WVCAN

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine a more horrific crime than child abuse. It is truly sad that over the past few months, we have had to hear about young children--infants in some cases-- who were seriously injured or killed by parents who abused them.  We read of the mother who sold her 11 year-old daughter for drug money.  We heard of the boyfriend who beat a crying infant to death.  As a parent, I have felt that instinct to protect my children at all costs, regardless of the circumstances.  I think that instinct is what caused me to devote a significant portion of my legal career to the representation of abused and neglected children.  It is also what drives me to do whatever I can to help reduce the instances of child abuse in West Virginia.

In 2013, I became a member of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network, otherwise known as WVCAN.  WVCAN is an alliance of all local Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in West Virginia.  CACs are dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient—and which put the protection of the child victims first.  In order to understand the importance of WVCAN and the CACs throughout our state, you have to first understand the concept behind the CAC model.

CACs, which exist throughout the country, are designed to fundamentally change the way communities respond to child abuse.  At its core, the model is about teamwork—bringing the agency professionals involved in a case together at the outset.  Prior to the creation of CACs, a child who had been victimized would first have to tell his/her story to a parent or trusted adult, who would usually report the matter to law enforcement.  The investigating officer would interview the child, and report his findings to a prosecutor.  The prosecutor would then interview the child again, and pass along his findings to the welfare department, who would interview the child again. . . .   I think you can see the problem.  The old system required the child to re-live the nightmare sometimes four, five times or more, which served no purpose other than to perpetuate the harm.  Under the CAC model, all of the interested parties are brought together at the outset.  Law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective service workers, therapists, etc. are all a part of the process from the beginning.  An interviewer with extensive training in dealing with abused children conducts an interview which is recorded and transcribed, and which provides the basis for all that comes next, from therapy for the victim to prosecution of the offender.  The result is effective, efficient, child-centered casework.  Fortunately for residents of the Ohio Valley, we have one of the most efficient CACs in the state right here:  Harmony House Children’s Advocacy Center in Wheeling.

Last year, CACs in West Virginia provided services to nearly 2,900 children who were alleged victims of child abuse.  75 percent of those cases involved sexual abuse, while the remaining cases consisted of physical abuse, witness to violence, drug endangerment, and psychological abuse.  The estimated lifetime cost of treatment and services to a single victim of child abuse is $210,012.00.  A recent study revealed that annual medical costs for victims of child abuse in that year amounted to $43,178.00 per victim. Take a minute to do that math, and the lifetime cost of child abuse becomes absolutely staggering.

WVCAN and its CACs strive to restore the lives of abused children by preventing the abuse from happening to begin with.  When a CAC intervenes early and effectively, we help to break the cycle of abuse by protecting the child victim, other children, and generations of children to come.  Our success stories are many, and our growth rate is impressive.  When WVCAN began in 2006, there were a total of two nationally-accredited CACs in our state.  Today, there are 21, serving both rural communities and major cities.  Over the past five years, we have seen a 60 percent increase in the number of children we have served.  The model is working.

If you would like further information on WVCAN, Harmony House, or any of the other CACs throughout West Virginia, feel free to contact me through our firm’s website.  I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.