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“We will never know completely what that child experienced because he was unable to tell us at that time,” Amanda recalls. “There was no one in our area trained to talk to the student about it. I knew then at some point, some day, I was going to learn the skills to be able to talk to children just like him about situations just like that.”

Forensic Interviews

Amanda decided to act upon her promise to herself, and when she discovered the executive director position at the CAC, she knew it was her time, as that position requires training as a forensic interviewer.

“That student was unable to adequately share what happened to him,” she relates. “How do we know it ever stopped? We don’t, because the alleged victim was a child who no one had the skills to have a neutral fact-finding conversation with based on his cognitive level to determine exactly what happened and who had done it. That put the fire in me – people with disabilities are a core passion of mine.”

She says there were a number of agencies involved with that student already, but no one was specially trained to talk to him about potential sexual abuse.

“I had skills and training to teach, but an allegation of child abuse is an entirely different process,” she explains. “Being at ease with kids and talking to children is great. But this type of conversation is very different. Be mindful of how you say things and how you engage the child. Stay neutral so they can tell their truth without any bias from the person who is talking to them.”

A forensic interview, which is one of the main services offered by the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center, happens when a specially trained interviewer who is objective and unbiased has a neutral, fact-finding conversation with the child to determine whether a crime has occurred, specifically a crime of physical, sexual or emotional abuse. That in itself takes special training, but as an added challenge, the interview must be conducted in a legally defensible manner so it can stand up in court if necessary.

The interview is often watched remotely by representatives of the Division of Family & Children Services, the district attorney’s office and law enforcement officers. If the interview was not conducted in the child-friendly environment in the CAC, the child might have to meet with each of those groups independently, rehashing the story over and over.

“Forensic investigators are trained to do it appropriately, and it’s in a child-centered, trauma-aware environment,” Amanda explains. “This prevents the child from having to tell the story multiple times. All parties are here and receive the information at the same time.”

The CAC offers forensic interview services to children ages 3 to 18, as well as adults with developmental challenges.

“I was trained in the ChildFirst model, which is a forensic interview protocol – there are several protocols nationwide,” she says. “They all are slightly different, but they have some overarching commonalities to ensure they are legally sound. The training is offered through the ZeroAbuse Project, and ChildFirst is a nationally accredited forensic interview protocol aimed at being a neutral fact-finding conversation that is developmentally appropriate for the child.”

Amanda explains that talking to adults and children is different – you must be aware of childhood development and how it progresses. “You have your typical childhood development, abuse might need in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. They partner with a multidisciplinary team that includes DFACS, the district attorney’s office law enforcement officers, mental health therapists, family advocates, local school system employees and medical professionals.

The forensic interview process ensures all necessary parties receive the same information at the same time, which helps the team make recommendations for the next step for the child.

Amanda explains that this multidisciplinary team model is not the same as working directly with an organization like DFACS. “We’re different. We are a nonprofit,” she says. “I’m very thankful for DFACS, who is one of our partner agencies, but we are a

770.462.5005 very nonthreatening agency because we don’t have authority. We are a service. It is never lost on me or our staff that what brings you here is never a positive situation. We can absolutely be the best support for whoever is providing their care. Our whole purpose is to support in whatever aspect that is moving forward. We have no authority, so things here are very gentle. We serve you and the child you love, who you brought here. It’s never lost on any of us this could be our family.”

The Child Advocacy Center model isn’t new – it began in 1985 in Huntsville, Ala., where the National Children’s Advocacy Center is now located. Before the Carroll County CAC opened its doors in

2013, there wasn’t a central resource for children suffering from abuse. “Children had to go to the CAC in Troup County or Atlanta if they needed a forensic interview,” shares Amanda. “It couldn’t be completed in Carroll County, or in Heard or Haralson. A core group got together here to start the process, and they reached out to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia to find out how to make it happen.”

That original core group included representatives from state and local government, law enforcement, DFACS and the district attorney’s office.

“A well-rounded community takes care of its children, our most valuable asset,” Amanda says. “A community is not complete if can’t provide care for its children. It took that core group to pull the agencies already here together, and we just celebrated 10 years of service to children.”

The core group of founders reached out to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia to find out how to get started. “They sent an amazing lady, Nancy Chandler, to a stakeholders meeting, and she guided the process – who do you need, how do you make it happen,” relates Amanda. “She said we had all right people and agencies here already, so now all we had to do was pull them together.”

CAC’s services begin when their partners in law enforcement notify them about a potential abuse situation. “There has been a report made concerning allegations of child abuse, either physical, sexual or emotional – that is how you get here for a forensic interview,” she explains. “That is the protocol for the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center. We’re not an investigative body – we do the neutral, fact-finding conversation. All law enforcement in all three of our counties allow us to talk to the children – our law enforcement partners are amazing, but we have the training to speak to the child about what occurred. If we need to testify in court, we have the credentials to speak about what the child discloses.”

