BRIGHTER WORLD

Child Advocacy Center

OUR MISSION:

To elevate voices, facilitate safety, seek justice, and promote healing for children, teens, and other at-risk individuals who have been abused or neglected.

OUR VISION:

To eliminate the occurrence and negative impacts of adverse experiences to all children, teens, and at risk individuals in our community.

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Approximately 1 in 5 children in the United States experience some form of abuse and/or neglect in their lifetime. Our community is no exception, with approximately 80 cases of serious child abuse investigated each year. Out of 22 judicial districts in Colorado, our is 1 of 4 that does not yet have a CAC. Communities across the country establish a Child Advocacy Center because they provide child-victims and their families:

A convenient,
family-friendly space

Access to a forensic interview and medical exam

An interviewer trained specifically to work with children

Immediate access to information, resources, and referrals for the family

HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE

NOAH’S STORY…

Noah walks into the Brighter World Child Advocacy Center. He doesn’t want to be there – who would? But Noah has been sexually assaulted by his stepfather and the police are already involved.

The District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Human Services need statements and physical examinations. The Court process is looming. Noah just wants to be safe at home with his dad and stepmom.

Last year, Noah’s parents would’ve had to take him far from our community – to Glenwood Springs, Summit County, maybe Denver – to access professionals with the training and resources to best help him. Instead, the Brighter World CAC will give Noah everything he needs in this traumatic time right here, close to home.

As Noah enters the child-friendly Center, he is welcomed into a room with bright colors, toys, and a big comfy couch. The people here are kind and treat him with warmth and understanding. He’s scared, but maybe this won’t be so bad.

Last year, Noah would have been interviewed multiple times by policemen, lawyers, social workers, and medical professionals in stark, unfamiliar office spaces. This year, however, at Brighter World Noah is introduced to a kind woman who helps him and his family understand what to expect. This woman is specially trained to listen to him about what happened. Then he meets another kind child specialist for an exam to make sure he is okay physically as well.

Noah learns that his story would be videotaped, so he wouldn’t have to repeat it multiple times. He learned that more people who care about him, a detective and a caseworker, would be watching from another room so they could help him too. He’s comforted that the first woman he met remains with his family answering questions and taking care of them while he’s interviewed and examined.

Noah didn’t want to be there that day, who would? But when he walked out of the CAC, he felt cared for through the toughest part and truly believed the healing process had already begun.