Members of Lyon County’s Multidisciplinary Team discussed their work in child abuse cases on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Monday.
MDTs, as they are called, work together to investigate child abuse cases while giving victims and their families comfort and support through the process. Investigations begin with a referral, either from the Kansas Department for Children and Families or local law enforcement. After that step, a key component is what’s called the forensic interview. Kayla Delgado is Lyon County’s primary interviewer, serving as the Lyon County Attorney Victim Witness Coordinator. Delgado recently conducted her 1,000th forensic interview, and she says the goal is to let the victim say as much as he or she feels comfortable in saying.
Meanwhile, the SOS Child Advocacy Center begins coordinating the overall initial response between the County Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, DCF, Newman Regional Health, CrossWinds Counseling and Wellness and the family, according to Director Ginny Samples.
CrossWinds Assistant Clinical Director Jennifer Williams says the process lets responders have a good foundation of information to help children and families as the process unfolds.
Depending on the nature of the abuse, a sexual assault exam can take place. Newman Regional Health Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Diana Moore says there is a lot of work to demystify the process, both for children and family members.
The SOS Child Advocacy Center facilitates the interactions between the MDT members and also works with families. With the area’s steadily-increasing Hispanic population, Family Services Coordinator Katy Peraza says her role as a bilingual liaison is a vital one for the process.
All involved in KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Monday urged people to speak out to KDCF, SOS or law enforcement if they see signs of an abusive situation or potential abuse. SOS administrator Kathryn Wilkerson says people shouldn’t wait for others to say something.
Residents wanting to inform DCF can call 800-922-5330. For SOS, the number to call is 800-825-1295 if people need immediate crisis help. Residents can also text SOS to 847411.
