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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2738 |
| St. John's County Children's Advocacy Center & Sexual Assault Forensic Team |
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| Requester: |
Maryann J. Barry, CEO |
Organization: |
The Children's Advocacy Center of Volusia & Flagler Counties, Inc. (CAC) |
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| Project Title: |
St. John's County Children's Advocacy Center & Sexual Assault Forensic Team |
Date Submitted |
1/13/2006 9:37:46 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Hill |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| The safety and well-being of the children of our State and the prosecution of those who perpetrate crimes against children and sexual violence is of paramount importance to all citizens of Florida. The Children's Advocacy Center of Volusia and Flagler Counties, Inc. is requesting seed funds to establish a Children's Advocacy Center and Sexual Assault Forensic Team in St. John's County. Currently, there are no in-county CAC services for child victims of sexual abuse and assault. Adult and child sexual assault victims must be seen in the hospital emergency room and do not have access to the services of a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. A local Children's Advocacy and Sexual Assault Exam Services site would reduce further traumatizing victims and increase the efficacy of evidence collection for prosecution. The funds are intended to assist in establishing a location, purchasing equipment specific to sexual assault exams and fill initial staffing needs while additional renewable funding resources are secured. The Betty Griffin House (which addressed domestic and sexual violence in St. John's County), the Sheriff's Department, the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office, local Victim Advocates and others have coordinated with Children's Advocacy Center of Volusia & Flagler Counties, Inc. management to plan Center development, for a hopeful July 1, 2006 opening. The need for services to address and hopefully reduce the incidence of sexual violence and increase successful prosecution in quickly growing, yet still rural, St. John's County and support from the St. John's human services provider community are well established. |
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| Recipient: |
The Children's Advocacy Center of Volusia & Flagler Counties |
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Contact: |
Maryann J. Barry |
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344 South Beach Street |
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Contact Phone: |
(386) 238-3830 |
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Daytona Beach, FL 32114 |
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Contact email: |
mbarry@childrensadvocacy.org |
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| Counties: |
St. Johns |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| The CAC of Volusia & Flagler Counties will serve as parent agency to a branch office to be established in St. John's County. The site will provide a single location for abuse/assault victims to receive forensic medical exams, forensic interviews and follow-up advocacy and counseling services. The CAC staff will coordinate with the other essential members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to provide comprehensive and collaborative Child Abuse Response Team and Sexual Assault Forensic Team services in a centrally located child and victim friendly environment. The MDT members include but are not limited to Betty Griffin House staff, Flagler Hospital, Law Enforcement, Victim Advocates, Child Protection Team, Children's Medical Services, State Attorney, Mental Health Providers and the Department of Children and Families. The CAC will directly hire or subcontract with Therapists and/or Mental Health Counselors, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. The CAC will collaborate and coordinate services with the appropriate Child Protection Team, Department of Children & Families, Law Enforcement Agencies and Health Department in accordance with the National Children's Alliance standards which govern their standing as a nationally accredited Children's Advocacy Center. In synopsis, the St. John's County CAC site will provide a location for CPT medical exams, CPT forensic interviews and depositions with non-perpetrators. The direct service array will include sexual assault forensic exams, counseling for child abuse victims, counseling for non-offending caregivers, counseling for adult survivors of childhood abuse, abuse/assault victim service coordination and community-wide abuse/assault prevention education and family team conferencing. All of these services will be coordinated in partnership with the Betty Griffin House. |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Expected outcomes are a reduction in the number of rape victims transported out of county or seen in the hospital emergency room for sexual assault forensic exams; a reduction in the number of children transported out of county for child abuse related services; an increase in arrest and prosecution rates for sexual violence and child abuse related crimes; an increase in the reporting of sexual violence to law enforcement and improved evidentiary efficacy resulting in increased successful prosecutions of perpetrators. The long-term expected outcome is a stabilization and eventual decrease in the currently rising rate of sexual violence in St. John's County. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$55,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$77,700 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$ |
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In-kind Amount |
$22,050 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$25,000 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Agency Needs Assessment - data from St. John's County Betty Griffin House Domestic Violence Shelter. |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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No |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
