Pike County Commissioners approve $50K grant toward opening of child abuse prevention center

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — The planned Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in Pike County got a boost in June when Pike County Commissioners authorized a grant of $50,000 from The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency toward making the center a reality. District Attorney Ray Tonkin and Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah Wilson came to the June 7 Commissioners’ meeting and spoke briefly of the plans.
CACs are part of the National Children’s Advocacy Center that explains on its website, “The NCAC models, promotes and delivers excellence in child abuse response and prevention through service, education and leadership.”
In Pike County, coordination of services eventually means a child is only subjected to one interview by a forensic interviewer in criminal cases with a full recording. Currently, the process can mean an already abused child has to go through several interviews, repeating often traumatic events over and over.
Tonkin explained some of the money will go toward developing programs to accurately track cases as well. In Pike County, several agencies are involved in making the CAC happen, including the Commissioners, Pike County Safe Haven and the District Attorney’s Office.