The Safe Center, located in Bethpage, NY, today opened its new forensic interview observation and recording room for its Child Advocacy Center, made possible with a $12,000 donation from the Hope East Church, located in Manhasset, NY. The room will increase efficiency, decrease wait times, and allow The Safe Center to serve more families.
“Time is critical in responding to allegations of child abuse, to help the child as well as the non-offending family members, as well as coordinating with detectives investigating the case,” said Debra Lyons, Associate Executive Director of The Safe Center. “Expanding our service capacity by creating a second observation and recording room will help us meet our goal of keeping all children and families safe.”
The Safe Center’s Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is a partnership between Nassau County Police, Child Protective Services, District Attorney’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Nassau County Probation, NYU Langone Long Island, and The Safe Center. These co-located partners form the Nassau County Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and collaborate to investigate, prosecute, and support almost 1000 allegations of child abuse annually. The CAC is designed and decorated to provide a safe, child-friendly environment to help alleged child victims feel safe to discuss their alleged abuse, and for child victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse to receive support and services to help them heal.
“The Safe Center’s work is critical to protecting children who have been abused,” said David Jung, Senior Pastor, Hope East Church. “Our congregation has once again risen to the challenge of making a true difference in our community and across Nassau County.”
Photo attached, credit The Safe Center: David Jung, Pastor, Hope East Church; Marissa Blinder, Forensic Coordinator, The Safe Center; Corinne Giordano, Director of Multidisciplinary Team Services, The Safe Center; Beth Markham, Pastor, Hope East Church.
About The Safe Center
The Safe Center, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading victim service organization in Nassau County, providing comprehensive and trauma-informed services for victims of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, child sexual and severe physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder abuse. In 2014, The Safe Center was created by the merger of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (founded in 1978) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (founded in 1979). This merger created a highly integrated service model to empower victims of interpersonal violence to recover from their abuse. The Safe Center operates a 24-hour Hotline (516-542-0404) providing crisis intervention, access to services, and information and support.
Visit https://www.tscli.org for more information. Follow The Safe Center on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.