Abuse victims focus of Child Advocacy Center
Charlotte Webb dreamed of opening a Child Advocacy Center for three decades.
“I’d been praying about it for 32 years,” she said.
When District Judge Vince Deas asked her in 2018 if she would be the director of the Black Belt Regional CAC, Webb didn’t hesitate to say yes.
With the opening of the center Jan. 1, the 17th Judicial Circuit becomes the last in the state to open a center to serve children who are suspected of being victims of child abuse. It will serve Marengo, Sumter and Greene counties.
Webb heads an interdisciplinary team of counselors, child advocates, forensic interviewers and law enforcement personnel who investigate the allegations and work with the children and their families.
Having one location means the child is kept “from having to tell their story over and over,” said Dr. Sheila Pfaffman, the center’s counselor. Requiring children to repeat the abuse many times can cause them to shut down, she added.
Pfaffman holds follow-up sessions with victims to help them cope with their experiences.
The new center, located on North Strawberry Street in the former offices of Mutual Savings, has been painted in welcoming and soothing colors with plenty of artwork for children to enjoy, thanks to local artist Kirk Brooker.
Since the center’s budget is extremely limited, Webb said it has relied on donations to get up and running and will need even more to continue to operate and pay for utilities.
“We are a non-profit organization. We have lots of needs,” said Webb.
All the furniture in the building was donated as have drinks and snacks for the children. One of Webb’s friends made all the window treatments. Others prepared refreshments for the official open house Monday.
Major funding to help pay for renovations and equipment came from Personal Touch and from the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Family Foundation, said Webb.
Others who have helped include the Bargain Box, Robertson Banking Company, Phil Pfaffman, Linda Jones and members of the BBRCAC board of directors.
The BBRCAC is considered a pilot project of the Alabama Network of Child Advocacy Centers, ANCAC. To reach associate status the local center must be open and interviewing clients.
Webb said the first child was interviewed Jan. 14. Two more are scheduled for next week, and she will be applying for associate status soon after. Once the center has been in operation for two years it will be given full status and be eligible to receive a larger portion of funding from the state.
When a child is brought into the center after being referred by law enforcement, forensic interviewer Rose Shadrick talks with the client one-on-one in a comfortable room. All other members of the interdisciplinary team are in an adjacent room watching the interview on a closed-circuit screen or through a two-way mirror.
The only step not available to the local center is the forensic physical exam that must be done on each victim. Now they have to be taken to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.
Webb is working with Doug Brewer, CEO/Administrator of Whitfield Regional Hospital, who is working to see if local nurses or nurse practitioners can be trained in the procedures and documentation needed for such examinations.
“It would be a wonderful, wonderful service,” she said.
Webb said she first learned of CACs when she visited the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville while working with the Marengo County Department of Human Resources. The national center was the brainchild of former U.S. Rep. Robert E. (Bud) Cramer who thought it only rational to have all the services under one umbrella.
The CAC program now stretches around the world. Annual meetings draw law enforcement, medical personnel, social workers and counselors from many countries for training.
Working with child victims is only part of what the center hopes to do. Webb said staff members and volunteers will be conducting a Blue Ribbon Campaign in April to educate the community on child abuse.
“We hope to have a presence at Rooster Day (and) Christmas on the River,” she said.
The center will be working with teachers in all three counties to help them recognize signs of abuse. In the future the CAC hopes to have an outreach worker to reach into the cities and towns of the 17th Judicial Circuit. Hiring additional personnel isn’t in the budget now, however.
Because money is difficult to come by, Webb always welcomes donations, whether monetary, supplies or in-kind services.
The center needs at least two fireproof filing cabinets. Counselors want to give each child a new Teddy bear or Play-Doh. Webb is even looking for someone who would spearhead fund-raising activities.
To donate, call the center at 334-654-5098.