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Children’s alliance accredits ‘A Child’s Place’

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Editor’s note: Corrected information has been added to this story. A Child’s Place at Washington Hospital is a satellite of A Child’s Place at Mercy, a program of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, not Mercy Hosptial, as was previously stated.

By Barbara S. Miller

Staff writer

bmiller@observer-reporter.com

“A Child’s Place” at Washington Hospital, a child-advocacy center where law enforcement, the Children and Youth Services agency, prosecutors and medical professionals can interview victims of abuse and neglect, became the first satellite center in Pennsylvania to be accredited by the National Children’s Alliance of Washington, D.C.

The local center is a satellite of A Child’s Place at Mercy, a program of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System. Interviewing children at a central location means they do not have to be shunted about from office to office.

Tim Kimmel, Washington County director of human services, learned of the accreditation Tuesday afternoon and reported the development Wednesday morning at the Washington County commissioners’ agenda-setting meeting.

“It validates the quality of service we want to provide to our abused and neglected children,” Kimmel said. Applying for and obtaining accreditation has been in the works since the center opened in January of last year, and Kimmel acknowledged that meeting the objectives of the review has been a rigorous process.

“It should open up additional funding opportunities for us,” said Kim Rogers, Washington County CYS administrator.

The commissioners were pleased to hear of the accolade.

“The National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first,” the organization noted in a release.

National Children’s Alliance awards satellite membership based on a center’s compliance with national standards to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims, including an effective multidisciplinary team approach to work together in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment.

Founded in 1990, the National Children’s Alliance is the association and accrediting body for the 777 children’s advocacy centers and 49 state chapters serving each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purpose of National Children’s Alliance is to ensure local communities can provide comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.

The importance of making child advocacy centers available to all children in Pennsylvania was part of a report issued by the Task Force on Child Protection, which was formed by the General Assembly following several high-profile child sexual abuse cases that occurred in Pennsylvania, most notoriously the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State University.

The report recommended a child advocacy center be located within a two-hour drive of all children in Pennsylvania.

The center was formerly known as “A Voice for Me” Child Advocacy Center of Washington, which closed in spring 2013. During the interim, Washington County cases of suspected child abuse were referred to child advocacy centers at Mercy or Children’s Hospital.

Rogers estimated between five and 20 children from Washington County use the service each month.

The endeavor was made possible through the joint efforts of the Washington Health System, A Child’s Place at Mercy, the Washington County district attorney’s office, Washington County Children and Youth Services, the Washington County commissioners and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Care Center, which provides treatment, advocacy and support for both adult and child victims of sexual abuse.

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