A haven and help
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 12:42 p.m., April 1, 2008
Updated 12:42 p.m., April 1, 2008
As National Child Abuse Prevention Month begins, workers at the SOS Child Advocacy Center are grateful they are better equipped to help the abused children who come through the doors of their office in the Masonic Building.
The center was created to help children and their families deal with cases of sexual and physical abuse, in addition to child endangerment, witness to violence, neglect and other damaging situations.
SOS was able to hire a full-time family advocate for the center several months ago, center director Kathleen Inwood said. Having Lisa Livesay-Fox in place as advocate has made a significant difference for the children, their families, and the host of professionals who deal with abuses cases, from law enforcement to mental health and through the courts.
“It has been a huge missing piece for us,” Inwood said.
Livesay-Fox had been a part-time worker for SOS at Emporia State University before coming to the center full-time.
She is the families’ first contact with the center, and her job is initially to build rapport with the child, to make sure he or she is comfortable and ready to begin the process before she deals with the child’s non-offending caregiver.
“I’m trying to find out what kind of referrals they need after that process,” she said. “So rapport is really important at that point.”
Within 72 hours of the initial meeting, she checks in with the families to see how the children are faring, whether they’re exhibiting symptoms of the stressful time, and whether they’ve revealed more information.
“The child may have just disclosed something,” she said. “A lot of things can be going on.”
Livesay-Fox’s ultimate role is to be a clearing house for everyone involved, checking in with the law enforcement officers, attorneys, medical personnel, counselors, social and court workers and others who are involved in the cases.
“I don’t want them to have to call around for a lot of information,” Livesay-Fox said of the families she deals with.
She helps steer the adults toward new housing and employment opportunities and, when needed, steps in to help with the abused children’s siblings.
“I’m going to provide child care so the other children don’t have to listen to what’s going on,” she said.
In addition to having an active advocate for the children, the center has also made a host of other changes during the past year.
The center received national accreditation after rigorous scrutiny by the National Children’s Alliance in October. It was the fifth of 10 offices statewide that now are accredited.
“We’re very proud of that,” Inwood said. “We had site reviewers from out of town. ... It was quite a process. It took the whole team,” including workers, volunteers, core and council members, and others involved in the center’s work.
The accreditation team conducted interviews of those involved, reviewed cases and watched recordings of how cases were handled.
“So this is a huge accomplishment,” Inwood said.
The center itself has undergone extensive improvements in equipment to conduct interviews with children, as well as in decor that helps put children and families more at ease as they deal with issues that have become traumatic.
Almost all of the changes have come through direct donations of goods and labor for the center, Inwood said.
One donor contributed furniture, picture frames, paint and other accouterments to create a comfortable room where Livesay-Fox and others can meet with the non-offending parent to talk about the family concerns and what lies ahead, whether it be for counseling or the courtroom.
Former Emporia Police Chief Larry Blomenkamp donated numerous color photographs he had taken to complete the serene setting.
The colorful framed artwork that now lines the once-dreary hallway also was given by an SOS supporter. The supporter even hired someone to paint the hall, Inwood said.
In Ashley’s Room, where children are interviewed about potential abuse, a large electronic white board has been donated from diversion funds through Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman.
“They can draw their pictures on this,” Inwood said, and it can be printed off on standard-sized paper.
The board sits within a frame one of the center’s team members built and donated to prevent it from tipping over. The large table it sits on also was donated, as was the computer monitor from Emporia police officers and a laptop given by team members. The latter two items allow the interviewer to communicate with the police and team observers in the adjoining room. Observers sometimes want to suggest questions for the interviewer to ask the child, or to clarify something that has been said, and the computer equipment lets them do that by messaging rather than leaving the child alone in the room, Inwood said.
Extensive upgrades also have been made in the observers’ room.
“Again, through the generosity of Marc Goodman, we are now recording totally digitally,” Inwood said of the interviews conducted with the children.
A DVD recorder has been added and the old small TV monitor has been replaced with an ample-sized flat-screen TV to give observers a better view of the room and the child.
Goodman also added a new computer and a printer to allow the observer to type summaries of interviews.
The purchases through Goodman’s office, made with diversion funds, all were approved by the county commission, she said.
A sorority held a golf tournament to raise funds, which provided money to hire someone to install the new cable and technology equipment that had been added, and selection of a table and bookcase stand for the flat screen is under way.
All of the improvements, Inwood said, help the center better serve the growing number of abused children and their families. And, though the numbers are growing, she said she did not necessarily believe that instances of abuse are growing.
The increases may be a reflection of a growing willingness to shed light on a problem that too long has been hidden.
“I think more are being reported,” she said.