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Coordination of law enforcement, Health and Human Service, prosecutors, healthcare professionals, and advocates to respond to abuse and sexual assault.

Referral source for victims of child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and abused or neglected vulnerable adults.

Safe place for children to be interviewed by law enforcement, case workers, or forensic interviewer once abuse has been disclosed. Provides referrals to mental health services and support groups, and follows the case through the legal system. Assists parents in reporting abuse or following up on reports already made. Provides medical exams for sexual assault of children.

Organization that investigates and treats the sexual and physical abuse cases of children. Children are interviewed in a comfortable environment to gather information regarding the child's experience. Services offered include:

- Crisis counseling.

- Victim advocacy and support.

- Case management.

- Legal, medical, and resource advocacy.

Assists DCFS, law enforcement, and the States Attorney's Office in coordinating the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse/assault and/or severe physical abuse cases in McHenry County.

Provides the only approved site for forensic interviewing of child victims and provides advocacy for clients who may be involved in the judicial process. Also coordinates and provides advocacy for conducting specialized medical exams with qualified providers for alleged child victims of abuse.

Counseling (trauma based and abuse assessments) for survivors and non-offending family members is provided through a linkage agreement with a local agency of therapeutic services.

Services also include a crisis response through the McHenry County Crisis Line.

Acts as a neutral third party to coordinate services and give support to children who have been abused and their non-offending family members. Services include referrals for medical treatment, trauma assessments, referrals for counseling and caregiver education through the Center for Counseling, in-person support during court proceedings, and community prevention and awareness presentations.

Provides all children suspected of being physically abused, sexually abused, or neglected with timely expert medical evaluations and treatment, as well as serving the community as a resource for prevention, research, and education. 

- MERIT case coordinator will receive requests for evaluation. 

• The coordinator will arrange for second opinions from other CAC's or DCFS investigators.
• Medical personnel will collaborate with investigative providers to determine next steps.

Provides a safe, child focused setting for investigations of child abuse, ensure victims and their families receive quality services, and raise awareness in the community to combat child abuse.

The victim advocates provide services to victims and their non-offending family members from the time the case is opened through disposition. They also assess needed service referrals, provide medical and court advocacy, and keep the victim and family members up to date on the status of the case.

Some of the services provided by advocates are:

- Assistance filing an order of protection.

- Setting up a follow up medical exam.

- Court accompaniment.

- Case updates.

- Assistance finding counseling.

Provides crisis intervention and case management services to abused children. Services include support to the child and the non-offending family members, linkage to counseling and medical services for the child, court support services, and screenings. 

Forensic interviews when requested by law enforcement or Child Protective Services. A child interview specialist will conduct a video-taped forensic interview with the child. One of the goals of this interview is to reduce the number of times the child must tell the story of his/her abuse.

Medical exams to evaluate children who are suspected to have been abused or neglected.

Assessment and referrals by mental health professionals, who assess each child’s needs and refer them to the appropriate therapy, support groups, and other resources. Families also receive help in “understanding the system”.

Multidisciplinary teams consisting of law enforcement, Child Protective Services, medical professionals, prosecution, school personnel, Project Harmony staff, and other professionals regularly review cases to make certain children do not fall through the cracks. Teams work toward making changes and finding solutions to any problems in reporting and investigating child abuse, permanency, treatment, and system issues.

Anyone can refer a case to the teams; call and include:

- The child's name.

- Date of birth.

- School.

- Protective Service Worker's name.

- The reason for the referral.

Training to professionals and volunteers.

Provides first responders for reports of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, sexual exploitation, child pornography, neglect, and exposure to violence involving children. Offers help for clients to understand and move through the system. Provides one-on-one support, advocacy, and legal aid for clients.

The Center is dedicated to serving the best interests of sexually/ physically abused and neglected children by providing:

- A safe and comfortable environment for the child and family to feel at ease while talking about the abuse during the investigation process.

- Linkage and coordination between police investigators, child welfare workers, prosecutors, and treatment providers so that the number of victim interviews can be reduced.

- An interdisciplinary review process for decision-making, problem-solving, information sharing and case monitoring.

- A comprehensive tracking system shared by all appropriate agencies for those children who have been sexually/ physically abused.

- Specialized training for professionals involved with victims and families in child sexual/ physical abuse cases.

- Education and prevention in dealing with issues of sexual/ physical/ abuse.

- Provides medical evaluations performed by physicians specially trained in the detection and treatment of child physical/sexual abuse.

Provides programs for families involved in the child welfare system or in crisis that need encouragement while they change their lives. Services include advocacy, mentoring, mediation, alternative counseling, workshops, outreach and 3rd party visits. Also provides group sessions and trainings.

Video taped forensic interviews of children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse and neglect or witnesses to violence.

Child advocacy.

Community education and outreach.

Provides advocacy for families and children experiencing separation, helping to place children in a safe, turbulent-free environment during this difficult period, working towards facilitating a smooth transition when children return to their homes. Offering tools to strengthen family relationships to help prevent domestic violence, child abuse, and neglect by providing education, resources, and support services 

Also provided is educating at-risk families about existing laws, court procedures, and case resolution procedures. Also offers one-on-one coaching sessions also educate families about their rights, roles, and responsibilities as parents. Equips parents with developmentally appropriate strategies to create loving, safe, and nurturing environments for their children. For families experiencing separation, there is advocacy for children to be placed in a safe, turbulent-free environment during this difficult period. 

Domestic Violence Awareness Program educates the public of domestic violence and how it relates to children; with much emphasis on how domestic violence impacts families. The goal is to inform the community about the results of domestic violence and its impact on the lives of its victims, children, and families.

Coordinates the multi-disciplinary response to child sexual and/or serious physical abuse in a child friendly location. Services include:

• Linkage to mental health resources
• Coordination with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) regarding the investigation and services provided
• Accompaniment to court hearings/trials, specialized medical appointments, or attendance in victim's place
• Linkage to any community resources available
• Court preparation for victim
• Child friendly facility and trained professional to conduct forensic interviews
• Help with Crime Victims Compensation forms
• Registration with Automated Victim Notification System

Provides a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary response to child sexual abuse and serious physical abuse allegations in a neutral, child-focused setting.

Coordinates and tracks the investigations, medical treatment, counseling referrals, prosecution and training in order to protect the best interests of the child victims and their families.

Works with law enforcement, child protection services, physicians, state and county prosecutors, and other healthcare professionals who find themselves dealing with cases where questions of possible child abuse and neglect arise.

Provides complete physical exams, forensic photographic documentation, in-depth psychosocial assessments of the child and family, medical record reviews, hair sampling collections for drug exposures in children and adults, urine drug screen facilitation, courtroom testimony, educational presentations, and referrals to child protection services, law enforcement, mental health services, and substance abuse services.

Forensic interviewer and mental/behavioral family assistance available.