Children's Advocacy Centers.
Children's advocacy centers (CACs) are child-focused facilities that coordinate a multidisciplinary response for the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of sexual and other types of child abuse. The CACs provide a location for forensic interviews and coordinate access to services such as medical evaluations, advocacy, therapy, and case review by multidisciplinary teams.
A child forensic interview is a developmentally sensitive and legally sound method of gathering factual information regarding allegations of child abuse, child neglect, or exposure to violence. The interview is conducted by a competently trained, neutral professional using techniques informed by research and best practice as part of a larger investigative process.
Each agency involved in investigating child sexual abuse, online sexual exploitation, and commercial sexual exploitation of minors, as well as investigations of child fatality, child physical abuse, and criminal child neglect cases, must document their role in handling those cases and how they coordinate with other local agencies or systems and must adopt a local protocol based on statewide guidelines. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families and local law enforcement may include other agencies and systems that are involved with child sexual abuse victims in the multidisciplinary coordination.
Each county must adopt a written protocol for handling investigations of criminal child sexual abuse, online sexual exploitation and commercial sexual exploitation of minors, and child fatality, child physical abuse, and criminal child neglect cases. The protocol must address the coordination of criminal investigations among multidisciplinary child protection team members, identified as representatives from the prosecutor's office, law enforcement, children's protective services, CACs where available, local advocacy groups, community sexual assault programs, licensed physical and mental health practitioners that are involved with child sexual abuse victims, and any other local agency involved in such criminal investigations. The protocol must be developed by the prosecuting attorney with the assistance of the agencies.
Definitions.
The definition of "child forensic interview" is modified to mean a developmentally sensitive, legally sound, culturally responsive, fact-finding interview of a child that is part of the multidisciplinary team response in child abuse investigations for the purpose of eliciting a child's unique information when there are concerns of possible abuse or when the child has been exposed to violence against another person. Child forensic interviews are conducted in a supportive and nonleading manner by a professional with specialized training in a research-based forensic interview model for conducting child forensic interviews, ideally conducted in a neutral location such as a child advocacy center (CAC).
The definition of "children's advocacy center" is modified to mean a child-focused, trauma-informed, facility-based program that provides a safe, neutral location for child forensic interviews; facilitates a coordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of children traumatized by abuse and those who have witnessed, or been exposed to violence; follows national accreditation standards; and is in good standing with the Children's Advocacy Center of Washington. The CACs support a coordinated multidisciplinary response to allegations of abuse that promotes efficient interagency communication and information sharing, ongoing collaboration of key individuals, and a network of support for children and families.
The term "Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington" is defined to mean a membership organization and state chapter of the National Children's Alliance whose primary purpose is to support the development and sustainability of CACs and multidisciplinary child protection teams.
Peer Review.
Child forensic interview recordings of closed cases may be used as part of a structured and confidential peer review, if hosted by an accredited or developing CAC or the Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington. Any information reviewed during the peer review process must remain confidential and must not be disclosed unless authorized under law.
The hosting organization's policies regarding interview selection criteria and parent, guardian, or caregiver consent must be followed.
All participants in the peer review must sign a confidentiality agreement that:
(In support) Children's advocacy centers (CACs) are safe, child friendly environments for children who are the victim of crimes. These CACs help guide a young person through the criminal legal system in a supportive manner. The statute that is being updated makes clear that children's advocacy centers can serve children who were exposed to violence and not just those who are the individual victims.
This bill provides basic updates to definitions related to CACs and child forensic interviews that reflect current practices that have evolved over time. When the statute related to CACs was first written, there were not CACs across the state or forensic interviewers that specialized in that role. Today there are 26 accredited and developing CACs in the state and trained interviewers who conduct these neutral, developmentally and culturally appropriate interviews with children to elicit information about what may have happened to them. These interviews not only collect information about what a child experienced, but this also helps the team determine what supports maybe helpful to address a child's trauma.
This bill authorizes the use of closed recordings to be used as part of a peer review. This will help interviewers improve their practice and maintain best practices. Murders, robberies, serious assaults, and other violent crimes are featured in news stories every day. The probability for children to be exposed to violence is very high, which can cause emotional, psychological and even physical harm. Children exposed to violence are more likely to have difficulty in school, abuse drugs or alcohol, act aggressively, suffer from depression, and engage in criminal behavior. This bill helps those young people access resources, including evidence-based treatment that addresses that trauma. This bill will help strengthen the state's response to children exposed to violence.
Forensic interviewers who conduct forensic interviews at CACs must participate in a structured peer review, a minimum of two times per year as a matter of quality assurance. It is vitally important that forensic interviewers continue ongoing training and professional peer reviews on a regular basis.
It is imperative that interviewers receive supervision and deliberate feedback on recorded real interviews, real forensic interviews by other forensic interviewers and team members in a secure confidential setting. Allowing forensic interviewers to share and offer critique of recorded real interviews maintains the integrity and of these highly specialized research-based interviews.
Research shows that consistent review of protocol procedures and intensive group peer review improves interviewers ability to adhere to best practices. Peer review of recorded interviews also allows interviewers to receive much needed emotional and professional support and allows their work to be critiqued to maintain and increase best practices.
There is no substitute for peer reviewing real forensic interviews and we need to do the best for the children in the vulnerable population that we serve in Washington state.
The CAC in Spokane provides an average of 350 to 400 interviews per year.
The effects of a child witnessing violence, if not addressed quickly and with appropriate interventions, can have lifelong consequences that will impact communities for generations to come. There is a responsibility to the children in our state to improve the accessibility, delivery, and quality of services for children exposed to violence, a necessary action at a time when violence in our state continues to rise.
(Opposed) None.
Representative Roger Goodman, prime sponsor; Paula Reed, Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington; Karen Sinclair, Kitsap SAIVS; and Stephanie Widhalm, Partners with Families and Children.