Hope House is a safe place for children and families to visit after an outcry of abuse. This program provides free services to victims of child abuse and neglect and their non-offending family members, including forensic interviews, case coordination, therapy and other services to strengthen the families’ ability to provide a safe, nurturing home for their children. At Hope House, child and non-offending family well-being, healing, safety and protection are foremost. The goal of a forensic interview is to minimize the number of times a child must tell their story and collect vital information in a neutral, non-leading way to be utilized during a child abuse investigation. Hope House staff coordinates and reviews each child’s case with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to determine if there is enough evidence to pursue prosecution against the alleged perpetrator. The multidisciplinary team includes:
- Hope House staff
- local, state, and federal law enforcement
- medical personnel
- Child Protective Investigations (CPI)
- district attorneys
- therapists
In 2015, legislative changes allowed CACs to implement the Multidisciplinary Enhancement Project. This change allowed CAC, as a third-party, to review child abuse hotline reports, assess which cases met criteria for forensic interviews and services, coordinate appropriate services, and review cases with the multidisciplinary team. Since implementing this change, Hope House has significantly grown to meet the increased number of child abuse cases in our community. Hope House is presently in its own facility, allowing for colocation of Hope House staff, law enforcement, CPS Investigators and Special Investigators, and Homeland Security. The Hope House services are critical for the investigation, criminal prosecution, justice, and healing for the child and family.