The history
The Brazoria County Alliance for Children was created as a response to poor industry practices, including excessive interviews, poor communication and the development of physical evidence, according to its website.
Today, BCAC works directly with the Department of Family and Protective Services, law enforcement agencies, the Brazoria County District Attorney, medical personnel, therapists and other community service agencies to provide children with the help they need, BCAC Executive Director Kristi Hawkins told Community Impact.
The details
BCAC works with children ages 1-17 and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities who have been exposed to or have been victims of abuse, Hawkins said. They have two offices—one in Pearland and another in Angleton.
According to the National Children's Alliance, 550,000 known children were victims of abuse in the U.S in 2022, and more than 1 billion children globally are estimated to be victims of sexual violence.
“We want the families and children to know that even though this is something they've experienced, it doesn't define them,” Hawkins said.
BCAC offers four services to victims and their families, all free of charge, including:
- Forensic interviews, which allow children to talk about their experience of abuse and/or exposure to violence. Interviews are conducted by a BCAC staff member who is trained to gather information in a developmentally sensitive and non-leading manner.
- Family advocacy, which provides crisis intervention and emotional support to nonoffending family members and caregivers for as long as each family needs
- Trauma-focused therapy, which is a proven therapy, allows children to process the trauma they have experienced
- Medical evaluation, which BCAC partners with medical professionals on to help recognize signs and symptoms of child abuse
All standards and practices are set in place by the Children's Advocacy Center of Texas and the National Children's Alliance, which accredits BCAC, Hawkins said. Yearly checks are done to ensure that everything is done in compliance.
The local impact
BCAC worked with 1,462 children in 2024, seeing around 400-500 families a year. A majority of those kids, 66%, come in because of sexual abuse allegations, Hawkins said.
“I don't understand where their strength comes from and I just feel like we should be as strong as these kids are. We need to face the reality that this is happening,” Hawkins said.
BCAC believes giving children the space and opportunity to discuss their trauma in a controlled environment can do wonders for their healing, but they understand the concerns of guardians who believe talking about it can be counterintuitive, Hawkins said.
“Children, when they come in here, the vast majority of them say that they're better. They look like they're better when they leave,” Hawkins said. “I don't think it's traumatizing if it's done in the right way and we just want to treat the kids with respect when they come in here.”
Three-fourths of abused children who had post-traumatic stress disorder no longer had it after receiving treatment, according to the National Children's Alliance.
To ensure the services are working, BCAC provides families and children with a survey to get feedback on what is or isn't working well.
Before you go
BCAC relies heavily on state and federal grants to keep operations running. With the growth of the county, BCAC can't match that growth and be able to provide services for all who need them, Hawkins said.
For the 400-500 families they see year-round, they have two dedicated counselors who work year-round, Hawkins said.
“There's so many kids and families that need the trauma-focused counseling,” Hawkins said. “We would love to add another family advocate and more counselors that can continue to provide in-depth services. Honestly, my advocates, they're getting a bit burnt out because their caseloads are high,” Hawkins said.
To raise funds, the organization is hosting a fundraiser with a 1980s theme in September. Brazoria County residents and businesses can attend Sept. 4 at the Courtyard Marriott in Lake Jackson from 6-10 p.m. to donate.
