(417)272-8410TheLakes Area Child Advocacy Center, located in Branson West,assists in investigation of reports of alleged child abusein Stone, Taney and surrounding counties. When a Hotline callis received at the Division of Family Services (DFS), theycontact law enforcement to investigate the allegation. Ifthey determine the situation needs further assessment, ourcenter is contacted to set up a private, videotaped interviewand exam of the child by a trained professional. Since ourgoal is to minimize the amount of trauma the victim may experience,these videotaped interviews, which are held in a child-friendlyroom, help prevent the child from having to tell their storyover and over. We then help arrange follow-up medical, mentalhealth and/or victims’ advocacy referrals for the childand the family.Think about it: most legal, social services, medical and mentalhealth systems are designed for adults, not children. Childvictims of abuse deserve a place that is just for them. TheLakes Area Child Advocacy Center provides this: all the necessaryservices are provided within the walls of a place designedespecially for children. When a child visits the Center tobe interviewed and examined, they have already endured somedegree of trauma, so offering a warm and child-friendly environmentin which he or she feels comfortable and at home is very important.When a child comes here, we want their visit to feel as safe,secure, and peaceful as possible.Workingon site at the Center is the Coordinator and the forensicnurse practitioner/examiner. But overall, the Center workswith its multi-disciplinary team to help the children whocome through our doors. This means that agency representativesfrom law enforcement and DFS work together with prosecutingattorneys, physicians, and therapists in the investigationand referral to treatment services. It is a team-orientedcommitment to help children who are alleged to have been physicallyand/or sexually abused.In our rural area, the Lakes Area ChildAdvocacy Center assesses an average of 150-200 children peryear; numbers that have nearly tripled in the last severalyears. Child sexual and physical abuse does happen aroundus every day. Here are some things you need to know:• 85% of sexual perpetrators are people the child knowsand trusts.• 1in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have been sexually abusedby age 18.• Children are usually not violently attacked duringa sexual assault, they are coerced or threatened to keepthe secret.
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The average age at onset of abuse is between 5-7 years of
age.
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70% of mothers of abuse victims have themselves been the
victims of some type of abuse.
• Fear of being alone with a particular person.
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Nightmares, fear of going to bed.
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Sudden and consistent bedwetting.
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Changes in behavior at school or in relating to friends/siblings.
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Sudden acting out of feelings, anger, afraid to go home,
running away.
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More sexual knowledge than is appropriate for