Photo by Matt StephensIn today's society, an estimated 90 percent of abuse or neglect on children is carried out by a caregiver or someone the child knows, according to Children's Safe Harbor. As the only child advocacy center in The Woodlands area, Children's Safe Harbor combines a variety of resources under one roof to ease the healing process for children ages 2–17 who have experienced or witnessed different forms of abuse.
Children's Safe Harbor started small in the early 1990s with a board of directors who gathered to examine physical, emotional and sexual child abuse laws. The center, founded Aug. 31, 1998, has expanded throughout the past four years from a 3,000- to 15,000-square-feet facility with about 12 employees to better serve children in Montgomery, San Jacinto and Walker counties.
"All of these years, the average child we see is a 7-year-old white female," said Victoria Constance, executive director of Children's Safe Harbor and CEO of the board. "Rather than taking her to the police department, CPS [Child Protective Services] and a nurse, we bring all of those people to the advocacy center to reduce the number of times a child has to tell what [abuse] happened to her."
The center collaborates with local law enforcement to provide detectives and has established a partnership with Memorial Hermann Hospital to offer on-site medical exams. In addition, children are able to receive forensic interviews and counseling by licensed professionals in the facility and other satellite offices around the community for convenience.
