Mission

The Children's Resource Center is dedicated to reducing the occurrence and aftermath of child abuse. The Center seeks to improve the health, welfare, and safety of children and families in Central Pennsylvania.

History

The Children's Resource Center (CRC) was established in 1994 to serve Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and Lebanon counties as the central location for all agencies involved in medically evaluating, interviewing and treating children suspected of being abused. Guided by its mission to eliminate and reduce the aftermath of child abuse, the CRC seeks to identify abused children, protect them from further abuse, and promote abuse prevention activities.

Affiliation

The CRC is an accredited member of the National Children's Alliance. Our center is one of 19 functioning member centers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We are a non-profit agency in the Department of Pediatrics of Pinnacle Health System.

Population Served

Since 1994, CRC has cared for over 5,000 children, and 884 children were evaluated in 2009. Our service area has expanded to include more than 24 counties in the Central Pennsylvania region. The CRC has contacts with Children and Youth agencies in Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon, Franklin, Fulton, Mifflin and Schuylkill counties.

The average age of our patients is 6 years old, with an age range of several months to 18 years. Older patients are seen when developmental disabilities exist. Eighty percent of out patients are girls. Approximately, 90% of cases involve allegations of sexual abuse, 8% involve allegations of physical abuse and 2% are other allegations or involve children who have witnessed violence in their homes or community. The CRC is dedicated to helping these children recover from and move beyond the abuse so that they may develop and grow into healthy, productive, and non-violent adults in our communities.

Collaborative Agencies

Emphasizing the use of a multi-disciplinary team approach, CRC partners with law enforcement, district attorney's offices, child protection services, mental health and victim support services to provide efficient, quality care in a sage, child-friendly environment.

The CRC established co-location of Dauphin County representatives from law enforcement, prosecution, child protective services, and rape crisis services in our facility. The location of these agencies within the center provides comprehensive services to victims and their non-offending family members. In addition, other counties served receive benefits from such co-location as investigative and victim support services in the home community are notified of evaluations and continuity of care and referrals are maintained.

In August 2002 the CRC became the first center in Pennsylvania to provide a means to preserve the child interview through videotaping. To date, our center has conducted over 4,100 such interviews. Our child interview specialists have received advanced training by nationally recognized experts in the skills to encourage children to disclose abuse in a safe and confidential manner using a non-directed interview approach. Three full-time forensically trained child interview specialists currently conduct all videotaped child interviews scheduled. The CRC's facility is expanding its interview capability to provide two interview and observation rooms with improved state-of-the-art audio/video-recording equipment. This will allow the CRC to reduce waiting time for appointments and respond more quickly to emergency situations.

Medical examinations of children occur with consultation by the child interviewer and the physician to determine the need for such an examination. The Center has one Pediatrician and a nurse practitioner that have also received advanced training in child abuse medical examinations and interviewing. The CRC is currently recruiting for an additional nurse practitioner to increase our ability to provide medical examinations on site.

Our center is sensitive to the cultural diversity existent in many of the communities we serve and we strive to attend the individual victim and family needs. Diversity education for staff and partner agencies is a priority initiative within the CRC.

• The CRC actively engages in educational outreach to sensitize professionals as well as the general public to the existence of child abuse and their responsibility in and methods of reporting suspected abuse.



• The CRC piloted the "Reading Heroes" program in November 2005 as a fundraising and awareness raising effort partnering the CRC, businesses and corporations and students from three Central Dauphin Middle Schools. The goals of the program are to motivate children to read independently, involve children in community service, educate children and families about the issues of abuse and what they can do to help and provide a venue for local businesses to promote a more literate workforce and support a worthy cause.



• In 2007, the CRC implemented the program in nine schools. More than 600 students read over 3,500 books! This is a great opportunity for volunteers to help the center and work with students and the business community.



• In June 2006 the CRC hosted a regional conference in Harrisburg for professionals to enhance their skills and knowledge regarding child abuse investigations and treatment as well as showcasing Children’s Advocacy Centers in Pennsylvania and encouraging other communities to develop similar programs.



• Increasing awareness of professionals and the general public about the growing concern for Drug Endangered Children who are exposed to methamphetamine use and production in their homes is another goal that was realized by the CRC with a 2-day training, sponsored in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Pennsylvania State Police, the PA Department of Public Welfare, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the American Academy of Pediatrics.



• Our center hosts the Pennsylvania Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers and Multi-disciplinary Teams quarterly meetings. Our center has taken the lead in educating and promoting the Children’s Advocacy Center concept in Pennsylvania and on a national basis.

• Medical Directorship of the CRC and Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations (SAFE) - Harrisburg Hospital Emergency Department. Physical examinations, including colposcopy and forensic photography in cases of alleged physical abuse, are conducted when medically necessary.



• Non-directive interviews of children suspected of having been abused conducted by forensically trained child interview specialists in a child-friendly and culturally sensitive environment.



• County Children and Youth agency evaluations of children suspected of having been physically or sexually abused as well as entry and exit examinations as requested.



• Consultation on child pornography with the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and other law enforcement agencies.



• Site reviews and program evaluations of emerging and existing advocacy centers as well as professional grant reviews in conjunction with the National Children's Alliance.



• Education and training of professionals and community members in areas of child abuse identification and reporting, child forensic interviewing and team collaboration is accomplished by our staff members to community groups by request. Out center also offers Teleconferencing programs on mental health, medical and legal issues of child abuse to staff, partner agencies and professionals on-site.



• Provide onsite training for medical students, medical residents, social work interns and volunteers.