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Children's Justice Center reports drop in interviews as county proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month
Summary
Christie Pike presented the semiannual VOCA report showing lower interview counts and updated mental-health-focused VOCA spending; the board adopted a proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and cited 2025 service metrics including 323 primary victims served and 66 victims age 5 or younger.
Christie Pike, speaking for the Washington County Children's Justice Center, told the Board of County Commissioners on April 7 that the most recent VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) award is now dedicated to mental-health services and that interview numbers were down through much of the previous year.
"When our interview numbers are down, all of our numbers are gonna be lower," Pike said, explaining the grant-year objectives and reporting that in the first six months the center recorded 209 counseling hours charged to VOCA with additional hours paid through non-VOCA state funds. She highlighted 2025 totals in the proclamation that the board later adopted: 323 primary victims served, 227 forensic interviews and 684 hours of trauma-focused mental-health care. Pike added a particularly stark statistic: "66 of the alleged primary victims were age 5 or younger last year."
The board unanimously adopted Proclamation No. 2026-47, recognizing April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Washington County and urging community support for survivors and prevention efforts. Pike also described efforts to improve multidisciplinary-team coordination, therapist peer consultation and training, and noted that the CJC has worked with federal lawmakers on Crime Victims Fund stabilization and with state partners on implementation and training for recent child-protection legislation.
Commissioners briefly discussed the possibility of renaming the local "Children's Justice Center" to the more common national term "children's advocacy center," a change Pike said would require legislative action. The presentation and proclamation were offered as part of the regular agenda; no formal policy changes were made at the meeting.
