Kids First

Staff Positions & Duties

Summary of Scope of Services: Forensic Interviews, Victim Services, Therapy, Forensic Medical Examinations, Services for the drug-endangered child, School-based intervention/prevention program, Education Group for Teen Moms (school-based), Adult Survivor Group and Resource Library Provider (school-based) and provider of community education.

Forensic Interviewer – The Forensic Interviewer testifies in juvenile court hearings and is a member of our CPIT. The Forensic Interviewer has received specialized training enabling her to interview victims and obtain information in a non-threatening or leading manner. The Forensic Interviewer conducted 232 interviews during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Victim Services Specialist – This position works with the non-offending caregivers, educating the caregiver on the role of the CAC through the intake process. She discusses the services we offer and the judicial system. The Victim Services Specialist accompanies the victim to the hearing, familiarizes the victim and the family with the courthouse and the prosecution process. She assists non-offending caregivers in completing Victim’s Compensation applications, makes internal referrals for therapy and helps families seek resources within their communities. She offers parenting classes to non-offending caregivers, court mandated, and is responsible for implementing and monitoring the many “Resource Libraries” located in more than 15 schools within the 9th District and made possible by grants from the United Way of Loudon County, United Way of Roane County and the Citizens Utility District.

Family Advocate – This position works with drug-endangered children, priority given to children having been impacted by the use and/or manufacturing of methamphetamines. The Family Advocate works with the caregivers as to reduce out-of-home placements, irrational behavior displayed by the caregivers due to active addiction, and to instigate positive change based on tools for successful parenting, time management, budgeting, and treatment for drug/alcohol dependence. The Family Advocate served 111 drug-endangered children.

Therapist (3) – This position works with the client and the client’s caregivers by offering support, education and coping skills for the client as well as the non-offending caregivers and adult survivors. Also, our therapists provide community education related to child abuse, community support groups, school education/training and inter-agency collaboration and coordinates our school-based curriculum, Stop Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN). In addition to the 758 therapy sessions, our therapists provided 10 Crisis Counseling sessions, 122 follow-up contacts to offer emotional support, provide empathetic listening and check on victim’s progress, 49 clients were provided therapy, and 8 personal advocacy contacts to assist victims in securing rights.

Part-Time Outreach Coordinator – Responsible for scheduling and delivering our school-based intervention/prevention program, SCAN, and out school-based Teen Mom Education Program to schools within the 9th Judicial District.  The Outreach Coordinator seeks volunteer support for the SCAN Program’s delivery to kindergarten and first graders as theirs is a puppet show and has proven to be very effective in the education of young children on safe and unsafe situations.  The Outreach Coordinator is responsible for meeting with school personnel of schools that have not been recipients of the SCAN Program in hopes they will join the CAC in the fight to protect children from abuse through education.

Administrative Assistant – Provides support to the Executive Director, staff and board of directors. This position assumes typical administrative duties and interacts with all clients as they become acquainted with the CAC. She is the Volunteer Coordinator, editor of the quarterly newsletter and coordinator of our annual Back to School Bash.

Executive Director – The Executive Director is responsible for day-to-day running of the program, fiscal management, seeking, securing and implementation of grants, community education/support groups, program changes that will expedite services and improve service delivery, directly reports to the board of directors and member of the Child Protective Investigative Team.

Medical Services– Forensic Medical Examinations are performed by a FMNP, SANE and a registered nurse that have undergone specialized training for this type of evaluation. Both professionals donate their time to the CAC.