March 2023 - Madison County Child Advocacy Center Newsletter |
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In January & February, your donations helped the CAC... |
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View our Annual Report now by clicking the image below! |
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A Message from our Site-Based Therapists
Teen Dating Violence
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Teen Dating Violence is a problem that effects families, schools, and communities around the nation, and in our own backyard. This edition of "Let's Talk" has great information about how to keep our teens safe. Follow the link to hear from our very own CAC Site-Based Therapist, Cyndee! |
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Meet the CAC
Caroline Livingstone
Fund Development Specialist
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Caroline joined the CAC Team in August of 2022 as our new Fund Development Specialist. Caroline brings years of experience from working for non-profit and for-profit organizations. Caroline loves to meet new people and to be out and about in our community. When Caroline is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and twin 15-month-old boys.
Caroline said, "working at the CAC has been the most rewarding and mentally challenging position I have ever had. You hear about child abuse on TV, in movies, and in books, but working at the CAC, it becomes part of your everyday life. I know that I could never do what my co-workers do, and I have the utmost respect for all of them. Seeing the kiddos walking into the Center and hearing tidbits about the cases coming through our doors drives me to do the best I can to raise awareness about the CAC and to find new ways to get individuals and companies to connect with the Center."
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Madison County CAC tours Chicago CAC |
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Staff from the Madison County Child Advocacy Center recently had the opportunity to tour the Chicago Child Advocacy Center. Our staff enjoyed seeing Illinois' largest CAC, a Center set up with most of their multidisciplinary team members on site and housed together in one location. Thank you to Chicago CAC Executive Director, Char Rivette for hosting our tour of the facility.
Madison County CAC Forensic Interviewer Jacki said, "The design for the Chicago CAC is really neat. It was designed and built for the CAC. It is colorful and welcoming on the outside. The inside kind of resembles a circle of hallways with the ENTIRE Multidisciplinary Team in the facility; Law Enforcement, Forensic Interviewers, Case Managers, Administrative Staff, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services, etc. Everyone is in the same building and accessible. The Forensic Interview rooms were “pods” through the facility. It was different from our Center, but it works for them, and it was fun seeing how another Center works."
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Jennifer, Forensic Interviewer Supervisor said, "The Chicago CAC was really cool. I loved that they had an entire transportation department so that families always have a way to get to their Center to utilize their services. That’s something that we have to problem solve somewhat regularly here and it’s amazing to think that they’ve completely eliminated that barrier. It was really cool seeing their detectives, DCFS investigators, and ASAs onsite and I can only imagine how beneficial that is to their cases. It was really a Multidisciplinary TEAM in it’s true sense. Also, they have milk and cookies every Friday for their team!" |
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Give Hope & Healing Year-Round |
You can provide hope and healing for victims of child abuse in your community throughout the year. Become a member of the CAC Monthly Giving Society,
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Champions of Children Conference
The Madison County Child Advocacy Center was able to send 6 employees to the Champions of Children Conference in Chicago earlier this month. This annual conference was hosted by the Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI) held at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel and featured over 30 local, state, and national speakers. Our team members that were able to attend learned more about the challenges surrounding physical and sexual abuse cases seen at CAC's, and also had the opportunity to connect with peers from other CAC's around the state.
"The conference was great. Rita Farrell is famous in the interviewing world and it was great to see her in person. It’s really cool seeing Multidisciplinary Teams that attend conferences together to build better relationships that in turn, help the case, and in the end, help the kids and families they serve. I really like going to sessions aimed at other team members (ie therapists) because it’s a great opportunity to learn more about their discipline and understand their perspective when it comes to the families we see at the Center. " - Jennifer, CAC Forensic Interviewer Supervisor.
"It was so awesome to get to connect again with Bev at the Champions of Children Conference. She was a big part of why I ended up in the CAC world and was a former colleague at CASGSL, so it was pretty special for me to let her know that I’m actually doing this work now and thank her for that inspiration." - Beth, Case Manager.
"One of my favorite parts of the Champions of Children Conference was attending the workshop with Dr. Mary Clyde Pierce. She helped develop an app (TEN-4-FACES), a screening tool that aids in differentiating abuse from accidental trauma. The app could potentially improve recognition of abuse in young children with bruising. I think this tool could be used by MDT members and it is very interesting! The facility was great, the outlet malls were right behind our hotel and some other dining options within walking distance so that we could socialize with our own team and get to know other teams working in IL. It is nice being around peers who do the same work and getting new perspectives of things, and of course learning new things from the presenters." - Jacki, CAC Forensic Interviewer.
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Connecting with Carrie
A Note from Our Executive Director
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Spring is a season of new growth, awakening, warmer temperatures, and brighter days, which feels a lot like HOPE! The Child Advocacy Center works every day to support child victims of abuse on their journey to hope and healing. I am grateful you remain connected to our Center and partner with us to promote hope in our community!
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and there are many ways that you can participate! The theme for this year is Building Together: Prevention in Partnership. This theme of partnership and teamwork is quite literally the framework for the Child Advocacy Center model and our work in the community. We are excited to join in the effort to raise awareness of child abuse and promote a healthy and safe environment for children to grow and thrive. The Child Abuse Prevention Month media kickoff event is Friday, March 31 st at 10 am and you can join the livestream of this event through our Facebook page. The Center’s Children’s Display will be up at the County Administration Building throughout the month of April and depicts the 518 children who received forensic interview and case management services in 2022. We will also be posting awareness and educational information on our Facebook page each day in April that you can support and share.
We are celebrating the Center’s 20th anniversary this year, and we started off BIG with our Trivia Night in February! Thanks to all the sponsors, donors, attendees, staff and volunteers who made the 2023 Trivia Night the BEST EVER in support of the Center and our mission! We are so grateful for the generosity of the community and are excited for all that is to come this year!
Please stay connected to us through our website and follow us on Facebook. Join us for a tour of the Center at our Rise UP with the CAC events on the fourth Friday of the month. Educate yourself on child abuse, trauma, and ways you can support child victims of abuse and their families and share that knowledge. Together we can create a community that is supportive of victims of abuse, rich with resources to promote health, healing and hope.
Be brave and courageous,
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