The Texas Bar Foundation recently awarded Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) a $9,000 grant. The funds will be used to partially fund two forensic interviewers in the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) at CAFB.
CAFB is the only agency in Fort Bend County exclusively dedicated to providing critical services, all free of charge, to abused and neglected children and their non-offending family members. The agency’s forensic interviewing program began in 1997. In 2014 alone, the forensic interviewers conducted 691 interviews.
Every alleged child victim of abuse in Fort Bend County is directed to the CAFB office for a forensic interview to help determine whether or not abuse has occurred. Specially trained forensic interviewers interview the child in a child-friendly, age-appropriate environment. Each interview is digitally recorded onto DVDs and provided to district attorneys, Child Protective Services (CPS) and law enforcement.
The CAC collaborates with the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement and CPS to ensure a complete and seamless process in capturing and sharing interviews to support the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, to staff the case, design an effective, therapeutic approach and to prepare the prosecution.
Volunteers are needed to help in the agency’s CAC and in the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program. For more information, contact Volunteer Services at 281-344-5146.
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