How we serve.

The Saville Center for Child Advocacy is a safe, child-friendly facility where forensic interviews, medical evaluations, mental health services and referrals are provided to children involved in abuse investigations. 

The Saville Center for Child Advocacy offers a soothing, calming atmosphere, in a building specially designed to lessen a child’s fears. 

Before the center was available, the child may have been taken to several different agency offices to receive services.  At each stop they would have had to answer the same questions over and over again.  Now, because these services are centralized at our center, further trauma to the child and family can be avoided. 

ABOUT OUR FORENSIC INTERVIEWS

A forensic interview is a structured conversation with a child intended to gather detailed information about a possible event(s) that the child may have experienced or witnessed such as: sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, drug endangerment, witness to violence/death, child pornography, kidnapping and human trafficking.

Forensic interviewers are highly trained to keep the child comfortable while working to obtain accurate information. The interview is digitally recorded so that investigators, attorneys and other professionals can access the information without having to interview the child again and again.  These interviewers are specially trained in using a nationally recognized process which leads to legally sound, non-duplicative, non-leading questions that are developmentally appropriate for children.

ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The Saville Center provides on-site counseling for our child clients and their families. Counseling provides a safe environment for children to express their feelings and understand why they are experiencing confusing emotions such as guilt, sadness loss, fear, betrayal and anger. These services are provided at no cost to the families we serve. We are committed to meeting the needs of the child and their family members and will continue to offer the resources that families need the most.

About Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)

After the interview, it may be necessary for your child to have a medical exam. Proper medical attention is vital to your child’s holistic healing, and even if the abuse is no longer physically present, we find that medical exams are an important part of the healing process - an opportunity for your child to hear "your body is okay." Our clinical services director is a certified P-SANE (Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) and offers every child who visits the opportunity for a medical exam.

About Victim Advocacy

The Saville Center Victim Advocate provide crisis intervention, education about the investigation and criminal justice process, ongoing support and help to connect families with resources. Our Victim Advocate is uniquely positioned to provide information and support to children and families who often have a host of concerns and needs during the legal process. In some cases, a child is required to testify in a court proceeding.  This daunting task can be made easier by The Saville Center’s “Court School” program, which introduces children to the court process and better prepares them for their testimony. 

About Cares Team

The Child Abuse Response, Evaluation and Support Team (CARES Team) includes professionals from Law Enforcement, Child Protective Services, the District Attorney’s office and Mental and Medical Health Services. Each week, the CARES Team meets to discuss, share information and make decisions regarding child abuse cases in Payne County. These professionals see the greater good in working together on investigations and all agree that this unified approach has a positive influence on the investigation.  The Saville Center also provides access to valuable training for these professionals. The Saville Center works with Oklahoma and national organizations to bring top notch trainers on-site to Stillwater, as well as providing assistance to off-site conferences and seminars. Through these trainings, the CARES Team continuously grows by learning new skills and staying up to date on the ever-changing world of child abuse investigation and prosecution.  According to the National Children’s Alliance, “The collaborative child-focused approach of a Children’s Advocacy Center ensures that children are not further victimized by the systems intended to protect them.”

About Prevention

The Saville Center coordinates the Payne County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force. This group of professionals and community members meets monthly to coordinate awareness efforts, provide training, and engage our community on child abuse issues.