eye to… Continue Reading
September 20, 2018
Audio and video Interview Room Recording Systems are features of many Children’s Advocacy Centers. This technology, in tandem with forensic interviewers and best practices from our field, allows for child victims to begin their journey towards justice. These nine questions will help you better understand the install process, optimize your recordings and mitigate anything inside… Continue Reading
July 16, 2018
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” —Maya Angelou Today we remember, 5-year-old Talia Williams. Thirteen years ago today, she passed away at the abusive hands of her father and stepmother on a military base in Hawaii. Social change is… Continue Reading
April 9, 2018
I was just five years old when I watched the young women of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team file stoically into a shiny arena in Barcelona. They looked brave, strong, and proud. Most of them started training when they were three or four years old, and this was about to be the culmination of more… Continue Reading
March 6, 2018
On February 9, 2018, President Trump signed into law the historic and bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act as a part of the bipartisan budget agreement. This landmark piece of legislation aims to help keep children safely with their families when they come to the attention of the child welfare system, and when placement in… Continue Reading
February 28, 2018
by Drew Fidler, LCSW-C; and Iona Rudisill, LGSW Here’s what you should know about child sexual abuse images and how to protect children from the dangers of the internet. The internet is constantly changing and evolving. As professionals, parents, and people who care about children, the internet and all of its perils present a whole… Continue Reading