Funding to help abused children could be included in omnibus bill

Being abused is traumatizing enough for children, but that pain can be extended by repeatedly having to retell their story.

Staff at child advocacy centers try to make things smoother, in part, by coordinating, investigating, treating and managing abuse cases in a timely manner while assisting victims in a safe environment.

“They get everybody at the table together: child protection, social services, child psychologist, law enforcement, prosecution,” said Rep. Brian Johnson (R-Cambridge). “It gets everybody together so the child only has to do that interview and talk about the horrible incident that happened one time.”

Rep. Brian Johnson

Sponsored by Johnson, HF503 would appropriate $1.5 million in each of the next two fiscal years to the Public Safety Department to establish a grant program for child advocacy centers. There are seven such centers in the state — Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Bemidji, Rochester, Winona and the Fargo/Moorhead area — and the bill is an attempt to fund five more.

The bill was held over Tuesday by the House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee for possible omnibus bill inclusion. A companion, SF512, sponsored by Sen. Vicki Jensen (DFL-Owatonna), has been held over for possible inclusion in the omnibus judiciary finance bill.

Marcia Milliken, executive director of the Minnesota Children’s Alliance, said more than 5,000 abuse reports were made to child protection services in 2013. “That doesn’t include the child abuse cases reported to law enforcement that were committed by someone other than family members,” she said. “Research suggests that one in 10 children will be sexually abused before turning 18.”

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem echoed the need, saying these centers provide a calming place for children and their families.

“I’m lucky that we have a CAC in Olmsted County, but we are an anomaly,” he said. “Most areas of Minnesota do not have the benefits available from a CAC. Most children who have been victimized outside the metro aren’t able to share their story in a comfortable setting with a team genuinely focused on just their story. For those kids, the healing process and service delivery will be awkward at best. … Sharing that story is difficult; worse in a sterile government environment.”