Need for Child Safe
Child Safe of Central Missouri, INC. is a non-profit nationally accredited child advocacy center serving 11 counties and is in Sedalia, Missouri. Child Safe is designed especially for children! Child Safe helps victims of child abuse and their safe caregivers as they go through a difficult process of a child abuse investigation.
The services provided by Child Safe are available to cover over 60,000 children under the age of 18 in our 11-county service area. In 2023, 436 children received services provided by Child Safe, more than 1 child per day. Nearly 80% of the families we serve have incomes below the 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and the majority being below the 125%. The average cost per child receiving services is $2,004. All of Child Safe services are provided free of charge.
A Child Advocacy Center (CAC) … What does that even mean?
Because of Child Advocacy Centers, children only have to tell their story 1 time, not 15 times as it was before CAC. Since 90% of abused children never tell anyone about their abuse, this 1 time is most important.
A Child Advocacy Center is a safe, child-friendly, neutral place where children and teens are interviewed about allegations of sexual or physical abuse, or about witnessing a violent crime. CAC provides support to children and families impacted by child abuse.
The goal of a CAC is to prevent a child from having to retell their story, over and over, and to offer a team approach to child abuse investigations.
The ability Child Safe has to offer these services would not be possible without the support from a giving community. In Missouri, Child Safe is one of 22 Child Advocacy Centers where the vision is a world where every child is a safe child.
To accomplish this, we need caring adults to recognize red flag behaviors and respond to these unsafe situation by making a hotline report. If you witness a child being abused, if you suspect a child is being abused, or if a child discloses abuse to you, YOU are responsible for reporting the abuse.
All services are optional, provided free of charge to the family, and can be accessed even after the investigation has concluded.