POSTED: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The CARE House of the Pee Dee Earns Accreditation
by Jamie Rogers, Morning News reporter
Read the original article here.
FLORENCE - The CARE House of the Pee Dee has accreditation status this month through the National Children's Alliance, making it the only fully accredited child advocacy agency in the Pee Dee.
The CARE House, the name being an acronym for Child Abuse Resource and Evaluation, is a not-for-profit child advocacy center in Florence that provides services to children who may have been physically or sexually abused.
The staff of the CARE House of the Pee Dee joined the National Children's Alliance after completing a process which included completing an extensive application and a site visit from National Children's Alliance officials, CARE House of the Pee Dee forensic examiner and director Dr. Kathy Saunders said.
The National Children's Alliance is a professional membership organization dedicated to helping communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient while putting the needs of child victims first, according to the group's Web site.
The goals of the CARE House are in line with those of the children's alliance, Saunders said.
"That's what we do," she said. "(The alliance) ensures that centers are operating with the victims' best interest. It looks at (child advocacy) not through the eyes of one discipline but multiple disciplines."
The CARE House does this through its multi-disciplinary team which consists of seven core components that include members of law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys and state social workers, Saunders said.
Representatives of these seven entities meet every other Friday to discuss cases.
The accreditation means the CARE House can serve Pee Dee children and their families better, Saunders said.
"It holds us to a different level within the community," she said.
In 2008, the center served about 765 children. As of August, the center served 853. The increase in patients can mean many things, including more instances of children abuse, Saunders said.
More positively, it can mean the community is doing a better job in identifying cases of abuse and providing proper treatment for the abused, she said.
It also can mean that law enforcement and others are increasingly recognizing the CARE House as an agency that provides outstanding care to those in need, Saunders said.
The agency, which began seeing patients in 2004, has grown and now receives referrals from 14 different counties, even some outside the Pee Dee.
Gaining accreditation was was important to the CARE House staff for many reasons aside from professional excellence, Saunders said. Being a member of the alliance is a means of support.
"What we do is very, very hard work. You can't do this in a vacuum," she said. "You need support to get through every day. We have a very dedicated staff."
The CARE House will celebrate its accomplishment today with a private drop-in engagement at the Patton Drive location in Florence.
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POSTED: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The CARE House of the Pee Dee Earns Accreditation
by Jamie Rogers, Morning News reporter
Read the original article here.
FLORENCE - The CARE House of the Pee Dee has accreditation status this month through the National Children's Alliance, making it the only fully accredited child advocacy agency in the Pee Dee.
The CARE House, the name being an acronym for Child Abuse Resource and Evaluation, is a not-for-profit child advocacy center in Florence that provides services to children who may have been physically or sexually abused.
The staff of the CARE House of the Pee Dee joined the National Children's Alliance after completing a process which included completing an extensive application and a site visit from National Children's Alliance officials, CARE House of the Pee Dee forensic examiner and director Dr. Kathy Saunders said.
The National Children's Alliance is a professional membership organization dedicated to helping communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient while putting the needs of child victims first, according to the group's Web site.
The goals of the CARE House are in line with those of the children's alliance, Saunders said.
"That's what we do," she said. "(The alliance) ensures that centers are operating with the victims' best interest. It looks at (child advocacy) not through the eyes of one discipline but multiple disciplines."
The CARE House does this through its multi-disciplinary team which consists of seven core components that include members of law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys and state social workers, Saunders said.
Representatives of these seven entities meet every other Friday to discuss cases.
The accreditation means the CARE House can serve Pee Dee children and their families better, Saunders said.
"It holds us to a different level within the community," she said.
In 2008, the center served about 765 children. As of August, the center served 853. The increase in patients can mean many things, including more instances of children abuse, Saunders said.
More positively, it can mean the community is doing a better job in identifying cases of abuse and providing proper treatment for the abused, she said.
It also can mean that law enforcement and others are increasingly recognizing the CARE House as an agency that provides outstanding care to those in need, Saunders said.
The agency, which began seeing patients in 2004, has grown and now receives referrals from 14 different counties, even some outside the Pee Dee.
Gaining accreditation was was important to the CARE House staff for many reasons aside from professional excellence, Saunders said. Being a member of the alliance is a means of support.
"What we do is very, very hard work. You can't do this in a vacuum," she said. "You need support to get through every day. We have a very dedicated staff."
The CARE House will celebrate its accomplishment today with a private drop-in engagement at the Patton Drive location in Florence.
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