Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center
Last week, in partnership with the Rigby Police Department, the CACF team had an eye-opening opportunity to tour the Upper Valley CAC. They are only the 5th accredited and nationally recognized child advocacy center in Idaho.
According to the NCA National Statistics Report for 2020, the total number of children served at CACs was 2,421. **
The Upper Valley CAC does their best to adequately do their part for the state of Idaho, but they feel there just aren’t enough hours in the day to give these children the time, attention, and love they deserve.
Their mission is to “meet the needs of children and families in our community by providing a child focused center that is dedicated to Healing, Understanding and Belief, by using a collaborative approach to the identification, prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse.” *
Most importantly, their center is a safe place for kids who may have been abused. The center brings a team of specially trained professionals who evaluate and investigate cases of child abuse and help children and their families.
“In the year 2020, our center forensically interviewed 72 children (50 girls, 22 boys). We normally average around 100 interviews per year. Although we did not see a huge wave of cases in 2020, we have begun to see an increase of cases in 2021.”
-Heidi Elliott Family Advocate & Family Advocates Supervisor.
At the center, one of their goals is to increase child abuse awareness in the communities the UVCAC serves through educational programs and public awareness. One of the ways they accomplish this task is to collaborate with local school districts to provide trainings for parents and professionals working with children. One of the tools they utilize is the Safer, Smarter Kids program, a child abuse prevention program that empowers elementary school students and teaches them important skills to help keep themselves safe. Skills include knowing which adults they can trust, what is safe behavior online, how to be confident and use their voice in unsafe situations, the difference between safe and unsafe secrets, and much more.
Yet another way they serve is by hosting a state-wide forum for participants in person as well as virtually. During this forum there were various trainings, including trainings on human trafficking. This forum was intended for all to be able to come together as a community and help educate those who play a role in the health and safety of children and families in the state of Idaho. Another is partnering with Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers.
When the CACF team left, we were very thankful for their efforts fighting child abuse, caring for our children, and educating the public. They make such a difference to the community around them.
Thank you, Upper Valley CAC for the tour of your amazing facility and a peek into what you do so well in a very difficult field.
**Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center accepts donations all year in monetary form, as well as in kind donations. As they strive to provide their services for those in our community they appreciate blankets, clothing, toys, journals, pillows and more, so they can give to those they serve.
You can find them on social media at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uppervalleycac/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uppervalleycac/
If you or someone you know is in need of their services, they can be reached by phone at 2087452612 and on their website www.uppervalleycac.org.
*Additional information reported or cited was taken from the UPCAC 2020 Annual Report or the **NCA National Statistics Report for 2020.
