Annual Summary 2009 - Click here for printable version

CAP Happenings in 2009

As the newest member of the Children’s Advocacy Project Team, I am proud to report on all the hard work CAP accomplished during 2009.

The services provided reached the highest rates since CAP began providing services in 2002. Forensic Interviews hit an all time high for interviews completed within Natrona County, as well as those completed for other counties across Wyoming and the rest of the country. CAP’s medical services flourished in 2009, in-cluding both Sexual Assault Medical Exams and Well Child Checks for children placed in Foster Care. We were able to welcome our newest Mental Health Counselor in July, bringing our counseling team to one full time Forensic Interviewer/Therapist, one contracted part-time Forensic Interviewer/Therapist and one part-time contracted Therapist.

The partnerships between agencies has been instrumental in helping us achieve the successes noted on the following pages. Amanda Moeller’s dedication as the Executive Director of CAP was one vital component in building the collaborations among agencies. While CAP was sad with Amanda’s decision to resign and work from her home, Amanda continues to contract with CAP in providing her expertise in training community members in the Stewards of Children (SOC) Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training. Amanda was the first person to become a certified trainer in SOC and the response to the training has been overwhelming. Cur-rently Amanda is ranked #7 in the nation in the number of individuals she has trained, totaling 378 since be-coming certified in 2008.

CAP staff and team members were very fortunate in the quality of trainings that were offered in 2009. CAP co-sponsored the First Annual Forensic Interviewing Summit in July 2009. Forensic Interviewers from across the state gathered together to be trained by nationally recognized trainer Julie Kenniston. Among sev-eral topics, participants received training on the proper use of anatomically correct dolls during a Forensic In-terview. Cari Rothenhoefer and Nicole Rosenberger attended Advanced Forensic Interviewing Training in November. Lauren Mackey attended Forensic Interviewer Training in July to become CAP’s third interviewer on staff.

In short, 2009 was a challenging and successful year. We believe that we can continue to strengthen the services we provide well into the future. Next month CAP Board Members, Supervisors and Team Members will gather together to establish a Strategic Plan to assist us in defining our future goals. I know that the commitment and expertise of each individual will be our strongest ally in redefining a program that has touched so many lives. We have come a long way since opening in 2002 and yet we understand that our work is far from done. We believe that 2010 will prove to be our best year yet.

Respectfully Submitted,

Heather Ross Executive Director
Children’s Advocacy Project, Inc.
(307) 232-0160

Services Provided At CAP in 2009

It is difficult to put into words how CAP services touch the lives of traumatized children. It is even more difficult to reduce individual, emotional circumstances into whole, generic statistics. The
charts and grids that follow represent the total number of services and children served at CAP, however it is vitally important to remember that for each number indicated a child’s life has potentially changed forever. At CAP, we strive towards gaining a better understanding of the individual child's circumstances and to assist them in accessing medical and mental health services necessary for their journey toward recovery.

In 2009, CAP services continue to show an overall increase.

• Forensic Interview services were higher in 2009 than 2008.
• Individual Counseling Sessions were 2.5 times higher in 2009 than in 2008.
• Well Child Checks decreased significantly in 2009, when the CAP Nurse Practitioner resigned.

In 2009, the number of Forensic Interviews completed at CAP raised an all time high.

• The majority of interviews were from Natrona County.
• CAP completed 81 interviews for counties outside of Natrona County, the highest number of courtesy interviews in CAP history.
• Highest interviews per county, include:
1-Natrona, 2-Converse, 3-Platte, 4-Fremont

Natrona County—Forensic Interviews Per Department

• The majority of Forensic Interviews were provided to Natrona County.
• Casper Police Dept. interviews remain the highest within the county.
• The Dept. of Family Services may be involved in cases throughout the county.

In 2009, children interviewed at CAP totaled 198.

• Of those interviewed, 151 were female and 47 were male.
• 19 victims were developmentally disabled, including 18 children and 1 adult.

In 2009, a total of 195 cases were opened.

• Natrona County—114; Out of County –81.
• The largest age group for suspects remains 18-50+ years of age.
• Victims are more likely to know the suspect than to be unknown.
• Suspects are more likely to be a parent, step-parent or another relative to the victim.

In Natrona County, 116 children were interviewed at CAP.
The numbers shown below indicate the dispositions resulting from those interviews.

CAP completed the largest number of Forensic Interviews in 2009 since operations began.

Victims of sexual assault continues to remain CAP’s largest clientele served, however victims of other crimes noted below have grown significantly over the years.

Demographics of victims change over time, these are the changes since 2002.

• Although female victims remain predominant at CAP, male victim rates have increased.
• The number of victims in the 7-12 category have raised significantly over time.

Demographics of suspects change over time.

• CAP has seen slight increases in female suspects in the last four years.
• While the 19-49 year old suspect age group is still the highest category, more juveniles have received vital services as a result of early intervention.

CAP Funding Partners

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the services provided at the Children’s Advocacy Project, Inc. We are proud of the lives we have touched in the last year. CAP continues to strive to meet the needs of the clients we serve, however we are humble to know that these vital services would not be available without the support and kindness of so many individuals, associations, foundations and state/ federally funded programs.

In 2009, for the first time since beginning operations, CAP was fortunate enough to receive financial support from local and county entities. We are grateful to each funding source and would like to thank everyone in assisting us in completing our mission of providing comprehensive, collaborative services to alleged victims of child abuse and their non-offending family members. Without the support of the entities listed below, families in our community and across the State of Wyoming would not have the opportunity to receive services in a family friendly, developmentally appropriate atmosphere.

American Bar Association
City of Casper
Community Action Partnership
John P. Ellbogen Foundation
McMurry Foundation
National Children’s Alliance
Natrona County Commissioners
Town of Evansville
Town of Mills
United Way of Natrona County
Wyoming Division of Victim Services