PRINCE FREDERICK — Children in Calvert County who report abuse or witness violence now have a larger, purpose-built place to tell their story, receive therapy and meet the investigators and advocates handling their case.
The Calvert County Department of Social Services said its Children’s Advocacy Center has moved into a larger, redesigned space at 184-A Main St. in Prince Frederick, with dedicated rooms for forensic interviews, private meetings, therapeutic services and multidisciplinary team coordination, according to a Maryland Department of Human Services release issued Oct. 15.
The practical change for families is the interview itself. A children’s advocacy center lets a child describe what happened in a single recorded forensic interview during an investigation, rather than repeating the account to police, social workers and prosecutors one at a time. The department said that approach reduces the trauma of repeated questioning.
The center will mark the move with a ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Main Street site. State’s Attorney Bob Harvey, County Administrator Linda Turner, Sheriff Ricky Cox and the Calvert County commissioners are scheduled to speak.
What the new space does
Beyond the interview room, the center offers therapy, case management and what the department described as a safe place for young people to share their experience. Partners from child welfare, law enforcement, health care and victim services work out of the same facility so they can coordinate a case without sending a child to multiple offices.
The department said the space was laid out with attention to security, privacy and how children and families move through the building, and that it was designed using the accreditation standards of the National Children’s Alliance, the national association that accredits advocacy centers. The release did not say whether the Calvert center holds or is seeking that accreditation.
“The new space gives our multidisciplinary partners the ability to work together more effectively,” said Melinda Baldwin, director of the Calvert County Department of Social Services, who called the opening a milestone in the community’s commitment to protecting children and thanked Calvert County for its investment.
Stacy L. Rodgers, acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Services, said the center strengthens the state’s response to child abuse and neglect and helps ensure children are “safe, supported, and heard throughout the investigative process.”
The release did not give the project’s cost, the size of the new space, the center’s previous location or how many children it serves each year.
Where to get help
Anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected in Calvert County can report it to the Calvert County Department of Social Services, or call 911 if a child is in immediate danger. The Department of Human Services also operates a statewide child abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-91-PREVENT (1-800-917-7383).
The opening comes as the state expands support for crime victims across the region; Maryland recently committed $60 million to crime victim services, including grants to Southern Maryland providers.
