About Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center (CAC)

At this time last year a child advocacy center did not exist in DeSoto County but the need for a coordinated effort to protect and advocate for our abused children was most certainly a reality.

Before Healing Hearts opened, children in DeSoto County who were suspected of being abused were taken to child advocacy centers in Memphis, Tupelo, or Oxford. Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center opened its doors in March, 2013, and has already served many children in their reported abuse situations. These children come to the CAC for a forensic interview which is captured on tape and is used by the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) of professionals – the District Attorney’s office, all branches of law enforcement, and the Department of Child Services. This interview process eliminates the need for the children to tell their story multiple times to multiple people – school officials, DCS, police, lawyers, etc.

By June, well over 60 interviews had been completed at the CAC and the MDT (organized last year in anticipation of the CAC opening in DeSoto County) had reviewed 156 cases. With the MDT in place and moving cases swiftly to justice, there is less cost to DeSoto County while there has been an increase in the number of arrests of offenders, number of cases presented to the Grand Jury, number of indictments and prosecutions.

More abuse cases have been reported in the first half of 2013 than in all of 2012. Coordination has greatly improved between DHS, law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s office. The District Attorney’s office has greater faith in these cases than previously because of Healing Hearts, the staff, and the expertise the CAC brings to DeSoto County. Our children deserve to have their stories heard and they deserve professional counseling for the mental and emotional wounds they have suffered. Our children should never be put in a position where they carry the weight of the world in a criminal prosecution. That started to end a year ago when the MDT was established and continues now with the opening of Healing Hearts CAC. We must continue to fight until every child knows that the people of DeSoto County stand behind them, support them and love them. Our greatest success is the first steps we have taken and our greatest challenge is to completely end child abuse.

The DeSoto County community has stepped up to support the CAC. We hope you will continue to do so by participating in the Toast to Heal Hearts event on November 1. If you have any questions about our community education programs, the services provided at HHCAC, or the upcoming events that will provide funding and support for the center, please feel free to contact Healing Hearts CAC at (662) 349-1555 or by email.

We also encourage you to like the Facebook page “Healing Hearts ChildAdvocacy Center” and visit the website, www.healingheartscac.org.   View the latest newsletter or sign up to receive the newsletter through your email.