EDITORIAL: Caseload proves child advocacy center was sorely needed

Tribune-Democrat - 1/27/2017

Jan. 27--Cambria County's child advocacy center has made an immediate impact in its mission to support child abuse victims through the legal system.

"We opened our doors, and it was like flood gates," Diana Grosik, the center's executive director, told reporter Jocelyn Brumbaugh for a Jan. 22 story.

Since its inception in October 2015, the agency has handled 160 referrals of child abuse cases. About 90 percent of those incidents involved sexual abuse.

"And we know we haven't seen them all," Grosik said.

That is a very sobering and worrisome statement.

"I really don't know how we did without (the center), to be honest with you," added Mike Oliver, executive director of Victim Services Inc.

Oliver's organization, along with local law enforcement agencies, the Cambria County District Attorney's Office and Cambria County Children and Youth Services formed the child advocacy center. Its purpose is to lessen the number of times a potential child abuse victim has to sit through interviews when a crime is alleged.

"When a child is interviewed over and over and over again," Oliver said, "their story changes -- they're kids."

Defense attorneys pounce on the inconsistencies to argue for their clients' innocence. As terrible as it sounds, the strategy is a recognized component of the legal system.

By tying the groups together under one umbrella, prosecutors, detectives, CYS caseworkers and police officers can watch from another room as a certified forensic interviewer walks an abuse victim through his or her story.

Each interview is recorded for use by the prosecution and defense teams. The recordings make it unnecessary for the child to have to retell the circumstances of the abuse.

The recordings also may result in more plea agreements, thus preventing a child from taking the stand in a courtroom, which can be a daunting and frightening ordeal for a youngster.

Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins is an outspoken champion of the center. Since June, Bedford County cases have been handled by the Cambria County center, a real plus for Higgins and his staff.

Previously, Bedford officials had to travel to the Children's Resource Center in Harrisburg to obtain identical services, which placed undue burden on law enforcement authorities and CYS personnel.

"There was a real disconnect because of distance," Higgins said.

But with the formation of the Cambria center, the district attorney said all parties involved in a case are able to focus more attention on the objective: creating less victimization of children.

"These kids have been through enough," Higgins said.

"This (center) has been a win-win for both counties, as far as I'm concerned."

Beth Bolton Penna, Cambria County assistant district attorney, agreed with Higgins' assessment.

"There's so much more follow-up care," she said. "Everybody is invested in it."

Grosik wants to heighten the center's profile and mission by involving the community in child abuse prevention efforts.

She has scheduled events to coincide with National Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. One such activity is a "Stand Up Against Child Abuse" dinner on April 20 at Pitt-Johnstown. The keynote speaker will be Matt Sandusky, who was sexually abused by his adopted father, Jerry Sandusky. The elder Sandusky was convicted in 2012 on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

Grosik called Matt Sandusky's story tragic but important.

"Every single word that he spoke stuck with me," she said. "One of the things being: Had there been a child advocacy center, he wouldn't have had to endure the abuse for as long as he had."

Kudos to those who had the insight to launch the center, which, by its caseload, has proven itself to be a valuable component in the battle against child abuse in the region.

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