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Highlands Today

Agencies Converge To Fight Child Abuse

Jesse Osbourne/Highlands Today

Lt. John Chess, of Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, and Child Protective Investigator Becka Kampman, of Department of Children and Families, work together on a case at the Children Advocacy Center in Sebring on Thursday morning.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: November 16, 2007

SEBRING — Every Thursday, representatives from all aspects of child abuse sit around the conference room of the Children's Advocacy Center to discuss open cases and devise plans of action.

It's a far cry from when the Children's Services Council was created in 1990.

"We couldn't get any questions answered because everything was confidential and secret," said Ruth Handley, a founding member of the council. Things started to change when the Children's Advocacy Center opened in 1997 and things became increasingly better coordinated.

With the Highlands County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit moving in Dec. 1, even more services will be centralized in the building that helps about 500 children per year.

Department of Children and Families and sheriff's office representatives say they already work hand-in-hand and think moving into the same building will strengthen that relationship.

"From a child-protection standpoint, it will be nice to walk around the corner and talk to people about a case," said Becka Kampman, DCF child protective investigator. "We share systems and information and we work with a lot of the same people, so it's much more efficient to all be here together."

Also already in the center is a child protection team, which is a watchdog group for child abuse, mental health staff, victim advocates, a representative from Youth and Family Alternatives and a part-time volunteer psychiatrist.

"Having everyone under the same roof who is working on a particular case makes it a more fluid process," said Jeff Roth, director of the center. "Being on the same site streamlines the process on open cases, from the law enforcement and civil sides."

A main goal of the center is that cases don't fall through the cracks, and the centralization of services helps toward this goal.

"When we get the first call on a case, if we don't have communication, that family can fall into the cracks," said Ann Berner, area administrator for DCF. "We now have a safety net so families don't get lost in the system and get the services they need."

Dennis Ward, DCF child protective investigator, said sheriff's deputies and DCF investigators will often work on cases together, with DCF focusing on the child's safety aspect and deputies looking at the criminal side.

"My decision is what's in the best interest of the child, but a deputy is looking for violations of Florida law," Ward said. "Sometimes the parents are doing criminal activity that does not harm the child, and sometimes things that are safety concerns for the child are not illegal. We have to weigh social and criminal aspects of a case."

Working together from the start also reduces the amount of disruptions to the family.

"If we get called out in the middle of the night, we usually go together because then we are seeing the same thing at the same time," Kampman said. "It helps because you're not putting the kid through the same thing two times. It also helps cut down on the stress on the family."

With three detectives, a lieutenant and a secretary moving in, the center is filled to the brim. Most offices house at least two people, but many say they don't mind the close quarters.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Kampman said. "We are like one family, which helps a lot in this line of work. Not only do we rely on each other for information but for support as well."

Future expansion is an aspiration for the center, but funding is not yet available. Lt. John Chess, of the sheriff's office, said ultimately the center will probably have officers from the cities' police departments to become part of the unit.

"The best scenario would be a task force, with each department having a detective as part of the unit, much like our drug unit," Chess said. "It's a goal we are trying to reach, someday."

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