17%

of boys are sexually abused before they turn 18

25%

of girls are sexually abused before they turn 18

14%

of young people between the ages of 10 and 18 will runway

46%

of runaways and homeless youth report being physically abused

THE NEED

A staggering number of children experience sexual abuse before age 18. The children who have been abused need healing and the offenders need to be brought to justice. Prior to Children’s Advocacy Centers the process of healing and justice was very difficult and discouraging.

THE SOLUTION

Where can children turn when they have suffered abuse? How can they begin to deal with the emotional, physical, and legal repercussions of their traumatic experience? In Mississippi, these children can turn to local Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) which operate under the umbrella of Children's Advocacy Centers of Mississippi (CACM). Sally Kate Winters Family Services is an accredited CAC and offers therapeutic care for victimized children.

Prior to the advent of Children's Advocacy Centers, abused children faced a maze of entities in reporting the abuse and getting appropriate therapeutic care. Families often faced frustration with the system and withdrew from the process of getting justice, resulting in no conviction for the perpetrator and no healing for the child.

Children's Advocacy Centers of Mississippi has revolutionized the manner in which child abuse is reported and prosecuted. Our local CACs utilize multidisciplinary teams that bring all the entities involved in a child abuse case under one roof. This includes: Law Enforcement; Child Protection; Prosecution; Mental and/or Medical Health; and Advocacy Services, who work together to make decisions about the complete management of child abuse cases.

At Sally Kate Winters, a child can relate the experience one time, in one place, rather than being shuttled between doctors, police, counselors, and child advocates. We provide a home-like, child-friendly setting in which a child can feel safe telling what has happened to him or her. Our multidisciplinary teams are made up of trained professionals whose primary goal is to reduce the burden of children and help facilitate their recovery.

CACM and Sally Kate Winters are proud to be a part of improving the process of child abuse investigations in Mississippi. We assist in every way possible to bring about a sensitive investigation for the child and an efficient prosecution of the abuser.

SERVICES

Forensic interviews
On-site therapy
Referrals for off-site therapy, forensic medical exams
Court preparation

"This project is supported in whole or in part through support from Sub-grant Award No. SG-1269-R3, awarded by the State of Mississippi, Mississippi State Department of Health. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the State of Mississippi, the Mississippi State Department of Health, the Office Against Interpersonal Violence or the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Program, Office for Victims of Crime."

SUPPORT THE FIGHT

TO END CHILD ABUSE

Karla Steckler Tye, Executive Director of CACM, and Sheila Brand, share what Sally Kate Winters Family Services' Children's Advocacy Center is, how it helps heal children who have been victims of abuse or neglect, and how your support can help in the fight to end child abuse in Mississippi.