Lincoln Tribune

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What a Difference a Year Makes for Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse Posted: 30 Jun 2012 05:20 PM PDT Members from various agencies listen in on an interview through a closed circuit. Photo by Seth Mabry By Allyson Levine LCV Staff LINCOLNTON-It's been almost a year since the Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse and Child Advocacy Center moved into its new home. The refurbished house, located in a residential neighborhood on Policarp Street in Lincolnton, is a far cry from the organization's humble beginnings. "It started out as the WIC office thirty years ago," Executive Director Sherry Reinhardt said of the trailer behind the Lincoln County Health Department that served as the Coalition's first home. It's new one is full of toys and stuffed animals to provide comfort to the children who come there. It also has some technological tools designed to aid the adults whose job it is to help those children. "We are one of 22," Reinhardt, who has been onboard since 2009, said of the Center. "Out of 100 counties in North Carolina there are 22 accredited. It has become the evidence-based model." Here's how it works: Reports of neglect or abuse, whether physical or sexual, are referred to the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) by either law enforcement or the Department of Social Services. When the child arrives at the center, either Reinhardt or Gao Lee Xiong, also a trained forensic interviewer, takes the child through an intake session called a forensic interview. In a separate room, members of a multi-disciplinary team, including representatives from law enforcement, social services and the district attorney's office, as well as medical/mental health providers, observe the interview on closed-circuit television. Afterward, the forensic interviewer discusses the interview with the team of observers. The team collaborates to decide what the next step will be. "We are a force driven by a multi-disciplinary team," Reinhardt said, adding that the school system is also represented. "We lessen a lot of duplication, which saves us a lot of money in Lincoln County." Naturally, non-abusive parents or guardians are also involved in the process. "Usually they'll call down the mom or the person (who brought the child in) and give them a little bit of what's going to happen next," Reinhardt said. What happens next for the child is usually therapy, where Reinhardt says even more details emerge. It's all geared toward getting a complete picture of what the children have gone through as the process moves toward helping them and holding their abusers accountable. According to Reinhardt, plea bargains are a common outcome, with only about 30 percent making it to trial. For the children, that's often the best-case scenario. "The process is so hard, having to repeat their stories over and over," Reinhardt said. The CAC saw 197 kids in 2011 out of 2,163 reports of child abuse in the county. The Center also works with developmentally delayed adults and children who have witnessed domestic violence, as well as children who have been traumatized for different reasons, such as a death in the family. In addition to Reinhardt and Xiong, Dr. Cammie Benton and Physician's Assistant Kristen Whitmer-Fowler, both of Lakemont Family Medicine, and Licensed Professional Counselor Sara Vela are also part of the staff at the CAC. Another LPC, Jennifer Drum, will join the staff soon to work with children at a DSS satellite office in Denver. Two more new faces, Dr. Jermeliah Martin and Dr. Ankur Shah, both board-certified pediatricians, will come onboard after completing training in the state's Child Medical Evaluation Program. "We all have about 20-25 credits we have to maintain to remain experts in the field of child abuse," Reinhardt said. As of July 1, Dr. Steve Austin of Austin Orthodontics will become president of the organization's board of directors. "I am an orthodontist and I work very hard at creating beautiful smiles in children," Austin said. "Many times there is a smile on the surface that covers deep scars and wounds of unthinkable abuse. My hope is that somehow we can help prevent this abuse from happening in our county, our state and the world, and if it does occur we can give the children the proper voice to prosecute their perpetrators and prevent others from suffering similar abuse." One final new addition to the CAC is the Lincoln County Child Resource Center, a building located behind the facility that will house everything from clothing, baby supplies and appliances to every kind of toiletry imaginable. "We always have to make sure that we take care of their basic needs," Reinhardt said, adding that the Center will take donations of "anything that could be used to restart a household." In addition to donations, Reinhardt says the Center is always looking for volunteers. Many members of the community have already helped out, including the Piecemakers quilting club, which makes bags and quilts for the kids. The Timken Company has been one of the CAC's biggest supporters, donating $100,000 to fix up the house, add technology and make it handicap accessible, as well as an additional $30,000 for the resource center and back yard. According to Reinhardt, the number of child abuse cases reported spiked way up when news of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal broke. The numbers have leveled off now though, and Reinhardt says the Center is on track to see about the same number of children as last year. As long as those children need a place to get help, Reinhardt and the CAC will be there. "Here, we're a one-stop shop," she said.   For more information about the Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse and Child Advocacy Center, visit www.cac-lincolncounty.org or contact Sherry Reinhardt at sreinhardt@cac-lincolncounty.org.

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