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May 12,2003 - Forest Hills, NY, May 12, 2003 – This morning at 10:00 A.M., Safe Horizon CEO, Gordon J. Campbell, welcomed dozens of guests from the public and private sector, including Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, District Attorney Richard Brown, City Council members Melinda Katz, Leroy Comrie and David I. Weprin, the Office of NYC Administration for Children’s Services, Commanding Officer of the NYPD Special Victims Division Deputy Inspector Susan Morley, Schneider Children’s Hospital Chief of Staff Philip Lanzkowsky, and the “Reverend Run” Joseph Simmons, formerly of the rap trio Run-DMC, to officially kick off the construction of the soon-to-be-opened Queens Child Advocacy Center (QCAC), located at 112-25 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY.
Housed in the Queens Medical Society building, the Queens Child Advocacy Center (QCAC) will occupy the third floor and the basement level of the building. The Center, which will serve nearly 2,000 clients annually, is a safe space for children and provides prevention, intervention and treatment services to sexually and severely physically abused children under the age of 13.
Funding for the Center is being provided by a variety of city and state sources, as well as privately by Safe Horizon. Safe Horizon will oversee the Center’s functioning and all services will be offered free of charge.
Following a series of brief remarks, Safe Horizon CEO, Gordon J. Campbell, elected officials and other participants -- wearing hard hats and smocks -- took paint brush in hand and each painted one stroke of brightly-colored paint on a bare wall – symbolizing what is to become a cheery playroom for children.
Queens native and resident, the “Reverend Run,” Joseph Simmons, formerly of the rap trio Run-DMC, offered a non-denomination blessing on the Center and prayers for all the children who come through its doors.
“The kick-off today of the renovation of this space for the new QCAC represents the continued commitment of Safe Horizon and our partners to aiding abused children in their time of need,” said Safe Horizon CEO Gordon Campbell in his opening remarks. “These child victims and their families need to be provided with every possible resource as they go about the process of rebuilding their lives. In this respect, the QCAC is a major step forward for the children of Queens, who will now be provided with the highest-quality medical, counseling, legal and advocacy services.”
“Because of the work my office has done with the child welfare unit on behalf of foster children, I know how critically important it is to protect abused children. That is why I am thrilled that Safe Horizon is bringing this Child Advocacy Center to Queens,” said Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. “This Center will be a much-needed safe haven for abused children. I am happy to be part of the ceremony and plan to follow the development and good work of this Center.”
Bringing a Child Advocacy Center to Queens has been a high priority for more than four years. Although Queens has the second highest rate of serious child abuse in the city -- 11,625 cases per year – only behind Brooklyn (which sees 17,000 cases per year), it is the only borough without a fully-functional center to both simultaneously assist victims and incarcerate offenders.
According to Borough President, Helen Marshall, “Today we begin construction of a center that will centralize and coordinate the many partners involved in the prosecution of crimes against our most vulnerable population – our children. I am delighted to support in a very real way the
first Child Advocacy Center in Queens and thank all those who helped to make today possible. What better effort can we be involved in than to work together to protect and safeguard the future of our children. Today’s kickoff is a combined effort to reduce the trauma and increase the comfort level for victims of abuse.”
The mission of the QCAC is to expedite the investigations and prosecutions of child abuse cases while ensuring victims receive immediate and effective therapeutic support through coordinated services in a central, neutral location.
At Safe Horizon’s QCAC, all investigative professionals are housed under one roof, which makes it a better work environment and easier to share information. Among those present will be ACS workers, medical personnel from The Schneider Children’s Hospital North Shore-LIJ Health System, with expertise in child abuse-related forensic examinations, police department representatives, the district attorney office and social workers. The basement level will house the police precinct, run by a specialized squad of NYPD detectives and open 24 hours a day.
