Submitted
Newton —
Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center staff and multidisciplinary team wishes to express their sincere thanks to the Greater Newton Community Foundation for their financial support in the amount of $781.20.
Heart to Heart provides a child-friendly environment for children to be interviewed by forensic interviewers in order to determine whether they have been abused, neglected or exploited, and the Center provides support services to child victims and their caregivers. Specific training must be provided to the staff and all the members of multidisciplinary team every year in order to meet the requirements of the National Children’s Alliance of which Heart to Heart is an accredited member.Increasing skills at child abuse investigations and team interventions is critical to promote legally sound, non-duplicative, non-leading and neutral interviews so that children can be protected and their best interests taken into account in decisions made by the team.The multidisciplinary team includes law enforcement, SRS, school counselors, mental health professionals, family advocates, and medical health professionals. Child abuse is an on-going problem that requires well-trained professionals to promote effective research- based programs and intervention for good outcomes. Heart to Heart conducts an annual training lasting two days. This year the training will be in Hesston at Cross Wind on May 20 and 21. Thanks to the Newton Community Foundation, we are set to bring in some very qualified trainers.— Marlene Lemmer Beeson J.D.,Executive Director,Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center
