Page 60 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2018

KIDS giving kids hope SOUTHMISSISSIPPICHILD
ADVOCACYCENTER
Champion for children’s safety
story by Laura Walker photos courtesy of Child Advocacy Center
The highest rates of confirmed child abuse in Mississippi
occur along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Harrison County where rates are nearly 50 percent higher (or more) than any other county in the state. In 2016, a total of 1,024 evidenced child abuse cases occurred in the three coastal counties.
“Over the past year, we have doubled the number of children we serve,” said Krystle Hilliard, director of the South Mississippi Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Gulfport.
The CAC, part of Canopy Children’s Solutions, serves children who are victims of abuse and neglect primarily living in George, Greene, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties. The CAC service model has revolutionized investigations of child abuse cases by bringing all the entities involved to the child allowing the child to share his/ her experience one time in one place.
The CAC works with a multi- disciplinary team (MDT) to ensure the family receives proper care, remains informed and works collaboratively toward conviction. MDTs include members of the CAC, the district attorney, law enforcement, Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, as well as medical and mental health professionals.
“The Child Advocacy Center plays a huge role in the investigative process of child abuse cases on the Coast. We attribute a significant amount of our success to the work they do early on in conducting forensic interviews
and providing invaluable services to the victims in the aftermath of their
60 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2018
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victimization,” said Joel Smith, District Attorney for the Second Judicial District, which includes Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties. “I cannot overstate the importance of their partnership to us in the protection of children.”
The CAC, as part of the MDT model, connects families to service providers. The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Child Safe Center in Biloxi provides free medical evaluations to victims to collect medical evidence. The CAC has a licensed staff therapist but also works with local mental health providers including Canopy’s Behavioral Health Clinic in Gulfport, the Center for Non-Violence, Gulf Coast Mental Health Center and local military providers offering therapeutic
KRYSTLE HILLIARD, director of South Mississippi Child
Advocacy Center in Gulfport with positive notes from Coast children.
solutions to victims and their families. The CAC plays an active role with the families throughout the investigation, litigation process and even beyond their time in court.
During April, in honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month, the CAC will promote awareness and education about child abuse. The CAC, along with MDT partners, encourages residents to tie blue ribbons on their vehicles to show support of victims and their families. You will also see blue pinwheels planted in front of
the CAC as part of the Pinwheels
for Prevention® national awareness campaign.
Child Advocacy Center
228.868.8686
www.mycanopy.org