The Olympic Peninsula YMCA and its community partners are engaged in efforts to establish a Children’s Advocacy Center in Jefferson County, one of the only counties in Washington state that’s without a CAC.

Erin Hawkins, marketing and communications manager for the Olympic Peninsula Y, explained that a Jefferson County CAC would serve children in the county who experience abuse, so they and their non-offending family members could come to the CAC “for safety, justice and healing.”

Hawkins elaborated that the YMCA is not only hosting these efforts, but also has obtained funding to work toward building a Children’s Advocacy Center that would be physically present in Jefferson County.

Children’s Advocacy Center Director Jessica Lowe explained that “we’re a few years into the process” of introducing a CAC to Jefferson County, even as she noted that the CAC model has existed for close to 30 years.

According to Lowe, the state assessment formula to determine the need for a Children’s Advocacy Center in a given county is based on 1% of the county’s population that’s under the age of 18.

“For Jefferson County, the total under-18 population adds up to 3,795 at last count, which amounts to about 38 kids who probably need the services of a Children’s Advocacy Center,” Lowe said. “It’s not a hard-and-fast metric, but it roughly matches Pacific County, a comparable county where the Children’s Advocacy Center serves about 41 kids.”

Lowe emphasized that each Children’s Advocacy Center is developed “from the ground up” in its county, and that the prospective Jefferson County CAC has already fully funded a part-time coordinator and a forensic interviewer, who can speak with children sensitively, to collect evidence to prosecute their abusers.

“Once the CAC is properly underway, that part-time coordinator can become a full-time position,” Lowe said.

Lowe described the approach of the Children’s Advocacy Centers as “trauma-informed, child-centered and evidence based,” so that when child abuse is discovered, families and caregivers of abused children can have someplace to turn, so they won’t be left wondering how the legal process works, and how their family will be supported.

“Our goal is to provide a location within the county, furnished with not only offices, but also access to therapy and advocacy services,” Lowe said.

Lowe touted the partnerships the Children’s Advocacy Center has already forged with Dove House Advocacy Services, Discovery Behavioral Healthcare, the Port Townsend Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s and Prosecuting Attorney's offices, Child Protective Services and the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, who currently host forensic interviews for Jefferson County children in Blyn.

“It’s important that we bring those services to the children here, in a discreet and welcoming location, rather than obligating them to travel outside the county to receive them,” Lowe said.

The Olympic Peninsula YMCA has obtained initial funding from the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) and the Washington State Office of Crime Victims Advocacy (OCVA), and has formed a multidisciplinary team (MDT) of community partners, including mental health and medical professionals, victim advocacy services and all the aforementioned parties.

After the CAC provides a safe space for a child to tell their story to an interviewer, who’s trained to ask the right questions without re-traumatizing the child, the MDT can weigh the best options for helping the child and their non-offending caregivers.

Through this procedure, children and their non-offending caregivers would receive referrals to mental health services and medical exams, victim advocacy, case management, courtroom support and other services.

“We are dedicated to providing a protective environment, where children can feel safe to tell their stories to expert professionals, who care and who can help stop the abuse, so that children can begin a process of healing,” Lowe said. “As we look to build a CAC, our current MDT works to guide children and families from crisis to hope, and help them navigate the complex criminal justice and child welfare system, in order to find the best outcomes possible.”

Hawkins added that other federal, state and community funds and donations would also be sought out, to help supplement the CAC’s resources.

Lowe is currently conducting a survey, to gain an understanding of Jefferson County’s perspectives and awareness regarding child abuse, reporting and procedures.

If you’d like to take the survey, please contact Lowe at CACdirector@olympicpeninsulaymca.org or call 360-912-5225.

For more information about the CAC, visit olympicpeninsulaymca.org/child-advocacy online.