WVCAN PROPOSAL TO SECURE FUNDING BY STATE GOVERNMENT
Request: $1 million line item in the state budget for 2008-09 to be distributed to local Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in the following ways:
• $75,000 to programs accredited by the National Children’s Alliance
o 2 programs are now accredited
o 2 will be accredited in October, and 2 more in 2008
• $25,000 to developing programs, with a suggested 5 year limit on developing funds
o 16 programs currently in “developing” category (12 after 4 move to accredited category)
o 5 years gives programs time and additional incentive to work toward accreditation
• Any remaining funds after above distribution will be used for training, development, and Multi Disciplinary Investigative Team (MDIT) support, administrated through West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN)
• The West Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services has agreed to be the fiscal administrator for the funds (see enclosed letter from DCJS)
• The aforementioned monies will provide part of each CAC’s annual budget
o There are 18 local programs serving 27 counties
o All local programs will continue to raise additional operating funds in their local communities and from other granting sources
WHY WEST VIRGINIA SHOULD FUND CHILD ADVOCACY CENTERS
• Child Abuse Statistics in West Virginia
o West Virginia has the highest child abuse referrals rate in the nation (2005, US DHHR)
• There were 44,146 referrals in the last year for which statistics are available
• The child population in WV is 382,497, which means a ratio of approx. 1 referral for every 10 children
o West Virginia has the 9th highest Child Death Rate in the nation (28 per 100,000 or 107 deaths in the past year)
o One accredited CAC in WV has seen the prosecution rate for child abuse offenders more than quadruple under the same Prosecutor
• An Economic Impact of Child Maltreatment Work Group recently completed a cost benefit analysis, which showed a cost savings of $1,318.60 per substantiated case in a community with a CAC versus a community without a CAC.
o $4,221.28 (without CAC) – 2,902.68 (with CAC) = $1,318.60 savings per substantiated case
o Based on the above figures, the two Accredited CACs in WV have an average cost savings of $60,655.60 per program in the past fiscal year (this does not include cost savings for cases with other case dispositions – approx. 66% of cases)
o Cost savings comes from:
• One coordinated investigation rather than several parallel investigations by different disciplines, saving West Virginia time, work, and money
• A neutral, fact-finding, developmentally appropriate forensic interview by a specially-trained Forensic Interviewer, yielding reliable information for all disciplines
• 14 out of 17 states in the Southern Regional area provide state funding for Children’s Advocacy Centers
o In Kentucky, all CACs receive a $142,500 state appropriation ($1.425 million total)
o Virginia, who has a similar number of CACs at similar stages of development (13 compared to WV’s 14 affiliated with National Children’s Alliance), gives CACs $1 million annually
• Most CACs are underfunded
o Neither of WV’s Accredited CACs have the funding to pay a full-time Director
• Some CACs have been forced to close in the development phase because of a lack of sustainable funding
o Currently, CACs rely on local donations and grants
What Children’s Advocacy Centers Provide:
• Support for local Multidisciplinary Investigative Team (MDIT) coordination and operation
• A child-friendly facility where children interact with MDIT members
• Forensic Interviews that are developmentally appropriate, neutral, and forensically sound
• Participation in regular MDIT Case Reviews, tracking all cases from initiation through final disposition
