Officials on hand to commemorate CAP’s re-accreditation include Karen Dolce, Vice President CAP Board of Directors; Rachel Ludwig of Tapestry, an MDT partner; Christine Schuyler, Commissioner of Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services and MDT partner; Jana McDermott, CAP Executive Director, Betsy Goldman, President CAP Board of Directors; and Rob Kocur, Treasurer CAP Board of Directors.
JAMESTOWN, NY, DECEMBER 14, 2015—The Child Advocacy Program (CAP) recently received their re-accreditation as a Tier I child advocacy center by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA). Re-accreditation involves an extensive application and site review process, which started in 2014 and culminated with the re-accreditation announcement, received in November 2015. CAP’s re-accreditation is valid for five years.
NCA awards Accredited Membership based on compliance with 10 national standards, to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims. NCA accredited members must utilize a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution and treatment. NCA also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention and child focused setting.
“In addition to the quality services provided to clients by CAP staff and the MDT, CAP was recognized for excellence in the areas of cross training and continuing education opportunities, as well as a strong and diverse Board of Directors. Successful re-accreditation means that the Child Abuse multi-agency team has worked well together to achieve better outcomes for children and families in Chautauqua County. We will continue to work hard to provide a comprehensive safety net for children who are most affected by the trauma of abuse” notes Jana McDermott, CAP’s Executive Director.
Since opening in 2007, CAP has been dedicated to providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to child victims of physical and sexual abuse. Chautauqua County’s multidisciplinary team consists of 26 member agencies from the disciplines of advocacy, social services, medical, mental health law enforcement and prosecution. Coordination of services has been shown to provide more favorable outcomes for clients and is more cost effective than providing each service individually.
CAP is dedicated to ending child abuse in Chautauqua County. When abuse occurs, CAP coordinates a community response to bring healing, hope and justice to children and families. CAP has offices in Jamestown and Fredonia. CAP is a United Way Community Partner. To learn more about CAP, call 716-338-9844 or visitwww.capjustice.org.
