What is Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center?

Safe Harbor is a child-focused, community-oriented, facility-based program in which professionals from core disciplines come together to discuss and recommend appropriate comprehensive services to alleged victims of child abuse and neglect and their non-offending caregivers.

The foundation of all of Safe Harbor’s work with children and caregivers is the multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach. A MDT includes representatives from law enforcement, child protective services, a Commonwealth Attorney, a forensic nurse examiner, a victim advocate, a mental health therapist, and Safe Harbor staff. At Safe Harbor, children are forensically interviewed following an evidence-based model.

The collaborative approach and follow-up services through Safe Harbor ensures that children receive child-focused services where the child’s needs are the main priority. Specially trained professionals come to the child instead of the child traveling to different offices and being interviewed multiple times. Non-offending family members find support, information, education and other services at Safe Harbor. This joint effort in a comfortable, child-friendly setting works to reduce trauma and prevent further victimization of children.

Because Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center is a community program, it was designed by leaders, volunteers, and professionals to blend our area’s unique needs and resources in the best interest of child victims of abuse.