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From the Director
What a year 2007 has
been! CAP has undergone
significant staff changes, partner agency personnel changes, Board
changes, held our first fundraiser, launched our own website, became a
stand alone nonprofit, became an accredited member of the National
Children’s Alliance, served more than 200 children and their families,
and we are still open for business!
This past year is proof that CAP will be serving our community for
many years to come. There has
been turnover on all levels of CAP and I believe that fresh faces often
bring fresh ideas. I am
looking forward to 2008 and the challenges that will no doubt come with
it.
CAP is currently focusing on our medical personnel.
This is the weak link in our team but it is quickly building
strength. Lorraine Reed, RN,
CPNP is continually attending trainings and shadowed Lori Frasier in Salt
Lake City for three days in October to gain further experience in child
sexual assault exams. Thanks
to
Lorraine
’s thorough Well Child exams of children taken into DFS custody, several
child maltreatment cases were opened that might not have otherwise been
investigated. CAP is also
maintaining a relationship with providers at Community Health Center of
Central Wyoming for forensic examinations.
Also high on the priority list is long term sustainability.
CAP is looking for more ways to gain funding through federal,
state, and local governments; current and new grants; billable revenue;
and fundraising. This year
marks the completion of the seed money grant from the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation. New money is being
sought to replace these funds. The
success or failure of any community asset such as CAP is dependent upon
our own community’s support of the program.
CAP was successfully (and painlessly) released from Community Health
Center of Central Wyoming in July. The
transition to independence has been quite smooth with a few minor bumps in
the road. CAP will continue to
partner with CHCCW in future endeavors serving
Natrona
County
children.
In October CAP was notified that we were granted full accredited
membership in the National Children’s
Alliance
. This news has not only
affected those of us in
Casper
, but also the other children’s advocacy centers in
Wyoming
. As
Wyoming
’s first and currently only nationally accredited center, CAP and the
other CAC’s were able to become a state chapter of NCA.
The Wyoming Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers was born this
fall and we have been working very hard together to secure some state
funding. These centers are a
vital part of our community and those other counties that utilize our
facilities and services.
CAP ended the year with a bang!
Thanks to a large grant from the Optional 1% Sales Tax, the County
was able to purchase our building from the owners.
This is a huge relief as we no longer have rent to pay.
Our community sees the value of this program.
The Children’s Advocacy Project served 208 clients in 2006, 83 of which
were DFS Well Child Examinations. The
total number of cases is still less than previous years, although CAP
served more children than in 2006. The
nature of child maltreatment is cyclic and 2007 may reflect one of those
cycles. CAP is working hard on
the community awareness of reporting suspected child maltreatment.
This year’s higher numbers may be due to higher public awareness.
Looking more closely at the 2007 CAP client characteristics, the City of
Casper
made most of the referrals, and the most common allegation was sexual
abuse of females. Although the City of
Casper
remains the leader in the number of cases referred to CAP, the
out-of-county courtesy interviews rose to one third of the total cases.
The most common age group alleging sexual abuse is 0-6 years old by a
narrow margin over the 7-12 group. As
would reflect the homogeneity of
Wyoming
, 91% of the children seen at CAP were Caucasian/white. Sadly, at least
96% of the victims knew their perpetrator; the other 4% may have also been
known to the victim, but not to investigators.
On behalf of the CAP Board of Directors and staff, I thank all of our
funding partners during 2007:
- Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation/Local Initiative
Funding Partners
- McMurry Foundation
- United Way of
Natrona
County
-
Wyoming
Division of Victim Services / VOCA
-
Wyoming
Community Foundation /
Casper
Area Community Foundation
- John P. Ellbogen Foundation
- Wyoming Children’s Trust Fund
- True Foundation
Without
your continued support of this program, we would not have been able to
help families begin the healing process.
Your endorsement of CAP is appreciated greatly.
Respectfully submitted,
Amanda M. Moeller
Executive Director
Children’s Advocacy Project, Inc.
amanda@childrensadvocacyproject.org
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