Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center was started in November 2019 and named in honor of Carolyn Register, a passionate Boys and Girls Homes board member. Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope coordinates the investigation, prosecution and treatment of the most severe cases of child abuse in Columbus County and surrounding counties. Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope serves children from ages 3-17. All services are provided in a nurturing, friendly, and safe environment at no cost to the child’s family. Since opening in 2019, Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope has served more than 400 children who were sexually abused, physically abused, or who witnessed a violent crime.
Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center works to coordinate the investigation and treatment of the cases. All the services children need – forensic interviews, medical care, advocacy support and counseling – are now offered under one roof in a safe, child-friendly location. Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope is modeled on the simple but powerful concept of coordination between community agencies and professionals involved in the system of child protection.
Child Advocacy Center Advantages:
Reduces the number of interviews a child victim must endure, which reduces the trauma to the child
Creates a comfortable, child-friendly environment for the investigation as opposed to the environment typically experienced in a hospital emergency room or police station
Greatly reduces the time victims and their families spend assisting with the investigation because all services are provided at one location – what once took weeks can often be achieved in hours
Reduces police and Child Protective Services investigative time
Enables quicker prosecutions through more efficient case processing
Increases communication between agencies for an improved understanding of their roles and case need
Forensic Interviewing
Child-friendly forensic interviews are conducted, on behalf of DSS, law enforcement and other investigative agencies, when there has been a report of child sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, or when a child has witnessed a violent crime. Our interviewers are trained in the RADAR protocols, a nationally recognized interview model. Investigators watch remotely on a live feed while working together to make investigations as seamless and effective as possible. This collaborative process is based on the nationally recognized Child Advocacy Center model.
Medical Evaluation
Medical evaluations are conducted at Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope by a medical provider who specializes in child maltreatment. The medical exam takes place at Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope in a child friendly examination room receiving a thorough head to toe exam similar to a well-child exam. Beyond the physical component of the exam, our medical provider help assure parents that their child is healthy and that if abuse has occurred, it will not be visible to others. Our providers offer extensive, one-on-one consultation not received during a regular doctor’s visit and take as much time as necessary to help the children by explaining each step of the check-up and finding ways to put the child at ease. Although there are very rarely physical signs of sexual abuse, many families find reassurance knowing that no permanent physical damage has been done.
Watch this NC Department of Health and Human Services video about how child medical examinations are done in North Carolina.
Family Advocacy
Our Family Advocacy Program provides an on-going, supportive relationship to our children and their families who are affected by abuse. Our family advocates shepherd the family through the entire investigation process from beginning to end. They assist with appointment scheduling, crisis intervention, victim’s compensation filing, domestic violence intervention, court support, and linking to community resources. They are the first to greet our children when they arrive at Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope and the last to see them when they leave.
Individual Therapy
Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center offers trauma informed therapeutic services to provide further support to our children and families. Our clinical program is tailored to the unique needs and situations of children and adolescents who have suffered abuse and received forensic services at the center. Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope offers Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Trauma–informed therapy helps children and adolescents and their caregivers to manage feelings, talk about the trauma, and develop plans for feeling safe in the future. Parents and guardians will be asked to participate in most of the their child’s sessions in order to add to their child’s sense of support in the healing process as well as share and learn about their own emotional responses to the trauma.
If there is an issue with referring to our in-house clinician, a referral will be completed to an outside agency that has partnered with Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope CAC also using TF-CBT. All therapy sessions are offered at no cost to a child’s family.
