Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas offers a haven of healing to children and families who have suffered from abuse with this year marking the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary supporting the community. It is the place families go to when they learn a crime has been committed against their child.

Amy Ferdinando, the Director of Development and Communications at the Advocacy Center, noted that unfortunately, child abuse is universal.

Ferdinando said, “Child abuse happens in every community, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or socio-economic level—wherever there are families, there are family crimes.”

She added one in 10 children will be abused before they turn 18. Furthermore, one in 10 of those children live in Texas, and 24% of those children live in North Texas.

The Advocacy Center is one of 70 Children’s Advocacy Centers in Texas and has multicounty jurisdiction including Denton and Wise counties. Jack County was just added in January. In Denton and Wise counties in 2021, there were 8,800 abuse reports, 2,400 of which were criminal offenses. This number is up by 35% from 2020.

Over the past four years, The Advocacy Center has grown from 40 to 70 employees in response to this influx of reports and cases of child abuse.

Kate Hudson, the Marketing Manager at the Advocacy Center, said Children's Advocacy Centers offer a variety of services including therapy, interviewing child abuse victims, and reviewing cases filed through CPS with the state.

“There is a Texas Family Code and we are mandated by the Code to offer six core services,” Hudson said. “Those services are triggered when child abuse is reported that rises to the level of a criminal offense such as major physical abuse or sexual assault.”

Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas services include case coordination, forensic interviews, family advocacy, medical exams, multi-disciplinary case review, and trauma-informed therapy.

“We don’t charge for any of our services, there are absolutely no fees for anything—all of that is free for the child,” Hudson said. “Depending on the caseload, the Advocacy Center can also offer therapy to other members of the households or caregivers that are not directly abused, but still need support.”

With the increase in acute child abuse cases, there has been an increase in needed services in all six core areas. In 2021, 1,574 children received a forensic interview – more than ever in the agency’s history.

“Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas is the community’s response to the tragedy of child abuse. The most important thing I want the community to know is that child abuse can impact any family, but the services provided by the Center can save lives, and restore a child’s potential for a healthy, successful future,” said Ferdinando.

To get involved with Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas, community members can offer financial support through a monthly giving program, the Circle of Healing, and find other donation options on the website. The Advocacy Center also has an upcoming event: “Over the Edge: Be Brave'' on June 11. If participants fundraise $1,000, they will have the opportunity to rappel down a 6-story building to be brave for the children who are being brave by coming forward with their experiences. Each participant will be able to set up a fundraising page to ask their friends and family to help support them and the Advocacy Center. The amount to raise is $1,000, which equals 10 therapy sessions for a child.

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