KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City's Child Protection Center, a nonprofit, is up and running in its new building along Main Street.
The Child Protection Center (CPC) is a child advocacy center accredited by the National Children’s Alliance.
For over 26 years, the CPC has served victims of child abuse and their families.
It’s a safe place for children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse or who have witnessed violent crimes to provide their statement about the experience.
Nearly half of CPC’s cases are from kids who have been physically assaulted. Other cases include domestic abuse and witnessing a homicide.
“The CPC — it’s one of those great organizations that gives me a lot of hope for the area,” said Jean Peters Baker, the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney.
The new building along Main Street is double the size and worth more than $4.3 million.
On Friday, the staff held a ribbon cutting to introduce the new spot to the community.
Peters-Baker, KCPD Capt. Nate Simecek, Missouri Sen. Greg Razer, and Sen. Lauren Arthur were there to introduce it.
They serve Jackson, Cass, and parts of Lafayette County.
It’s the first place kids go after such horrors.
This statement is obtained through the forensic interview process.
“They are met with someone who will listen, who knows how to hear that information without shutting it down, who will encourage kids to talk about whatever it is they are willing to talk about," said Randi Spruill, director of forensic services at the CPC.
She says these interviews serve as evidence — a snapshot of a moment in time.
Next year, CPC is on track to serve 950 kids. That’s about 100 more than this year, and Spruill says it’s because of this bigger space.
To Spruill, it means more kids in our community will be truly heard.
“Our schedule is often triple booked. We are often using all three forensic interview rooms at one time; to me, that demonstrates the need is there. There are a lot of allegations, a lot of open cases, a lot of kids that need to be heard,” she said.
Those who work with children will say it’s much more than an interview; they meet the needs of kids and help in healing, too.
It's a bright light for our area’s future.
“When kids are in an environment where they are helped, protected, going forward, they heal and they are forgiving and they live good solid quality lives,” Peters Baker said.
The CPC provides family advocacy and mental health services for child victims and their families, too.
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