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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt may not be easy, but the CAC does its best to make it as peaceful as possible. The center is in a beautiful craftsman-style home with a homey, child-friendly atmosphere. It\u2019s a safe, neutral place for a child, Ralston said, and much better than the alternatives: a police station, a classroom, or maybe even the home in which the abuse took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before child advocacy centers became common, children would often have to speak to multiple people about what they went through \u2014 a conversation that is hard enough to have just once. Now, forensic interviews at an advocacy center are admissible in court as evidence and testimony. It\u2019s an important and impactful job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs an interviewer, when you can give the child that safe opportunity to talk about what has happened, and you see them visibly relax … often children will say to me afterward, \u2018I feel so much better now that I\u2019ve been able to talk about this,\u2019 and it\u2019s a relief. It is a relief to that child,\u201d Ralston said. \u201c[It] lets the healing process begin for the child, and it\u2019s very gratifying as an interviewer to be able to help children so directly like that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CAC also helps others heal. It\u2019s a place where caseworkers, caregivers, and other partners can rest after a long day or a difficult case. The center is truly a hub for people dedicated to helping children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re at least just a little bit of a safe haven for not only the children we serve but for our law enforcement, our DCS partners, our district attorneys,\u201d Wamble said. \u201cWe serve more than just kids here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the center first opened its doors in 2008, with a director, a contracted interviewer, and a rented space, it has served thousands of children in Lebanon and its surrounding counties. Ralston herself has interviewed over 2,000 children, and the cases worked have begun the healing process for many. For Deputy District Attorney Tom Swink, their role in protecting Lebanon\u2019s children does not stop there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn my nearly 20-year career as a criminal prosecutor in Tennessee\u2019s 15th Judicial District, the Child Advocacy Center has played and continues to play a crucial role in the prosecution of child physical abuse and sexual abuse cases,\u201d Swink said. \u201cThe three-pronged mission of our center \u2014 community outreach and education, victim and family advocacy, and the forensic interviewing of children \u2014 has helped protect the youth of our five-county district. In addition, the work of the Child Advocacy Center helps ensure that the perpetrators who harm our children are held accountable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lebanon\u2019s Child Advocacy Center is full of heroes, from those on the frontlines protecting children to the children themselves, who bravely speak up and change their lives for the better. What kind of hero will you be? GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HEROES COME in many shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, each has the same important quality: they are willing to do difficult things to help people in need. A hero might rescue someone from a fire, perform emergency CPR to save someone\u2019s life, or join the Army to protect their country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":22103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/10\/2-1024x683.png\")
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