The Congregation Council has designated the December Special Offerings to the April House Children’s Advocacy Center of Whiteside County. Please read about the Center. We believe you will be called to make a generous offering in support of this ministry to safeguard the well-being of abused children and youth.
The April House Mission is to bring together a multidisciplinary team of professionals committed to providing healing and justice for children who have endured physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse materials, neglect, and exposure to violence in a child-focused, trauma-informed environment.
To understand what a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is, you must understand what children face without one. Without a CAC, the child may end up having to tell the worst story of his or her life over and over again to doctors, police, lawyers, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may have to talk about that traumatic experience in a police station where they think they might be in trouble or may be asked the wrong questions by a well-meaning adult that could hurt the case against the abuser.
When police or child protective services believe a child is being abused, the child is brought to the CAC—a safe, child-focused environment—by a caregiver or other safe adult. At the CAC, the child tells their story once to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask in a way that does not retraumatize the child. Then, a team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health, prosecution, child protective services, victim advocacy, and other professionals make decisions together about how to help the child based on the interview. This is called the multidisciplinary team (MDT) response and is a core part of the work of CACs. CACs offer referrals to therapy, medical exams, courtroom preparation, victim advocacy and other needed services.