Child Advocacy Center

Press Release: February 19th, 2008

Concord, NH – Attorney General Kelly Ayotte has appointed a statewide board to oversee and support New Hampshire’s eight established and two developing Child Advocacy Centers (CACs). Funded in part through the Victims of Crime Compensation Fund, Child Advocacy Centers are community-based facilities that provide a child-friendly environment for conducting child abuse investigations and coordination of services for child victims and their non-offending family members.

Members of the Attorney General’s Child Advocacy Center Advisory Board include several state Commissioners, agency heads and directors of non-profits involved in family violence prevention (a list is attached).

In 2007, New Hampshire Child Advocacy Centers provided services to more than 1,375 children. Ninety percent of these children had a presenting allegation of child sexual abuse, the majority under 10 years of age.

In communities with a Child Advocacy Center, law enforcement, the Division for Children, Youth and Families, the County Attorney’s Office, victim advocate services and medical and mental health professionals sign a shared services agreement in which all parties self mandate a team approach to child abuse investigations and subsequent service delivery.

New Hampshire currently has eight Child Advocacy Centers:

• Child Advocacy Center of Rockingham County with offices in Portsmouth and Derry Contact: Maureen Sullivan 603-422-8240
• Hillsborough County Child Advocacy Center with CACs in both Nashua and Manchester -- Contact: Kristie Palestino 603-889-0321
• Greater Lakes Child Advocacy Center in Laconia – Contact: Meghan Howe 603-524-5497
• Child Advocacy Center of Grafton and Sullivan Counties at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with offices in Lebanon and Newport – Contact: Cathy Brittis 603-653-9012
• Strafford County Child Advocacy Center in Dover – Contact: Amy Barham 603-516-8100
• Carroll County Child Advocacy Center in Wolfeboro – Contact: Katie Watkins 603-569-9840
• Monadnock Region Child Advocacy Center in Keene – Contact: Atonya Hart 603-352-0413

For more information on the Children’s Advocacy Center model in combating child abuse or to find a CAC in your community, please call 603-380-3095 or visit www.NHNCAC.org

Child Advocacy Center Advisory Board Members

Chair: Honorable Kelly Ayotte, Attorney General

Kate Adler,Community Member

Maggie Bishop, Director

Division for Children, Youth and Families

Colonel Frederick Booth

NH Department of Safety

Kent Hymel, MD

Medical Director, Child Abuse and Prevention Program, CHAD

Pam Kozlowski, JD

District Court Administrator

Sandra Matheson, Director

Office of Victim/Witness Assistance

Grace Mattern, Exec. Director

NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Chief Peter Morency

NH Chiefs of Police Association

Kristie Palestino, Exec. Director

Child Advocacy Center of Hillsborough

Chair, NH Network of CACs

Amanda Peterson, State Coordinator

NH Network of CACs

James Reams, JD

Rockingham County Attorney

Brad Russ, Director

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

Marcia Sink, Director

CASA of NH