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Children's Justice Center reports full staffing, VOCA application and recent service numbers
Summary
The Children's Justice Center (CJC) told the commission it is fully staffed, has applied for VOCA federal funding to support victim services and mental-health programming, and supplied recent caseload and service figures for the last quarter.
The Children's Justice Center (CJC) reported to the Uintah County Commission on April 20 that it is fully staffed and has submitted a federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant application to support victim services and trauma therapy.
CJC director-level staff introduced a new administrative assistant, Shana Berg, and said that the VOCA application requests funding to cover staff positions and mental-health services previously supported by a pilot program. The county was asked to cover roughly 30% of the victim-service coordinator salary by way of benefits; staff said the clinical coordinator position would be fully funded by VOCA if awarded.
Taylor Hammock, CJC victim service coordinator, said she assisted 142 child-abuse victims and 71 non-offending family members in the most recent quarter and provided a total of 703 services during that period. Hammock described her role as helping families understand investigation and court processes, assisting with protective orders, connecting families to counseling and victim compensation, and providing emergency funds for urgent needs.
Elisha Lance, clinical coordinator for the CJC, said the center screened and referred 211 trauma-therapy sessions over the last quarter and organized 12 parent/child/teen classes. Lance said staff conduct quality-assurance callback surveys with served families to improve practice and that the center uses social media to increase public awareness during Child Abuse Prevention Month. The CJC is also working on a family activity with Dinoland Bowl that will include child-abuse education once finalized.
CJC staff said they expect tentative information on VOCA award amounts around June and that the state grant for the center will renew in June as well. Commissioners praised the center's work and expressed appreciation for the staff and volunteers. No formal county action was taken on the update, though the commission indicated ongoing county support for the center's funding requests in the budgeting process.
Ending Staff requested continued county support and asked to be notified to the commission when grant award information is available; commissioners asked staff to submit any funding requests into the county budgeting timeline beginning in August.
