Carousel Center Inc

Carousel Child Advocacy Center created a strategic plan for fiscal years 2019-2021 to further our vision to end child sexual abuse in our region. Key goals were outlined as priorities by the Board and Staff in support of the vision and mission of the organization. This plan is reviewed and updated semi-annually by the board of directors and leadership team.

• Services revolve around the needs of the child.
• Address the immediate medical needs,
• Preserve forensic evidence (to ensure holding child predators accountable),
• Provide for the child survivors and their families quality professional therapy services to heal from the traumatic impact of the abuse.
• Concurrently, family advocates assess the family's needs and connect to community resources, i.e. transportation, housing, food, safety, etc.
• Deliver education on Prevention, Identification, and Reporting of abuse to educate our communities.

Child abuse is a horrific experience with potentially lasting effects. And unfortunately, a common experience in America. Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S. each year. That’s about 1% of kids in a given year. At least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year. This data may be incomplete, and the actual number of children abused is likely underreported. Child abuse and neglect are serious public health problems and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can have a long-term impact on health and well-being.

Although children across the economic spectrum suffer ACEs, they disproportionately affect children living in poverty. In NC, 1 in 5 children experiences food insecurity. Almost half of NC’s children live in poor or low-income households. NC is ranked 40th in the US in terms of Child Poverty according to the most recent estimates. The Child Poverty rate in NC is 20.9%. An estimated 585,000 Black and Hispanic Children live below 200% percent of the federal poverty level.

When you extrapolate our service region's (Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender Counties) census numbers for the number of children potentially being abused (1 in 7) our estimate is 10,000 children. CCAC sees about 500+/- children (unduplicated) annually.

Our foundational belief is that all children should be protected from abuse, and those who experience child abuse should have access to quality services to help them heal from this experience no matter the color of their skin, the language they speak, their religious beliefs, or any other means of categorizing them. They are children who have experienced harm and deserve these services. It is from this same foundational perspective that the NCAC strongly condemns any form of racism. We are called to aid children and families in the everyday work that we do, whether it is through medical services, forensic interviews, victim support, therapeutic services, case management, or a host of other activities that ensure that children who are survivors of abuse can heal, recover, thrive, and shine.

And that’s not all. We are advocates when we educate our communities about abuse prevention, mandated reporting, human trafficking, and trauma-informed responses. We are advocates when we work with our legislators to create communities that are safer, healthier, and more supportive of children and families who need protection and support. We are advocates when our interviewers, our therapists, and our medical professionals testify in court, educating judge and jury alike about what it means to be a survivor of

Kids deserve to have the best and brightest minds advocating and supporting them.
We are a small but mighty team.
CCAC’s Board of Directors creates an annual fundraising plan and reviews it monthly. CCAC actively employs a diverse strategy to maintain its operating budget to support current operations, while also identifying ways to expand and enhance operations to meet community demand.
Child Medical Evaluations (CMEs) are mandated for Dept Social Services (DSS) and integral to Law Enforcement (LE) child abuse investigations. Comprehensive, medical evaluation is the initial stage of every suspected child abuse reporting process. CCAC has rostered medical providers with specialized training in child abuse who conduct the medical evaluations at CCAC.
Family Advocates support families through the entire CME process and through therapy services, through accompanying a family to court.
CCAC has social workers with advanced training in Forensic Interviewing (RADAR) to talk to children about difficult subjects. It’s important that any details about the alleged abuse come from the child. Our interviewers are trained to not ask suggestive questions and to move at a pace that is comfortable for your child. They never force a child to talk to them.
Without effective therapeutic intervention, many child victims of abuse will suffer ongoing or long-term consequences that may impact them throughout their lifetimes. CCAC has specially trained therapists who provide evidence-based trauma therapies for children who have experienced sexual/physical abuse and/or neglect, so they can concentrate on doing the hard work of healing and get back to the business of childhood
To combat the epidemic of child sexual abuse in our communities, TCC launched the Tri-County Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Initiative with the goal to train 10% of our adult population in Stewards of Children (approx 35,000 adults). Research says, 10% is a society’s TIPPING POINT: the critical point beyond which a significant and often unstoppable change takes place, where society widely adopts previously rare practices.
TCC’s Administrative Team provides the business infrastructure, managerial support, and day-to-day operational efforts to ensure the direct services team has the facility, resources, funding, and personnel – with all the grant applications/reports, paperwork, finances, billing, HR, fundraising, donor and client database management necessary to engage, maintain and sustain the volume of services demanded by the Cape Fear Community.

Actively recruit board members and team members that represent the communities we serve. Services Revolve Around the Needs of the Child Survivor of Abuse.
Over the last five years, has increased diversified fundraising and increased the budget by 50%.
Maintained Standards of Accreditations with the National Children's Alliance, remaining the SOLE Accredited Child Advocacy Center serving SE North Carolina.
Help child survivors of abuse heal from this experience no matter the color of their skin, the language they speak, their religious beliefs, or any other means of categorizing them.
* Provide ongoing proactive, cultural competency training for staff, Board, MDT members, and volunteers.
Tri-County Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Initiative - reached 7.1% of the target populaton; 2481 Individuals, 49 Organizations. Trained 49 new facilitators.