Orrville Area United Way is proud to partner with Wayne County Children’s Advocacy Center. The mission of WCCAC is “to reduce the trauma of all abused children who walk through our doors by providing a safe and supportive environment to facilitate healing and justice with the help of our community partners.”. OAUW provides grants that support three positions at WCCAC – a Forensic Interviewer, a Case Manager, and a SANE-P. The work of WCCAC contributes to OAUW’s impact area of Promoting Health and Wellness.
WCCAC serves children birth-18 years who are alleged victims of child sexual abuse and physical abuse, witnesses to violence, or human trafficking victims. They also serve children and young adults with special needs, including clients that are non-verbal. The WCCAC’s primary goal is to provide a child-focused setting that is comfortable, private, and both physically and psychologically safe for diverse populations of children and families.
There is no other agency or organization in Wayne County that provides the services that WCCAC does. Before WCCAC, a child would be required to tell his or her story, on average, 13 times through the investigation and judicial process. Instead, WCCAC coordinates a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to wrap services around the child with the goal that a child will only have to tell their story once. The MDT is a group of 35+ local professionals who represent various disciplines and work collaboratively from the moment an abuse case is reported to ensure the most effective coordinated response for a child. Agencies represented on the MDT include child protective services, investigators, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical & mental health professionals, and victim advocates.
WCCAC is nationally accredited to provide services and is the only Children’s Advocacy Center in Wayne County. Last year, OAUW funds were used to help WCCAC support hiring a full-time sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE-P) who has special training in pediatrics. In 2022, WCCAC served approximately 40 clients in the Dalton, Marshallville, and Orrville area, and 265 clients in Wayne County.
The WCCAC exists to help child victims of abuse and their families begin the long, emotional healing process. Orrville Area United Way is grateful for the commitment of WCCAC. We are proud to support Wayne County Children’s Advocacy Center with your generous OAUW dollars!