Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center seeking board members

Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center (SWICACC) is growing and looking for additional board of directors members.

The center is seeking individuals with experience in human resources, finance, fundraising, the medical field, the legal field, mental health or community members looking to help lead an outstanding organization.

Please join us for refreshments and information about how to join SWICACC’s Board of Directors on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jasper Train Depot, 201 Mill Street.

For questions, please contact the director, Tammy Lampert at 812-631-0028.

SWICACC utilizes the evidence-based practice of utilizing a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) approach at a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and its’ mission is to provide a safe reporting location for victims of crime and their families with community-based Multi-Disciplinary teams that provide support, promote justice and help to prevent violence.

SWICACC serves Indiana Region 17 which includes Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Martin, Orange, Perry, and Spencer Counties.

Child Advocacy Centers (CAC’s) are child focused and child first minded centers that coordinate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse while helping abused children heal. CAC’s emphasize the coordination of investigation and intervention services by bringing together professionals and agencies as a Multi-Disciplinary team to create a child-focused approach to child abuse cases. The location is designed to create a sense of safety and security for the children. Each CAC should be and is designed to meet the needs of its particular community.

A Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) is the team involved with the child and the family when there is an allegation of abuse, neglect, or the child witnesses a crime. The MDT consists of prosecutors, law enforcement, Department of Child Services, victim advocates, mental and medical health providers, and the forensic interviewer.

Utilizing a CAC and MDT approach reduces the number of times a child needs to be interviewed thus reducing additional trauma. The interview is conducted by a skilled forensic interviewer who has been trained to interview the child in a manner that increases the child’s comfort and reduces the child’s feelings of shame and guilt.