It takes a village to heal a child

COEUR d'ALENE — When children are damaged by physical or sexual abuse, those who work at the North Idaho Children’s Advocacy Center are ready to help them heal.

"I have a really special place in my heart for kids who have been traumatized," Children's Advocacy Center director Tamarah Caldwell said Tuesday as tears welled in her eyes. "They deserve to have that voice, they deserve to be heard and they deserve to live in a community that really cares about them and embraces them."

The nonprofit is dedicated to making difficult situations less stressful for children and teens who are being evaluated for suspected abuse. Rather than having to visit the police station and talk to several officers and officials, the CAC provides a facility where kids can talk to forensic interviewer Janet Pace in a less intimidating, more comfortable environment.

"This is where those difficult conversations take place," Pace said, gesturing to a small table surrounded by little chairs in what CAC staff call the "kid room."

The "kid room" and the "teen room" have audio and video recording devices discreetly placed so the children and teens who Pace interviews only have to talk about their traumatizing experiences once. These recordings, which the kids are informed about, are kept confidential and only released to child protective services or investigators as evidence.

"We do interview for all forms of abuse and exposure to violence, but 80-90 percent of the cases we have here are for allegations of sexual abuse," Cardwell said. "Unfortunately, sex crimes are the hardest crimes to build a case and to prosecute and that’s because of the lack of evidence that happens to be involved in these cases.

"I think that’s why the CAC is such a great resource for those cases of sexual abuse, because it’s a safe place," she continued. "When you talk about sexual violence, it’s a really taboo subject. As a society, we've come a lot farther and become a lot more comfortable in talking about domestic violence and physical abuse and neglect, but when it comes to sexual abuse, it’s a really tough subject to talk about in general in society. So when you’re talking about a child victim coming forward, it’s a lot tougher."

The CAC facility operates from a building the Kootenai Health Foundation donates for its use. The CAC opened in fall of 2012.

"Since our doors have opened, they’ve been a huge supporter," Cardwell said of Kootenai Health.

The CAC is quite the kid-friendly environment, from the PlayStation in the waiting room to the bright colors and friendly sea creatures painted on the walls. Children can take comfort in stuffed animals kept on hand or a snack if they're hungry.

It is also a secure environment, where doors remained locked for privacy purposes, people speak in gentle voices and children can feel safe about sharing their stories. The facility also has a medical examination room with local pediatricians just a phone call away when physical exams are necessary.

"This is that first place for that investigative and healing process for professionals and for families," said Cardwell, who also serves as a family advocate. "It really sends the message that, 'You live in a community that is taking these cases seriously, taking childhood trauma and child abuse seriously. You live in a community that cares.'"

Cardwell is the only full-time paid employee who works at CAC. Pace is a part-time staff member while others volunteer their time and services and/or serve on the five-member board. CAC works within a multidisciplinary team to ensure children and their families receive all the support they need, including law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, victim advocates and medical and mental health professionals.

For the past year or so, CAC has partnered with Safe Passage (formerly North Idaho Violence Prevention Center) to incorporate a children's service program into Safe Passage's mission to eradicate all forms of abuse in North Idaho. Safe Passage executive director Katie Coker said no parent wants to think about their child being abused, but if it does happen, the assumption is a system is already in place to deal with it.

"The truth is, not necessarily," she said. "I think before the CAC, what happened was pretty disjointed. And sometimes the outcomes were OK, but sometimes the outcomes would be re-traumatizing. Think of a child having to go to the police department to talk about sexual assault. It's terrifying."

She said it's important people know about the CAC.

"It's a huge resource in this community, to help us not only help those kids and families have better experiences, but hopefully have better outcomes in their lifetimes than they would without this," she said.

The North Idaho Children's Advocacy Center will be featured at Safe Passage's annual Stop Violence Breakfast at 7:30 a.m., April 7, at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn. The breakfast is free but reservations are required by April 1. For information or to RSVP, call 664-9303 or email admin@safepassageid.org.

The CAC will be hosting an open house April 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month. The open house will include facility tours, networking, refreshments, parent tip sheets and more. It is located at 2190 Ironwood Center Drive in Coeur d'Alene.

Info: 664-3446