Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center

Mission Kids provides investigates child abuse cases in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA, an area with a population of 800,000. Forensic interviews are conducted in a manner that is legally sound, neutral, fact-finding, and coordinated to avoid repeated interviews and trauma to the child. Representatives of the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement and social services work together as a multidisciplinary team and observe, but do not participate in the interview as it takes place, thereby reducing the number of interviews a child victim must undergo. This team approach supports and protects children throughout the legal process, preserving their physical and emotional well-being. Specialized mental health services are available on-site and through referrals. Mission Kids also provides referrals for specialized medical care through the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, and Family Advocacy Services to work with the family to help the child move onto healing faster. Mission Kids has served 4,700 children and families since 2009. Since child abuse does not know boundaries, Mission Kids has become a leader in the development of child advocacy centres (CACs) across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (population 13M), helping to double the number of CACs from 20-40 in just 6 years time. Mission Kids also provides leadership in the response to child sex abuse on national and international levels and is a member of the United Nations ECOSOC committee.

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