Central Arkansas nonprofit that works to prevent child abuse has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the UAMS program

Benton, Arkansas – A recent donation from UAMS is helping a central Arkansas organization that works to prevent child abuse.

Eleven groups dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect received grants totaling over $630,000 from UAMS through their Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape, and Domestic Violence program.

Of that funding, $50,000 went to the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center (CAMCAC) in Benton and Hot Springs. Through this program, primary school students in Saline, Garland, Grant, and Montgomery counties continue to obtain the resources they need to recognize signs of child abuse.

“It’s teaching them very much a skill set, and building your self-confidence, and identifying safety rules,” CAMCAC Director Tracey Childress said.

The team determined it was time to solve problems and contribute to their prevention seven years ago, which is when the preventative program started.

“We currently work with kindergarten through fifth grade in the school districts of our four counties: Saline, Grant, Montgomery, and Garland,” Childress said. This grant will help us expand to eighth grade.”

In addition to teaching bodily rights, the preventative program provides children with the tools they need to report instances of child abuse that they witness or encounter.

Twice a year, staff members from Benton and Hot Springs CAMCAC visit schools to speak with individual classes.

In addition to focusing on prevention, CAMCAC assists local law enforcement, the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children’s Division, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the DHS’s Division of Child and Family Services, and other agencies in resolving cases and allegations of child abuse when they arise in any of the four counties they cover.

Ensuring a child only has to experience one forensic interview and forensic exam, only reliving the trauma once.

“It’s a one-stop shop, as we like to say, because everything happens comprehensively in one place, in a child-friendly environment,” Childress said.

According to Childress, a child advocate who acts in the child’s best interest and provides a “blueprint of information” greets them as soon as they enter the building.

“We want to make sure that we don’t just meet the needs of that investigation but that we meet the needs of the child,” Childress said.

For 21 years, they have been offering this treatment through its locations in Benton and Hot Springs, visiting close to 700 children annually.

“We make sure that the child received that healing and removes that trauma that has taken place,” Childress said.

Childress responded that she doesn’t know who would help bring justice and aid in the healing of these children if she didn’t continue in this heartbreaking line of work when asked why.