February 24th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

The Allegany County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding between the office of the States Attorney and the child advocacy operation, Friends of Jane’s Place. As part of the proposed restructuring, Jane’s Place representatives requested $55,000 to help fund a full-time director and part-time program coordinator. Located at 26 Greene St., Jane’s Place, established in 2008, is a nonprofit dedicated to providing a child-friendly environment committed to reducing trauma to children who have been abused, neglected or sexually assaulted and provide them space where they can begin to heal. Maryland law requires all jurisdictions to operate a child advocacy center with the state contributing $12,500 annually to each.  The new arrangement would place the Allegany County Board of Commissioners as the lead agency, followed by the local State’s Attorney’s office and the Jane’s Place advisory board. States Attorney James Elliot…

The caseload for Jane’s Place is tied to the number of investigations established through Child Protective Services, which had 429 investigations in 2019, 228 in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 312 in 2021 and 290 as of Sept. 30 of last year. County Commissioner Creade Brodie Jr…