CHILDRENS ASSESSMENT CENTER
Hearing the Story. Healing the Pain. Halting the Cycle.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
There continue to be too many high profile cases of child sexual abuse in our community and our country. It is estimated that one in ten children in Kent County will suffer some form of sexual abuse in 2018. Their offenders will be teachers, youth workers, community volunteers, even a trusted family member or friend. Of the nearly 800 children who received services at the Center last year, 100% of the alleged offenders were known by the children they abused. When a child reports abuse, the response must be focused on hearing the story, healing the pain, and halting the cycle of sexual abuse. That response can be found at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County. From a forensic interview to therapy, court support, and family advocacy, through our multidisciplinary-team approach all of the adults that might be needed by a child victim are available in one place, for as long as the child needs them, and at no cost.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Hearing the Story
The Children's Advocacy Center of Kent County seeks to provide a safe place for every child to tell his or her story of suspected sexual assault:
* Forensic Interviews
* Community Assessments
Healing the Pain
The Center works with each client to heal their pain through:
* Crisis Counseling
* Long-term Therapy
* Support Groups
* Counseling for sexually-reactive children (7 and under)
* Victim Advocacy
Halting the Cycle
The Center is committed to halting the cycle of sexual abuse in each client's life and in the children of Kent County through:
* Counseling
* Kids Have Rights--Your Body Belongs to You body safety program
-- in-class presentation throughout Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Kent Intermediate School District
Where we work
Awards
Certified 2018
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Affiliations & memberships
National Children's Alliance - Full Member 1993
External reviews
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
* In one, child-friendly location, meet all the investigative and healing needs of child victims of suspected sexual abuse.
* Provide body-safety education and sexual abuse prevention training for Kindergarten-4th graders throughout Kent Intermediate School District.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
* Onsite Forensic Interviewing with specially-trained expert in child interviews
* Onsite Medical Examinations with specially-trained pediatrician, medical social worker, and medical coordinator
* Onsite crisis counseling and long-term therapy for victims and their immediate and nonoffending family members; clients can return at any time before they turn 18
* Court support
* Victim Advocacy
* Kids Have Rights body-safety program
* Community Education seminars
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Children's Advocacy Center of Kent County operates under the guidance of a multidisciplinary board, filled with experts and leaders throughout Kent County, including law enforcement, Department of Health & Human Services, and the Kent County Prosecutor's Office. Staff members regularly receive training in best practices for their respective disciplines. In addition, the CAC is accredited and regularly viewed through National Children's Alliance .
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Accomplishments:
* No session limits on counseling
* Recognized by Governor Snyder's Task Force as qualified sexual abuse prevention program
* Only fully-comprehensive center for investigative and therapeutic support for child victims of suspected sexual abuse in Kent County that does not charge our clients for therapy
* Support groups for sexual abuse survivors and caregivers
* Educating 21,000 children with their body safety rights annually
Future goals:
* Crisis Counseling opportunities for nonoffending caregivers and siblings
* Recognized throughout the state as experts in providing support for child sexual abuse victims
* Educating every child in Kent County with their body safety rights
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CHILDRENS ASSESSMENT CENTER
Board of directorsas of 06/07/2023
Gail Scott
Kyle Irwin
Mary McLoughlin
McLoughlin Communications
Eric Winstrom
Grand Rapids Police Department
Chris Becker
Kent County Prosecutor
Kim Koster
Wyoming Police Department
Savator Selden-Johnson
Michelle LaJoye-Young
Kent County Sheriff's Department
Mercedes Toohey
India Manns
Amanda Fielder
Warner Norcross & Judd
Jane Gietzen
Corewell Health
Kim Krause
WXMI FOX17
Fran Miller
Kelli Smith
John Ball Zoo
Ed Elsner
Consolidating Resource Imaging
Andrew Fuelling
RT Specialty
Damika Houston
Healing Minds Counseling Services
Tracey Silas
Kent County Department of Health & Human Services
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/15/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.