Special training helps bring closure for childhood sexual abuse cases

The importance of the Center on Fifth was on full display over the past week as teams from around the state converged in Jasper for training to help investigate crimes against children.

These teams of law enforcement officers, child advocates, prosecuting attorneys, doctors and others who investigate sex crimes against children were receiving training through the Zero Abuse Project ChildFirst.

The Zero Abuse Project is a nonprofit “designed to provide cross-disciplinary education and training, advocacy for systemic legal change, guidance for survivor support, and leadership on emerging technologies. We take a holistic approach by recognizing and addressing the intersecting forms of child maltreatment in connection with child sexual abuse,” according to the group’s website.

“The Zero Abuse Project has developed and continues research and update the forensic interview protocols,” said Tammy Lampert, Executive Director of Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center Coalition.

The training is conducted multiple times annually throughout Indiana through the Indiana Chapter of the National Children’s Alliance. However, the training held in Jasper is the first time the training has been held in person since the pandemic began.

With similar organizations throughout the state working in rented offices or even remotely, the creation of the Center on Fifth stands as proof of the caring community in Dubois County regarding some of our most vulnerable citizens.

The repurposed school has been transformed into a central location, enabling SWICACC to expand services and staff, add programming, include onsite treatment for mental health and medical forensic exams, as well as provide a training facility for investigators, youth workers and the community.

“One of the visions we had with Center on Fifth was to have that training space so we can increase the education, the training, the skill sets of professionals and community members and staff,” Lampert said.

Many times those training sessions occur up north. The access to these facilities is why the training was brought down to Dubois County.

“This is a huge professional accomplishment for the organization (SWICACC),” Lampert said about being able to host these teams from around the state.

The new center has four new interview rooms attached by audio and video feeds to multiple nearby observation rooms. Multiple teams can take part in multiple interviews simultaneously, a sad fact pointing to the number of child cases SWICACC is involved in annually.

Jan Lutz, the executive director of the Indiana Chapter of the National Children’s Alliance, noted the Jasper location was the only child advocacy center in the state with four interview rooms.

Over the week, the training took participants through the interview protocols and covered investigative procedures and ways to cooperate between the different fields involved in these types of investigations. Coroners, medical examiners, deputies, and others working to help bring these cases to a successful end interact with each other throughout the case.

Donna Lloyd is the Comfort House executive director in Corydon. She has 17 years of experience interviewing childhood sexual abuse cases and was on hand to provide live scenario training for the attendees.

She noted that cooperation is necessary because each multidisciplinary team member has a different perspective. Those differences can help guide the trained interviewer to ascertain what information is needed from the victim to ensure a successful case.

With less than four percent of childhood sexual abuse cases having physical evidence for investigators to use to build a case, forensic interviews of the victims are one of the most vital tools at these teams’ disposal.

“The forensic interview, a neutral fact-finding interview, is the cornerstone of the investigation,” Lutz noted. “It is not the investigation, but it is such an important piece because everything is built upon what a child is able to say or not say in the interview room.”

To continue to support this Center on Fifth, the community is invited to take part in the SWICACC Kickback fundraising event set to take place April 29, 2023. Tickets are on sale for this fun event showcasing community talents in “SWICACC’s Got Talent”. The event will include a silent auction, dessert paddle raise, as well as entertainment in which the crowd will vote for the act to win crowd’s choice. Ticket information can be found at www.swicacc.com under events.