THE CARE CENTER PARTNERS REAFFIRM THEIR COMMITMENT TO QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY CHILDREN
The Queen Anne’s County Child Abuse Response & Evaluation (CARE) Center is a child advocacy center, utilizing a nationally-endorsed model for responding to and treating child sexual abuse. The CARE Center recently gathered its partners at the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff to re-sign the Interagency Agreement. As Sheriff Gary Hofmann noted, “We are fortunate to have great working relationships. We continue to rave about the benefits of this partnership.”
The CARE Center is a program created by the partnership between Queen Anne’s County Department of Social Services, the Maryland State Police, Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, Centreville Police Department, Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Mid-Shore Medical Program. The initial goal of this partnership, formed in 2006, was to eliminate the difficulties inherent in a fragmented system that created additional, unnecessary trauma for both the child and the family. Now, each year the CARE Center’s partners come together to reaffirm the operating principles of the child advocacy center model and sign an Interagency Agreement that outlines the commitment, the role, and the responsibilities of each agency partner. As State’s Attorney, Lance Richardson, stated, “The CARE Center is a wonderful place. We love having the child advocacy center so accessible, allowing us to easily collaborate on our cases.”
The CARE Center provides a coordinated response to allegations of child abuse that supports the child and family through the process of investigation and prosecution. This multidisciplinary collaboration offers comprehensive, culturally-appropriate services for child victims and their non-offending family members in a child-friendly, trauma-sensitive environment. Combining the professional knowledge and experience of the multidisciplinary team helps ensure that Queen Anne’s County is using an evidence-based approach to the investigative, medical, mental health, and judicial handling of child maltreatment. To learn more about the CARE Center, call us at 410-758-2533 or visit qaccare.org.
Photo: Front row, seated, Chief Charles Rhodes, Centreville Police Dept., Cathy Dougherty, Dept. of Social Services, Lance Richardson, State’s Attorney, Sheriff Gary Hofmann, Sgt. Michael Smith, Maryland State Police. Standing, second row, Cheryl Conway, Cindy Olah, Marge Slama, Susie Spiering, Susan Coppage, Michelle Barker, Sgt. Bruce Layton, D/Cpl Troy Lowery, Det. Amelia VanSant, Det. Steve Matthews, Christine Dulla Rickard.