Children's Advocacy Centers
Children's advocacy centers offer the model our nation identifies as the best practice for responding to child abuse. Matty's Place brings this model to Winona, as the only child advocacy center in southeast Minnesota. Services are designed to minimize trauma to child victims of abuse, provide support and assistance to the entire family, and coordinate a community response to child abuse and maltreatment.
Matty’s Place coordinates multi-disciplinary teams to assist each child and family. Team representation may include members from child protection, law enforcement, prosecution, mental health, the medical field, and victim advocacy services. This coordination improves support to each child, improves investigation and prosecution, and provides increased options to keep families together and safe.
Matty's Place serves:
- child victims of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse or severe neglect
- child witnesses to violent crimes
- children who have been separated from their parents
- parents in the midst of custody decisions
- families at risk for child maltreatment
- community professionals in the fields of law enforcement, prosecution, medicine, child protection services, mental health, education and advocacy
Matty's Place Services
Forensic Interviews
Forensic Interviewing is done in response to an allegation or disclosure of abuse. Matty’s Place offers a child-friendly, confidential place for children to be interviewed by a specially trained forensic interviewer. Interviews are recorded in hopes of reducing further questioning and additional trauma. Non-offending caregivers are provided with information about abuse, how it may affect children and families, and what can be done to help.
Supervised Visitations
Supervised Visitations provide a safe, neutral, and friendly environment to encourage positive and comfortable interaction between non-custodial parents and their children. Visitation Monitors observe visits, as requested by social workers, and tailor to the needs of each family on a case-by-case basis. The Visitation Monitors then submit detailed, non-biased reports to designated case workers.
Child Exchanges
Child Exchange provides a neutral exchange location. Exchanges are done on site, and can be done with or without parental interaction. The exchanges are monitored to ensure a safe, non-confrontational setting. Child Exchanges are set up at the request of case workers.
Family Group Decision Making Conferences
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) includes a variety of facilitated meetings in which families are given the opportunity to create plans to provide safety for their children. FGDM is an effective tool that identifies strengths within the family unit and allows the family to develop a plan for them that is in the best interest of everyone.
Community Benefits
By facilitating a coordinated response, Matty's Place provides the following benefits to the greater Winona community:
- trauma experienced by children and their families is reduced
- caregivers are empowered to protect and support their children
- children receive safe, timely services tailored to their needs
- allegations of abuse and neglect are more thoroughly investigated
- more offenders are held accountable; prosecutions are increased
- alternative response methods such as Supervised Visitations and Family Group Decision Making Conferences aid in the prevention of more costly services that would need to occur later on like foster care or prison
- investigations of child abuse done at child advocacy centers are 36% less expensive than traditional investigations
- there is a coordinated, holistic community response to child abuse
Children's Advocacy Centers
Children's advocacy centers offer the model our nation identifies as the best practice for responding to child abuse. Matty's Place brings this model to Winona, as the only child advocacy center in southeast Minnesota. Services are designed to minimize trauma to child victims of abuse, provide support and assistance to the entire family, and coordinate a community response to child abuse and maltreatment.
Matty’s Place coordinates multi-disciplinary teams to assist each child and family. Team representation may include members from child protection, law enforcement, prosecution, mental health, the medical field, and victim advocacy services. This coordination improves support to each child, improves investigation and prosecution, and provides increased options to keep families together and safe.
Matty's Place serves:
- child victims of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse or severe neglect
- child witnesses to violent crimes
- children who have been separated from their parents
- parents in the midst of custody decisions
- families at risk for child maltreatment
- community professionals in the fields of law enforcement, prosecution, medicine, child protection services, mental health, education and advocacy
Matty's Place Services
Forensic Interviews
Forensic Interviewing is done in response to an allegation or disclosure of abuse. Matty’s Place offers a child-friendly, confidential place for children to be interviewed by a specially trained forensic interviewer. Interviews are recorded in hopes of reducing further questioning and additional trauma. Non-offending caregivers are provided with information about abuse, how it may affect children and families, and what can be done to help.
Supervised Visitations
Supervised Visitations provide a safe, neutral, and friendly environment to encourage positive and comfortable interaction between non-custodial parents and their children. Visitation Monitors observe visits, as requested by social workers, and tailor to the needs of each family on a case-by-case basis. The Visitation Monitors then submit detailed, non-biased reports to designated case workers.
Child Exchanges
Child Exchange provides a neutral exchange location. Exchanges are done on site, and can be done with or without parental interaction. The exchanges are monitored to ensure a safe, non-confrontational setting. Child Exchanges are set up at the request of case workers.
Family Group Decision Making Conferences
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) includes a variety of facilitated meetings in which families are given the opportunity to create plans to provide safety for their children. FGDM is an effective tool that identifies strengths within the family unit and allows the family to develop a plan for them that is in the best interest of everyone.
Community Benefits
By facilitating a coordinated response, Matty's Place provides the following benefits to the greater Winona community:
- trauma experienced by children and their families is reduced
- caregivers are empowered to protect and support their children
- children receive safe, timely services tailored to their needs
- allegations of abuse and neglect are more thoroughly investigated
- more offenders are held accountable; prosecutions are increased
- alternative response methods such as Supervised Visitations and Family Group Decision Making Conferences aid in the prevention of more costly services that would need to occur later on like foster care or prison
- investigations of child abuse done at child advocacy centers are 36% less expensive than traditional investigations
- there is a coordinated, holistic community response to child abuse