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It's A Problem
That Affects Us All
At
present, Smith County, like communities across the nation, is faced
with the reality: many of our children are being abused. Each year,
the
Children's Advocacy Center of Smith County and its agency partners
investigate over 400 cases of suspected child abuse,
provide services
for more than 600 children, and over 100
children receive long term
counseling.
Who Is Involved?
The center offers a coordinated, multidisciplinary intervention system
involving agencies and
community:
- Child Protective Services
- Smith County Criminal District
Attorney's Office
- Smith County Sheriff's Office
- Tyler Police Department
- Other Smith County, State, and
Federal Law
Enforcement Agencies
- Medical Personnel
- Children's Advocacy Center
Counselors and Staff
- Community Volunteers
What Is A Children's Advocacy Center?
The Children's Advocacy Center of Smith County is an approach to
improve the treatment of child
victims of sexual and severe physical
abuse in Smith County. The
center offers coordinated, multidisciplinary
intervention system
involving agencies and community working together
as a team in a
single child friendly location to provide safety, protection,
treatment, and justice for children and their families. The team's
goals
are to minimize each child's trauma, to provide immediate
and
long term
treatment, services, and referrals, and to ensure thorough investigation
and effective prosecution of the cases.
How Can I Be Involved?
The Children's Advocacy Center of Smith County, a nonprofit, wel-
comes the involvement and support of
the community it serves. Here
are ways you can help.
Give Your Time
- Volunteer to spend time with the
children and their families
while they are in the center
- Assist TEAM members with
computer data entry
- Participate in community events
such as "Bids for Kids"
a silent auction
Give A Donation
- Make a cash donation to the agency
- Offer a gift-in-kind of supplies
or equipment
- Offer a gift-in-kind of needed
services such as
printing, cleaning, or maintenance
What You Can Do About Child Abuse
Be alert to the signs of trouble, talk
about issues openly, and report any
suspected abuse cases.
Child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional
or involve lack
of supervision for young children. It can, and does occur in
all types of families.
If you need to report suspected child abuse, call the 24-hour hotline at
1-800-252-5400 or
contact your local law enforcement agency. The life of
a child
may well be saved by your careful attention and willingness to
take responsibility for acting.
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