Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Protection Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Children’s Advocacy Center requests modest renovations to improve interview privacy and workflow
Summary
CAC staff asked the county to authorize modest changes — boxing in a server and relocating the victim advocate office to the ground floor — to reduce noise during child interviews and improve family access to advocacy services.
A representative of the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) asked the county to authorize changes to the CAC building to improve interview privacy and workflow. The presenter said the current layout places the victim advocate office upstairs while the interview room is downstairs adjacent to a stairway and a server room, which can cause distracting noise during interviews. "It would be better for the kids if we could have the victim advocate downstairs right through with their family rather than upstairs," the speaker said, and proposed boxing in the server room to make the space usable for advocacy staff because it has an exterior door.
The presenter said relocating advocacy services closer to the interview room would reduce children's exposure to hallway noise during interviews and make it easier for families to meet with advocates at the time of the forensic interview. She clarified the CAC's role is to support investigations by gathering accurate information in a child-friendly setting and to refer families to services; she contrasted the CAC’s short-term investigative support with CASA’s longer-term advocacy role. County staff asked clarifying questions about the proposed changes; no formal action was taken and staff said the request will be reviewed as part of facilities planning.
