Throughout the county, the grueling economy dominates daily political discussions, but less talked about are social effects being seen by local advocacy groups and law enforcement.
April is National Child Abuse Awareness month, and before it passes, it’s important to remember that children often suffer the worst from financial hardships when a family begins to struggle.
“Over the last few months, news outlets from around the country have been linking increasing reports of child abuse and family violence to the sinking economy. The connection makes sense, unemployment and financial hardship create stress, and stress makes it more difficult for parents to meet the demands of raising children,” stated Chenango County Catholic Charities Executive Director Jane Coddington.
The organization’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Coordinator, Tim Hagen, and Child Advocate, Jackie Spencer, agree. Both Hagen and Spencer work hand in hand with local law enforcement and social agencies in handling abuse cases on a regular basis in Chenango.
From their offices at Catholic Charities in Norwich, the multi-disciplinary team coordinates a collaborative effort of a number of agencies including the District Attorney’s Office, Family Court, Probation Department, Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Social Services, Chenango Memorial Hospital, state police and the Norwich PD.
“The multidisciplinary team is an interagency investigative team, comprised of professionals from the key disciplines involved in investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases,” said Hagen.
With local agencies using the MDT as a central hub for their various investigations and treatments, the child victims involved are spared multiple exposures to numerous individuals and repetitive interviews over experiences that are often very traumatic.
The process aids with shaping a more thorough investigation for law enforcement, avoiding wrongful prosecutions while obtaining more credible testimony for committed offenses.
“Most importantly the coordinated efforts lessen the trauma on the child,” said Spencer.
Since 2007 the team has seen a sharp rise in the number of cases coming in.
“Poverty is often considered the single best predictor of abuse and neglect. Not surprisingly poverty often goes hand in hand with other risk factors that can increase the likelihood of abuse, such as stress, depression, substance abuse and social isolation. There’s no denying the current economic crisis is dangerous for children,” stated Coddington in an agency statement.
Hagen said the MDT investigated 27 alleged cases in 2007, 62 cases in 2008 and since January 1, the team has already processed nearly 100 child abuse cases, many of them accusing sexual crimes.
Hagen said both police and prosecutors rely on information gathered from victims in constructing their cases and that it can present challenges.
“You need collaboration. Some (interviews) aren’t able to lead to enough evidence for law enforcement to pursue a prosecution, but the victim may still require treatment. Just because there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant an arrest doesn’t mean we don’t believe that abuse took place,” he said.
The MDT program is made possible by a grant awarded by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) in Albany.
There are 22 MDTs in upstate New York, north of Westchester County.
The MDT facility boasts a private interview room adorned with toys, coloring books and subtle tools, used by either the law enforcement or child protective service agents, who are the exclusive interviewers.
While the interviewer is in the room, other agency representatives can watch the process via a hidden audio and video link. The family or guardians of the child wait in another room equipped with a TV, children dvds and other causal furnishings.
“We want the child to be able to relax. Often while talking about traumatic experiences, they become tense and need constant release, especially young children. These surroundings are designed to put the child at ease so we can get them to speak about what’s happened to them,” said Spencer.
Spencer also said the relaxed atmosphere has aided in improving the program’s effectiveness.
“It really does work. The kids relax and there is an open exchange much more than if we were sitting in a medical examination room for example, which tends to make kids more, not less, tense,” she said.
“Without a child making a disclosure about their abuse, the healing process can never really begin,” added Hagen.