Stepping Stones Child Advocacy Center
In 2007, Sunflower CASA Project agreed to facilitate the formation of a Child Advocacy Center in Riley County. Child Adovacy Centers, or CACs, coordinate a collaborative partnership of professionals who are dedicated to providing child-sensitive and compassionate services for the child and their family. Professionals representing child protective services, legal, law enforcement, mental health, medical and other disciplines provide a coordinated team response when a child reports abuse or when there is reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected.
This team approach strives to reduce further trauma to the child and helps the child and family to heal from the emotional wounds associated with abuse. The multidisciplinary approach focuses on prevention, detection, investigation, treatment and prosecution and includes:
- child-centered investigative interviews
- multidisciplinary investigations and case management
- information and referral
- education and outreach
- professional in-service training
- child advocacy
Nationally, there are over 400 CACs accredited by the National Children's Alliance and there are many more CACs in development.
Stepping Stones opened for services on July 1, 2008, just one year after receiving our first grant from the Office of Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Stepping Stones is located at 1014 Poyntz Ave., Suite C, Manhattan.
Stepping Stones' Partners:
- Riley County Police Department
- Manhattan SRS
- Riley County Attorney's Office
- SANE/SART (sexual assault nurse examiner/sexual assault response team) from Mercy Regional Health Center
- Pawnee Mental Health Services
- The Crisis Center, Inc.