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BROOKLYN, NY, January 16,2003 - This morning at 10:00 A.M., Safe Horizon CEO, Gordon J. Campbell, welcomed 100 guests from the public and private sector, including NYC Administration for Children's Services Commissioner William C. Bell; Borough President Marty Markowitz and Board Member and President and Founder of Baby Buggy, Jessica Seinfeld, in a celebration of the official opening of Brooklyn's newly relocated Child Advocacy Center, located at 320 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY.
Housed in a $2.5 million, City renovated building; the 16,000 square-foot Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center (BCAC) is the largest center of its kind in the Northeast. The new Center -- which will serve 2,000 clients annually - is a safe space for children that provides prevention, intervention and treatment services to sexually and severely physically abused children under the age of 13.
"The recent tragic high-profile case in New Jersey has focused attention on child abuse and forces us all to confront a social problem that is usually not discussed in public. Unfortunately, these cases occur all too often across the country, but most of us never hear about them.
"Even with nationally applauded child reform occurring in New York City over the past seven years, the borough of Brooklyn has a particularly high rate of reported child abuse cases," said Safe Horizon CEO Gordon Campbell in his opening remarks. "The new Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center is one way to help address child abuse occurring in this city. We can take a measure of comfort from the fact that children in Brooklyn who are abused will now be supported by this Center. As the children and their families go about rebuilding their lives, the BCAC staff will be thee to help them every step of the way."
"The Administration for Children's Services (ACS) is proud to be a partner with Safe Horizon in the grand opening of the Brooklyn 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. Through the ACS Instant Response Teams (IRT), we are able to work in collaboration with the New York City Police Department and the District Attorney Offices to intervene in the highest priority abuse and neglect cases. Safe Horizon's CAC's 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," Bell added.
The mission of the BCAC 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 BCAC, ACS workers, medical personnel from The Brooklyn Hospital Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center, police department representatives, the district attorney and social workers are all situated under one roof, which makes it a better work environment and easier to share information.
Borough President, Marty Markowitz, echoed the feelings of everyone in the room when he said, " "We hope there will come a day, in the not too distant future, when there won't be a need for this type of Center. But we are grateful that Safe Horizon's new Child Advocacy Center will be able to help Brooklyn's youngest victims of physical and sexual abuse tell their stories in a supportive and nurturing environment. These children have already been traumatized enough, so it is crucial that they are placed in a model facility like this one, where social workers, prosecuting attorneys, police detectives and medical personnel are all working together under one roof to assist these youngsters and their families."
Jessica Seinfeld, Board Member and President and Founder of Baby Buggy, which provides donated clothing and gear to infants and young children in the New York City area, presented the Center with a gift of books, toys and stuffed animals. "Safe Horizon plays a critical role in the lives of young children who have suffered physical and emotional abuse," said Ms. Seinfeld. "It is an honor for Baby Buggy to participate in Safe Horizon's Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center, where kids can begin to heal in an environment designed just for them."
The Center itself is a cheery place. Thanks to artists Heidi Young, Christina Cox, Kristen Joan Westerman and Vickie DeMaria, walls are adorned with child-friendly murals of brightly colored flowers and whimsical designs. Long hallways are adorned with small quilts donated by the Quilters Guild of Brooklyn. The "chief physician" in attendance (on the walls) in the medical suite is Dr. Seuss, who is joined by such notable friends as The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a bunch of Sneetches and a gang of Zacs. The reception area is chock-a-block with toys, stuffed animals, beanbag chairs, a fish tank, books, games and child-sized tables and chairs.
The Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center was founded in 1996, soon after the tragic death of six-year old Eliza Isquierdo, at the hands of her mother. That case underscored the need for collaboration among child protective, law enforcement, medical and other professionals in sharing expertise and building an effective investigation. Out of that case, the Brooklyn CAC opened its doors as the first center to fully house all investigative professionals under one roof.
Since then, the BCAC has 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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