Alliance for Children tells Saginaw council it provides free forensic interviews, Spanish services and court support for abuse victims

Alliance for Children representatives on Tuesday told the Saginaw City Council that the nonprofit runs three regional centers that provide no-cost forensic interviews, clinical therapy and family advocacy to child-victim families and works closely with local law enforcement and prosecutors.

"Our mission at Alliance for Children or AFC is to protect Tarant County children from child abuse," Selena, the group’s MDT coordinator, said during a presentation. She and Lindsay Hughes, identified as a senior supervisor with Alliance for Children, described the group’s multidisciplinary team approach and how its forensic-interview rooms are set up so children are interviewed alone while law enforcement and Child Protective Services observe in a separate monitoring room.

The presenters said the centers are intended to limit the number of times a child must recount abuse, provide language access including Spanish-speaking interviewers or real-time interpretation, and connect families to clinical services such as play therapy, EMDR and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Selena said all services are provided at no cost to families and that supports include transportation, hygiene bags and other immediate needs arranged by family advocates.

Alliance staff provided 2025 service figures during the presentation: "In 2025, 4,592 children were confirmed victims of child abuse and our agency was able to serve 2,291 clients as part of a child abuse investigation," they said. Presenters added the organization reviews thousands of CPS intakes annually and triages cases that meet the center’s protocol (they described focusing on more severe categories such as sexual abuse, child fatalities and serious physical abuse).

During a Q&A, Police Chief Rexdale described how the department and Alliance coordinate referrals and case reviews. He and Alliance staff explained that statewide intake reports are screened and that detectives or sergeants will reach out to set up forensic interviews, refer for medical exams when necessary, and prepare case review meetings with the county district attorney’s office so charging decisions can proceed with consolidated case files.

The presenters also described court accompaniment: while a forensic interview supplements an investigation, children sometimes still must testify in court; Alliance staff said they accompany children and provide support in the courtroom to reduce isolation for the witness.

Council members noted that the city provides financial support to Alliance and thanked the organization for the partnership with local law enforcement. The presentation materials and the agency’s contact information were made available to council staff for follow-up.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the item served as an informational briefing and public recognition of the agency’s local role.