WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER TASK FORCE
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Mission Statement
To provide investigative, advocacy, family support, and therapeutic services to children who have experienced sexual or significant physical abuse or other traumatic events, as well as trauma-informed community education, designed to guide our towns and civic spaces to be safer and more resilient for children.
About This Cause
Davis House Child Advocacy Center opened in September 2000 to provide a safe, child-friendly place for child victims of sexual or severe physical abuse. Davis House Child Advocacy Center provides advocacy, investigative, and counseling services to children who have experienced sexual or significant physical abuse, as well as trauma-informed community education and training, all designed to guide our towns and civic spaces to be safer and more resilient for all our citizens. Child abuse does not just affect the child. Once disclosure is made, the entire family is in crisis. Our mission is to treat the child and the family as they heal from the trauma of abuse and to educate caregivers in order to better protect children in their care from abuse. We currently serve the 21st Judicial District of Tennessee, including Williamson, Lewis, Hickman, and Perry Counties, and presently maintain facilities in Franklin, Centerville, and Hohenwald. Beginning in September 2022, these four counties will be split into two separate districts, with the 21st being exclusively Williamson County, and the 32nd consisting of Hickman, Lewis, and Perry Counties. Despite covering two different districts, we will continue to provide trauma-focused care to all four of these counties, with no reduction in services, but this change does highlight the need for additional funding sources to continue much needed support to our rural communities. Davis House was launched according to National Children's Alliance guidelines, which are considered best practices for child advocacy centers across the country, and is now a fully accredited member. Since inception in 1999, Davis House has served over 8000 child abuse victims. Below is an overview of the direct services provided by Davis House: 1. Children under the age of 18 first come to Davis House for a forensic interview if there has been a report of child abuse. The interview is designed to hear from the child their perspective regarding the circumstances which brought them to Davis House. The interviewer asks the child questions in an age-appropriate, non-leading way. Conducting the interviews at Davis House helps ensure a child experiences a friendly, neutral setting. Our forensic interviewers are trained to conduct a thorough interview with as little further trauma to the child as possible. 2. Our Counseling Program provides mental health treatment to children suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms following sexual and severe physical abuse. Davis House employs therapists trained in both Trauma Focused – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Play Therapy. One of our therapists will conduct the initial assessment, create a treatment plan and meet with the child (and family when necessary) for counseling sessions. These counseling services are provided at no cost to any child who receives a forensic interview at one of our centers. 3. The Child and Family Advocate (CFA) serves as the point person to shepherd the family through the process and help link them to the services they need, whether those services are provided by Davis House or a community partner. The CFA also serves as a liaison between the child/family and other members of the Child Protective Investigative Team (CPIT). Our CFA works with the child and family as long as is necessary. This is generally until their case is resolved, until the child reaches a point in counseling where our services are no longer necessary, or no if services are no longer desired by the family. 4. Collaboration is the essence of the The Child Protective Investigative Team (CPIT). CPIT is the group of child abuse professionals in each of our counties that works together to investigate allegations of child sexual and significant physical abuse. This team is mandated by Tennessee law. CPIT consists of representatives from Davis House, Department of Children’s Services, local Law Enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, Juvenile court, and Our Kids. In addition, at times it can also include members of the FBI, TBI, and US Homeland Security. 5. We accomplish the outreach portion of our mission through community education and awareness programs. Significantly, it is possible to help prevent abuse from occurring through the use of these programs. We currently offers all of our training programs at no cost to the community. Anyone who works with children or has children in their lives can benefit from out trainings. So essentially, everyone! We train public and private schools, child care agencies, churches and faith-based organization, youth-serving organizations, civic groups, businesses, parent groups, homeowner and professional associations, parents, and ANY adult wanting to know how to better protect children. 6. Our goal is to provide expanded clinical interventions to families impacted by severe trauma that come to our centers as a result of sexual or significant physical abuse disclosure. We provide wraparound services for our families with a high level of trauma. We consult with community agencies to help customize an individual trauma-informed approach to help better provide services that are sensitive to the needs of those in the community dealing with trauma. We also work within our agency and community partners to ensure the high-stress and potential vicarious trauma are addressed. 7. Davis House also offers a vital service to the community at large through our Community Education Program, which focuses on educating adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child abuse. The key to addressing the issue of child abuse is to educate the community about abuse, services available to victims, and the legal obligation of all community members to report suspected child abuse. By law, all adults 18 and older are required to report known or suspected child abuse. To make a report, contact your local law enforcement or the TN Child Abuse Hotline at 877-237-0004. Davis House is not a reporting agency, so reports are not made directly to us. You can always call us if you have questions or concerns about a child, and we will be happy to guide you on making a report, but we are not able to report for you. Davis House also offers emergency services to child trafficking victims at our Franklin location. We can't do this without you! The services we provide are vital in keeping children safer from abuse. We cannot do what we do without your continued support. It takes a community to help ensure children can be kept safe from abuse, or in the unfortunate event it does occur, they have somewhere to go for help.