Queens District Attorney, Richard A. Brown concurred. “Today, we mark another giant step toward the opening of the Queens Child Advocacy Center. What has been a dream to create a special place for victims of child abuse is soon to become reality,” said District Attorney Brown. “When construction is completed in the next few months, abused children and their families will have a safe haven dedicated to their special needs where their hurt, fear and trauma will receive sensitive, skilled and comprehensive care from prosecutors, detectives and forensic, medical care and counseling professionals.”
“The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is proud to be a partner with Safe Horizon, the New York City Police Department and the Queens District Attorney’s Office, to kick off the new Queens Child Advocacy Center,” said ACS Commissioner William C. Bell. “ACS responds to more than 55,000 allegations of abuse and neglect in New York City each year. Safe Horizon’s CACs are a critical part of this work because they offer the ideal setting for ACS caseworkers to interact with children and families who are immersed in these most difficult cases. By interviewing a child at a CAC, ACS is more effectively able to mitigate any additional trauma for kids by offering support to them in a child-friendly location.”
“This project is a long time coming, said City Council member Melinda Katz. “We must have a welcoming, responsive and, more importantly, safe place for a child to come to. This gives the opportunity for a child to tell his or her story once, and to not have to relive the horror time and time again.”
City Council Member Leroy Comrie shared those sentiments. “I am pleased and delighted that Queens, with the opening of a Safe Horizon Child Advocacy Center, will finally have it’s own ‘one-stop’ Center to treat the urgent needs of a very vulnerable population,” Council Member Comrie stated.
One of the major benefits of the Center is that children are interviewed only once, sparing them the trauma of perpetually reliving their story of abuse. Historically, children were interviewed at least eight times by police, doctors, child welfare officials, prosecutors, and counselors before any action was taken, further increasing the child’s mental anguish. In addition, the onsite presence of each agency helps increase communications and accountability among child service caseworkers. Having an onsite medical component will allow for immediate care and forensic evaluation.
“I believe the unique union provided by Safe Horizon, the Queens District Attorney’s office, the Administration for Children’s Services, the New York City Police Department Child Abuse Unit and Schneider Children’s Hospital, will provide outstanding care to child victims of abuse,” said Philip Lanzkowsky, M.D., Chief of Staff, Schneider Children’s Hospital. “We look forward to participating actively in the CAC. Not only does it provide opportunities for service to the children, but also opportunities for research into child abuse that may help in reducing, and ultimately eradicating child abuse from our society,” continued Dr. Lanzkowsky.
When the QCAC opens its door in June, 2003, the Center itself will be a cheery place. Walls will be adorned with child-friendly murals of and small colorful quilts. The reception area will be chock-a-block with toys, stuffed animals, beanbag chairs, a fish tank, books, games and child-sized tables and chairs.
Safe Horizon’s first Child Advocacy Center opened in Brooklyn in 1996. Safe Horizon recognized the need for collaboration among child protective, law enforcement, medical and other professionals in sharing expertise and building an effective investigation.
Since then, the Safe Horizon’s Centers in Brooklyn and Staten Island have worked successfully with thousands of children in a collaborative, coordinated fashion to hold their abusers accountable and provide children with immediate access to medical services and counseling support. The practice of co-locating the necessary agencies involved in child abuse cases was considered groundbreaking in 1996 and the Safe Horizon CAC model has since been a source for study by groups from outside New York, ranging from child advocacy centers in other U.S. communities to centers in Brazil, Japan, Italy, Australia and even by Scotland Yard.
Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading nonprofit victim assistance, advocacy and violence prevention organization. Founded in 1978, Safe Horizon offers more than 80 programs throughout New York City’s five Boroughs – over telephone hotlines and in community offices, domestic violence shelters, courts, and schools. Each year, Safe Horizon helps more than 350,000 crime victims become survivors.
The New York City Administration for Children's Services protects and ensures the safety and well being of New York City’s children and their families. Formed in 1996, the agency oversees the City’s programs of child protection, foster care, preventive services, adoption, child support enforcement, childcare and Head Start.
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