Preparing physically and sexually abused children to testify in court https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2013/preparing-physically-and-sexually-abused-children-to-testify-in-court https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Preparing physically and sexually abused children to testify in court

Additional Information
Used for	Kids in Court is designed to educate parents and their children about the court process and courtroom dynamics in a fun, interactive format. Families with cases that will be going through the judicial process - and courtroom testimony is probable - are invited to attend this program. Dinner is provided along with a coloring book with crayons, a badge, a stuffed animal and a certificate of completion.
Benefits	The purpose of Kids in Court is to help children and their protective family members feel more comfortable in the courtroom, helping them to prepare for what is often a frightening and intimidating atmosphere. By becoming more familiar with their surroundings and with court procedures, they can provide accurate, honest testimony with minimal fear and confusion. Kids in Court helps provide more judicious outcomes in court cases in which our clients are involved.
Proposal Description	The Children’s Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend (CAC) is a non-profit organization that works with sexually and severely physically abused children, human trafficking victims, drug-endangered children, child witnesses to violent crimes and their non-offending family members. Individuals involved with the Child Abuse Council of South Texas established the CAC in 1994 following a series of poorly handled child abuse cases that demonstrated the need for a central, non-biased, child-friendly organization to facilitate child abuse investigations. Project Description The project for which we seek funding is known as Kids in Court. Kids in Court is designed to educate parents and their children about the court process and courtroom dynamics in a fun, interactive format. Families with cases that will be going through the judicial process - and courtroom testimony is probable - are invited to attend this program. It is held at the courthouse where their trail will be held after normal operating hours. Dinner is provided along with a coloring book with crayons, a badge, a stuffed animal and a certificate of completion. Geographic Area to Be Served Although most of the people we serve live in Nueces County, we also serve people in the following nearby counties: San Patricio, Kleberg, Aransas, Bee, Jim Wells, Duval, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Refugio, Live Oak, and McMullen. These 12 counties, known collectively as the Coastal Bend, cover a combined area of 11,186 square miles. The Coastal Bend is located 215 miles south of Houston and 140 miles southeast of San Antonio. Client Group to Be Served, Number Served Annually Of the 1,957 people served by Children's Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend in 2011, 70 percent were classified as low- to moderate-income. Twenty percent came from households earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income; 40% earned between 31% and 50% of the Area Median Income; and 10% earned between 51% and 80% of the Area Median Income. Kids in Court will serve approximately 120 people annually. Project Period: Kids in Court is an ongoing program held quarterly. Total Cost: $9,497 per year (plus $1,407 of In-Kind Services) Amount and Source of Matching Funds: None at this time. However, we have an ongoing grant-writing program in which we seek funds for this and other projects. If funding is not received from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, we will seek financial assistance from other potential funders. Objective/Purpose The purpose of Kids in Court is to help children and their protective family members feel more comfortable in the courtroom, helping them to prepare for what is often a frightening and intimidating atmosphere. This allows them to become more comfortable as they prepare to testify in their own cases and helps them understand the roles of all the people that will be in the courtroom that day. The objective is accomplished by bringing children and adults to a courtroom in the courthouse in which they will testify so they can familiarize themselves with their surroundings and with court procedures. Approach Kids in Court is held after normal operating hours at the courthouse where the trial will be held. Each person expected to testify in the legal proceeding will be allowed to spend time in the courtroom and will experience a simulation of what it is like to be involved in an actual court proceeding. Evaluation The success of Kids in Court will be evaluated and measured by: 1. The number of children and adults who participate in the program (we estimate 40 children and 80 adults will participate in a 12-month period). 2. Immediate feedback from children and adults who participate in the program on how the program has prepared them and what can be done to improve the program (a survey will given or administered to each participant on the night of their participation). 3. Follow-up feedback from prosecutors will be solicited for each child who participates in Kids in Court. Prosecutors will be asked to give feedback on how the child performed in court or to what degree the child’s confidence and effectiveness helped them arrange a plea agreement (surveys from participants and prosecutors will be studied for ideas on how to improve the program). Uniqueness/Reasoning People served by Kids in Court are low-income and minority children who are victims of crime and have been placed in a highly stressful and intimidating situation. Without the proper preparation before testifying, testimony from these children is less effective in achieving judicious outcomes and the experience of testifying in court without the needed preparation can add additional trauma to what has already been a devastating experience. How Foundation Funds Will Be Used Foundation funds will be used to pay CAC employees who oversee and operate Kids in Court, supplies such as coloring books and certificates of completion, and dinner for children and their parents. Additional Comments Our mission is to lessen the trauma to abused children and their families by uniting the efforts of public agencies and enlisting the support of the community. Our goals are to advocate for the rights of children and their specific needs and create an environment where child abuse is no longer tolerated. The Children’s Advocacy Center is a collaborative effort of public agencies charged with investigating, prosecuting, and treating child victims of sexual and physical abuse. The partner agencies include: • Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, • Corpus Christi Police Department, • Driscoll Children’s Hospital, • Nueces County District Attorney’s Office, • Nueces County Sheriff’s Department, and • many area therapist offices. • The center also has agreements with the other 11 counties in the Coastal Bend to provide courtesy services for those communities and area investigative, prosecutorial and therapeutic agencies. The CAC is an accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance and Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc. We receive funding from CACs of Texas, the Children’s Justice Act, and private donations. The services the center provides are unique to the 12 counties we serve. However, the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend collaborates with other agencies to ensure families who come to us receive all the continuing services available to them. We work closely with law enforcement detectives assigned to investigate child abuse cases, CPS investigators, prosecutors assigned to prosecute criminal and civil child abuse allegations, trained therapists, Driscoll Children's Hospital CARE team, and juvenile probation and parole agencies. We also refer mothers and their children to The Women’s Shelter of South Texas, Family Outreach (for parenting classes), CASA of the Coastal Bend and Brush Country CASA, and Mission of Mercy (for families in need of free healthcare). The ethnicity of our clients breaks down as follows: 4% African Descent 20% Caucasian 72% Latino/Hispanic 4% Multicultural/Ethnic