County Child Advocacy Center launches new helpline
KCaulder@CalhounTimes.com
The Gordon County Child Advocacy Center launched a new advocacy helpline for child victims and their caregivers to receive support on Friday.
The helpline is available 24/7 for victims to call or chat online. It is also available in both English and Spanish. Advocates on the helpline are specially trained in dealing with child sexual abuse and sexual assault.
“We are very excited to bring a new service to community members of any age. Someone can help you talk through what has happened and help you find resources in the community to assist you with next steps toward healing and recovery,” said Child Advocacy Center Director Cindy Gregg.
All helpline conversations are confidential unless it is required for advocates to report something by law. However, a person can receive support anonymously if they so desire. The helpline is also a place to receive information about laws, basic information and medical concerns.
The Gordon County Child Advocacy Helpline is funded from a Victim of Crimes Act grant received from Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The Gordon County Child Advocacy Center also provides forensic interviews, advocacy services, and counseling for victims of child sexual abuse and sexual assault.
Gregg estimates that the center provides forensic interview services for 150-160 individuals each year.
“When law enforcement get a referral that a child has disclosed some type of abuse and they feel it’s necessary to have a forensic interview, they make a referral to us and we have a trained forensic interviewer who talks with them so they don’t have to sit in front of law enforcement or DFCS because that can be scary,” she said. “This helpline is another way we’re working to make things less scary for those we serve. We hope having 24/7 access to advocates encourages those who need us to reach out.”
Call the Gordon Child Advocacy Helpline at 706-3973303 or visit the website at www.familyresourcecentergordon.org and click on the “click to chat” button.
Gordon County Child Advocacy Center partners with Gordon County Sheriff’s Department, Calhoun City Police Department, Gordon County Division of Family and Children Services and the Gordon County District Attorney’s Office to provide forensic interviews to child victims of abuse. Gordon County CAC also offers advocacy services and free therapy to victims.