West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced this week that he has awarded $2,149,670 in Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Grant Program Funds to 22 projects. These funds are awarded to local non-profit Child Advocacy Centers throughout the state to address the growing problem of child abuse and neglect. The recent awards are focused on a multi-disciplinary response to investigation, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases by providing services such as advocacy, education, forensic interviews, evaluations, and referrals.

 

The current Legislature re-appropriated funding to implement a system of child advocacy centers throughout the state. This funding is intended to provide grant relief to be passed through the Justice and Community Services (JCS) section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services, to those child advocacy centers in need of supplemental financial assistance. 

 

Funds were awarded to the following:

 

Funds will be used for a facility-based community partnership, which will provide intake, investigation, and follow-up services for victims of child abuse, ages 3-17 in Mineral County.

 

 

Funds will be used for a child-focused program that encourages a multidisciplinary team approach to the investigation and treatment of child abuse, in turn strengthening and coordinating the community's response to child abuse in Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan counties.

 

Funds will be used to provide a safe place in Marion County for children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse to have their stories clearly heard and begin the healing process.

 

Funds will be used to provide center-based services to child abuse victims including forensic interviews and evaluations, advocacy, education, referrals, therapy, and coordinating Monongalia County's multidisciplinary response to investigations and interventions for child abuse victims.

 

Funds will be used for a staff person to provide training opportunities to the multidisciplinary team and other staff members and strengthen the overall program at Randolph and Tucker counties' Child Advocacy Centers.

 

This project will engage the broader community, beyond child advocacy centers and their teams of professionals, to engage the conversation about child sexual abuse. The project will also bring increasing awareness and decrease stigma, meaning child abuse will continue to become an issue of shared community concern and priority.