It’s not always easy to hold the attention of kids in a classroom. But child advocacy workers from Blount County Children’s Center (BCCC) are committed to getting their message across. The organization partners with its county school system to inform children about what child abuse looks like and how they can respond to it as a victim or a witness.
Oftentimes, children may not have the words or the motivation to describe an abusive experience. But BCCC takes a multi-disciplinary approach to helping kids get over whatever hurdles are preventing them from coming forward and receiving the help they need. Showing classroom videos of slightly older children discussing their experiences is one way to make an impression.
BCCC is the primary, centralized safe place in Blount County where children can share reports of abuse. The organization works directly with a standing group of law enforcement, legal and mental health professionals, as well as school officials, to ensure that children are not re-traumatized by having to retell their story of abuse over and over again to multiple individuals.
Executive Director Jim Ed Clayton explained that Blount County Children’s Center is part of a network of child advocacy centers that follow the same model of centralized reporting and assistance. Coming forward for the first time can be “a harrowing journey for the child,” he said. BCCC seeks to make the journey somewhat easier and less painful.
This is accomplished by one forensic interviewer asking questions of a child, while other members of the multi-disciplinary team watch on closed-circuit TV, leaving the child to recount the incident one time only. From there, a staff counselor is able to follow up and provide appropriate services to the child for as long as necessary.
In 2023, BCCC dealt with 329 new cases, including a variety of physical and sexual abuse to children. While Clayton said dealing with cases each day takes a toll on him and his staff, bringing healing to victims keeps them going.
“We don’t fix every child who comes through here, but a lot of children who come through here do leave with a whole new view on life,” Clayton said. “They’re no longer victims. They’re survivors, and they’re moving on with life.”
BCCC, alongside Owen’s House in Shelby County and St. Clair Children’s Advocacy Center, is one of three child advocacy centers that are partner agencies of United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA). Each of these organizations responds to the immediate crisis of child abuse by providing mental health counseling, connection to relocation services through the Alabama Department of Human Resources, as well as quick response from law enforcement.
Child advocacy itself intersects with three of UWCA’s most critical impact areas: Crisis Response and Resource Support; Early Childhood Development and Education; and Youth Health and Wellness.
It’s well documented that child abuse harms both the physical and mental health of youth, opening the door for negative outcomes later in life. The ultimate goal of child advocacy centers, Clayton said, is to break the cycle of abuse. Many of the children the centers help come from parents who were themselves victimized as youth. These organizations create hope.
“A girl who’s coming in later today went through years of sexual abuse by a family member,” said Clayton. “That family member has since been convicted and is serving time. The girl is 16 years old now…We just love to see her come in and smile…and visit with us and laugh because that cycle of abuse has been broken.”
For more information about UWCA’s work in crisis response, as well as child development and youth health, visit https://www.uwca.org/impact/.