New center will serve victims of child abuse

By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-Herald
JOHNSTOWN — Fulton County officials said a state grant announced Tuesday will allow them to provide help to children who are victims of abuse, sexual assault and serious maltreatment.

The county has received a $150,000 grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and will use it to rehabilitate an existing building and turn it into a child advocacy center, county officials said.

Fulton County District Attorney Louise Sira said there is a tremendous need for the center in the community.

“We have no centralized location to provide these children with the services they need,” she said.

Fulton County Department of Social Services Commissioner Sheryda Cooper said her department looked into 46 complaints of sexual abuse involving children in 2006. Of those, 10 were “indicated,” which Cooper said meant part of the complaint was substantiated.

She said while the numbers are not final for 2007, more than 40 complaints were received. Of those, approximately 13 were indicated, she said.

At the center, children will be provided with counseling services, said Janine Dykeman, the executive director of the Mental Health Association in Fulton and Montgomery Counties.

Dykeman said local therapists and clinicians will be hired with grant money to help the children. Grant funding also will allow law enforcement personnel and caseworkers to receive updated training on proper interviewing techniques.

The center will provide a space for law enforcement personnel and case workers to meet with families and conduct interviews and investigations, Dykeman said.

Currently, children and their families have to go to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department or the district attorney’s office for the interviews, she said. Neither place is a comfortable environment for a child to talk about potentially traumatic experiences, Dykeman said.

The grant was applied for by the MHA, which collaborated with the district attorney’s office and the Fulton County Department of Social Services.

Sira said Fulton County has been a “priority county” for state funding because of the distance victims have to travel for services.

“Right now, we send kids to Saratoga County for counseling services,” she said.

While no location has been selected for the center, Dykeman said, buildings in the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville have been considered.

Officials said the center may open by the start of 2009.

The OCFS grant is renewable and consistently budgeted by the state, according to the news release.

Dykeman said while the grant amount probably will go down in the future, additional money besides the grant might be available from OCFS.



Rodney Minor covers Gloversville. He can be reached at gloversville@leaderher-ald.com.