Children’s Assessment Center asks for coordinator, activity‑center technician and training staff

The Children’s Assessment Center told commissioners it remains the county’s single‑site multidisciplinary advocacy center for child abuse cases and requested three prioritized enhancements to meet rising case complexity.

Executive Director Carrie McCracken said the CAC provides coordinated forensic interviews, medical exams, therapy for victims and their caregivers, and courtroom accompaniment. She described an increase in complex cases and recommended a dedicated MDT coordinator to track case reviews, identify investigative gaps, and coordinate inter‑agency follow‑up. “The MDT coordinator is an essential support to track, facilitate these complex case reviews, strengthen the coordination across agencies, and to ensure timely follow‑up with investigations,” McCracken said.

The CAC’s second ranked request is a children’s services technician to staff the activity center so clinicians and activity staff are not pulled away from program‑critical tasks. The third request is for a prevention and training staffer to manage an electronic learning portal (LearnUpon) the CAC has launched; the director reported nearly 1,000 portal users within six months and asked for staff to streamline course offerings and certifications.

CAC officials warned that proposed offsets to medical services, cleaning or security contracts would force reductions in discretionary supports for children (graduation programs, activity parties, transportation assistance) and hamper healing‑focused services. They said the CAC remains accredited and must preserve forensic interview and therapy capacity as core services.

Next steps: CAC will supply cost estimates and respond to questions about which discretionary services could be reduced if offsets are required.