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Addie’s Place Child Advocacy Center outlines services, asks Hamilton community for support
Summary
A representative from Addie’s Place described the center’s services for child abuse victims in Marion and Winston counties, reported recent interview volumes and asked for donations and gala support.
Diane Watson, director at Addie’s Place Child Advocacy Center, briefed the Hamilton City Council on the center’s services and local activity, and asked the council and the public for financial and event support.
Watson said Addie’s Place, based in Double Springs and operating since February 2018, provides forensic medical exams, forensic interviews, counseling and follow-up services for children who disclose abuse. She said the center began serving Marion County about a year and a half ago and works with law enforcement, the Department of Human Resources (DHR) and prosecutors to reduce repeated interviews of victims and improve the quality of investigative evidence.
"The purpose of a CAC is so that child can tell that story one time," Watson told the council, explaining the center uses NCAC-trained forensic interviewers and an observation room where DHR, law enforcement and the district attorney’s office can observe and obtain a recorded copy of an interview. Watson said Addie’s Place had two full-time employees and that staff will respond 24/7 when necessary, including meeting investigators at hospitals to conduct interviews.
Watson provided activity details for 2024 and early 2025: she said she conducted 16 interviews in January (including one with FBI personnel who used Addie’s Place’s facility), and reiterated the center serves children aged 3–18. She said all services are offered free of charge and that the center provides nonclinical supports such as snacks and donated blankets for children who visit.
Law-enforcement representatives in the meeting praised the center’s role. A Hamilton-area investigator said the center’s "home feeling" interview rooms and high-quality cameras help secure evidence and increase the likelihood of prosecution. Watson said Addie’s Place will hold a gala on March 8 and is selling tables and individual seats to raise funds; she left contact information and requested interested donors reach out.
Watson also said Addie’s Place offers community training on mandatory reporting and child-abuse prevention and will continue outreach in Marion County. She emphasized that counseling services remain available to a child at any point during their minority, even if they decline services immediately after an initial interview.
Addie’s Place is a nonprofit that relies on grants and donations to operate; Watson said the center partners with local law enforcement and DHR offices across Marion County and Winston County to provide a single, family-neutral location for interviews and examinations.
