Wow, what a year it’s been! The Children’s Safety Center (CSC) has been buzzing with activity and positive change throughout 2024. We’ve achieved incredible milestones across all our services, and none of it would be possible without the amazing support of our community. Let’s dive into some highlights:
Providing Crucial Support to Families:
Our advocacy team goes above and beyond to provide emotional support to caregivers and parents navigating incredibly difficult situations. In 2024, our advocacy team took on 740 new clients, on top of those we are still seeing from previous years! Below is a story from one of our advocates about a parent’s experience bringing her child here for the first time:
“I have a client who has experienced abuse before and although her case was investigated, she was never referred to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC). Mom said she didn´t even know the center existed. I explained our services and as she looked around our center she said this is just what her daughter needed. She kept saying the center was beautiful and the colorful handprints were so heartwarming. She expressed wishing we had been part of her daughter´s life sooner. She was very grateful for the support and appeared hopeful for her daughter´s future.”
Celebrating Therapy Graduations:
This year, our therapy team celebrated 22 therapy graduations! Each graduation is a testament to the resilience of these incredible children and the dedication of our therapists. We love making each graduation special with a celebratory tunnel, personalized gifts, sweet treats, and certificates of accomplishment.
In 2024, Our therapy team increased their services by 50% from 2023!
Forensic Interviewers Making a Difference:
Our skilled forensic interviewers play a crucial role in supporting our agency partners and the children we serve. Did you know all of our advocates are cross-trained in forensic interviewing? This ensures our team is always prepared & ready to serve kids. Our 8 forensic interviewers conducted 566 forensic interviews in 2024.
Our full-time interviewers also testified in court 8 times. This is just one more way that our team supports both our agency partners AND the children we serve.
Our Team at the CSC:
Did you know our team has spent a combined 112 years working at the CSC? And we have only been open since 1997!
Sweet Treats and Community Partnerships:
A huge thank you to Little Debbie for their incredible generosity! They donated over 1,040 boxes of snacks in 2024, ensuring that every child had a sweet treat during their time at the CSC. We are incredibly grateful for partnerships like this that bring smiles to the faces of the children we serve.
Prevention Education Reaching New Heights:
Our Prevention Educator, Miriam, has been busy bringing the Monique Burr Foundation’s Teen Safety Matters program to schools. In 2024, she provided 10 lessons to 240 students, empowering them with knowledge and skills to stay safe. If you’re interested in bringing this program to your school, reach out to Miriam directly! Click to email Miriam!
Looking Ahead to 2025:
We’re excited to continue our vital work in 2025 and have some fantastic events lined up:
Stay tuned for more information on these exciting events!
Wow, what a year it's been! The Children's Safety Center (CSC) has been buzzing with activity and positive change throughout 2024. We've achieved incredible milestones across all our services, and none of it would be possible without the amazing support of our...
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) are a collection of potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood that could result in increased risk of physical health, psychology, and social problems in adulthood. According to the organization Prevent Child Abuse...
Our Handprints for Hope luncheon this year was held at the new Fayetteville Public Library's Event Center. With almost 500 attendees and some very special speakers and guests. The first lady of Arkansas, Susan Hutchinson started off the lunch with a speech followed by...