“Bearing in mind the best interest of each individual child, the mission of Patsy’s House Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc. is to reduce the trauma to child abuse victims and their non-offending family members and to work toward improving the justice system’s response to child abuse by uniting the efforts of public agencies and enlisting community support.”
Before Patsy’s House was established, children who had been abused in Archer, Clay, Montague and Wichita counties might have been taken to many different places to be interviewed by investigators. Often a child would need to tell his or her story to a police officer, a Child Protective Services investigator, and an assistant district attorney, all the while being shuttled back and forth from one institutional environment to another. This process could be very intimidating for a child.
Patsy’s House is a child-friendly place where children who are alleged to have been abused can come to be interviewed, a single place where investigators meet to watch the forensic interview being conducted by a professional, objective forensic interviewer as it’s being recorded. Through this process it is our hope that the number of times a child will be interviewed will be reduced, thus reducing more trauma to the child.
Our Wichita Falls Center: While our 12,000 square foot building allows us ample room to provide services, it does not feel over-powering. Five Child Protective Services Investigators and Three Law Enforcement Investigators are officed upstairs at Patsy’s House.
Our Bowie Satellite Center (below): While smaller than our Wichita Falls Center, serves adequately the children of Archer, Clay and Montague counties.
Services Provided:
• Taped forensic interviews in a safe, child-friendly environment with a trained professional.
• Information and referrals to other community programs to meet other needs that arise from the trauma of abuse.
• Assistance with applications for Crime Victims^ Compensation, which helps defray costs to victims of crime.
• Counseling for abused children and other secondary victims of abuse. Referrals may be mad for psychological evaluations and/or other therapeutic services.
• Referrals to trained medical professionals for sexual assault medical exams. Court schooling and court accompaniment to child victims and their non-offending family members, in an effort to reduce the trauma associated with the judicial system.
• Comprehensive case management from initial referral, through case disposition, and beyond, realizing the hurt does not end with case disposition.
To Contact Us:
1411 Tenth Street, Wichita Falls, Texas 76301
940-322-8890 phone, 940-322-6695 fax
307 W. Tarrant, Bowie, Texas 76230
Patsy’s House is a member of the following organizations:
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Children^s Advocacy Centers^ of Texas, Inc. (CACTX), is a statewide association that promotes the efforts of the local CACs by coordinating and providing training, technical assistance, resources, and funding. Visit our web site to learn more. |
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National Children^s Alliance (formerly the National Network of Children^s Advocacy Centers) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide training, technical assistance and networking opportunities to communities seeking to plan, establish and improve Children^s Advocacy Centers. Visit our web site to learn more. |
Our Staff:
Trish Remington, Executive Director
Deanee' Moran, Forensic Interviewer
Rachel Jones, Service Coordinator
Jodie Copeland, Outreach Service Coordinator
Judy Crosley, Operations Manager
If You Suspect Child Abuse
Contact the statewide hotline for suspected abuse or neglect of children at:
1-800-252-5400
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