Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center (NKCAC)
The Department for Local Government’s Office of Federal Grants awarded a $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in Community Programs to the cities of Fort Thomas and Florence for the Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center (NKCAC) in July 2007.
NKCAC is a regional Children’s Advocacy Center and provides services to children, non-offending caregivers, siblings, family members and professionals throughout the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. NKCAC serves Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen, and Pendleton counties.
The new facility, which opened April 23, 2009, allows the non-profit agency to improve and expand its treatment services program to address the needs of children who have been the victims of sexual and physical abuse. The 5,000 square foot facility cost $2.5 million total, which is funded by the $1 million CDBG grant as well as monies raised by the advocacy center.
Over 550 children in the Northern Kentucky area will be served, and the new facility’s design is tailored just to kids. From bright colored walls to kid-sized bathrooms, everything is light, bright and meant to put these children at ease.
“Every day, children come to our center who have been abused,” said Vickie Henderson, Director of NKCAC. “They are frightened, and when they come to the center, they are faced with having to tell horrific stories about horrible things that have happened and been perpetrated against them.”
One of the most interesting things about this project is the collaborative effort made on behalf of the community to enact this project. NKCAC is funded by foundations, corporations, and government grants.
“I think this is proof positive of what can occur when you not only reach across city boundaries and county boundaries and political boundaries, but work together to see something good come for the community,” said Florence Mayor Diane Whalen.
“When the Child Advocacy made its presentation to the Community Foundation I was moved to help secure the necessary funds for the project,” said Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore. “Understanding the need for one million dollars and the CDBG-Community Development Block Grant process, I suggested that the two cities each apply for the grant and began to lobby for the request. Because of this collaboration between the counties, the cities, the Foundation and the private sector this amazing facility will now serve the children of Northern Kentucky.”
Established in 1987, the center was the first of its kind in Kentucky and among the first such agencies in the United States. It became a model for the current statewide system of 15 centers.
NKCAC was developed to provide a neutral, child-friendly location in which to provide services and support to victims of child sexual abuse and their non-offending family members and/or caretakers. It is the goal of the center to minimize the trauma that many children and family members often experience while “going through the system” following a child’s disclosure of sexual abuse. This is accomplished through the collaboration of the multidisciplinary team, which includes child protection, law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, mental health clinicians, physicians, medical staff and family advocates. By working together, the multidisciplinary team assumes the responsibility of the response, investigation, prosecution, treatment and prevention of child sexual abuse in our communities.