She says DFACS is often involved, as some of the cases are first reported to them, and then they contact law enforcement.

“The most heartbreaking thing is how busy we are,” Amanda shares. “We are starting off the first three months the busiest we’ve been in 10 years. There was a jump in numbers in 2020 during the COVID years, but that number has maintained. In 2018, we conducted 187 forensic interviews. In 2022, that number was 310.”

The CAC conducted more than 100 forensic interviews during the first three months of this year. “People often ask if abuse happening more, and I tell them it’s been around since the beginning of time – we are just becoming more aware,” she states. “I’m hoping these numbers reflect that it’s now being reported. When you know better, you do better. That’s my hope.”

Other Services

CAC recognizes that abuse is often only one piece of the puzzle for many families. Some of the children they serve are already receiving community services in other ways, but part of the CAC model is to look at the big picture of what is going on with each child so staff can determine the best way to serve that child.

“I like to say we all have a cookie,” Amanda explains. “Sometimes it’s really little, this event that brought you here. Sometimes that cookie is huge – health issues in the family, job instability, an abuser in the home –sometimes the primary breadwinner, and your life takes a different shift immediately. If you have to eat the cookie in one bite, you’ll choke. We help you take little bites. We have so many partners in the community who can help.”

The CAC helps families connect with therapy, housing, food and security, Medicaid, childcare assistance, school registration, along with many other services. “We do a warm handoff – we don’t just tell you where to go for services, we make a phone call for you with your permission and let them know you’re on your way. We help find out the exact process to get you everything you need.”

Staff members help the children they serve find the right style of therapy for them, recognizing that trauma doesn’t end when the abuse does. Their case management also includes other ways to support families, like talking overwhelmed parents through the judicial hearing process.

The committed staff takes turns being on call so they can be available 24/7. “Our multidisciplinary team works after hours, and so do we,” Amanda says. “If law enforcement needs a forensic interview at midnight, we respond.”

She says they prefer to follow the model created by one of their mentors, Mary Beth Nelson, who is well known and respected in the child advocacy circle. That model suggests the team wait for the child to get one or two good nights of sleep before the interview. But when a child is in crisis, sometimes interviews need to happen immediately.

“We experience more of that here when a child is a witness to violence, such as family violence or homicide, and there are safety concerns that need to be taken into account,” Amanda explains.

Training the Public

Part of the CAC model is training adults in the community to prevent, recognize and appropriately respond to child sexual abuse. As part of the prevention piece, the training includes tips on how to ensure an adult is never alone with a child, giving people who interact with children as part of their jobs or volunteer work ideas on how to create procedures to protect both the adults and the children.

“A big part of our mission here is getting adults in the counties we serve trained to recognize the signs of abuse and, most importantly, to know what to do if they are made aware something is happening,” Amanda relates. “How do you report that? Not to act as investigators, but how to report it and keep children safe. As parents, as teachers, as Bible school workers, as coaches, how to record and report, as well as create environments that are safe and to keep yourself as a professional above reproach.”

She mentions that many people don’t realize

Darkness to Light Community Training

The CAC offers training to adults to teach them how to prevent, recognize and appropriately respond to child sexual abuse.

This training is through Darkness to Light‘s Stewards of Children curriculum and is available to those in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties FREE of charge.

Any adult member of the community can participate in this training. It takes 2 hours to complete and is certified for continuing education for social workers, licensed professional counselors, law enforcement, early child care providers – Bright From the Start, nurses, EMS and attorneys.

To schedule a training session that meets your needs in regards to time and location, email allison@cc-cac.org or call 770.832.8733.

abuse happens to children from every walk of life, in every neighborhood – the only thing abused children have in common is that they are abused. But people tend to shy away from talking about sexual abuse.

“If people can’t bring themselves to talk about it, they will never be able to prevent it,” adds Amanda. “Our children deserve that if they tell an adult, the adult knows what to do and how to report it – they are expecting you to do something to help.”

Amanda encourages the public to be mindful of who is hurting children. More than 96% of abused children know their abuser – often, they live in the same household. “Don’t ever think it will never happen to your kid,” she warns. “If you think that, you won’t be vigilant or aware.”

Community Support

The Carroll County Child Advocacy Center never charges families for its services, even though forensic interviewing requires extensive training and a unique skillset that doesn’t come for free.

“Because we are a nonprofit, we need staff who are passionate about the work, and we need other people in the community who are financially willing to invest,” adds Amanda. “When you say it’s for the children, and when you share the reality of what occurs to children, and share they can’t get this service anywhere else in our backyard, it gets attention. This is our call to arms – we can make amazing things happen in this community for our kids.”

She shares that the CAC applies for federal grant funds, which typically fulfill up to 25% of their budgetary needs, but there are projected cuts to those funds in the new fiscal year. Those funds are restricted, which means they can only be spent on certain functions. They also receive funds from local grants, but those are often one-time funds.

“Donations are our lifeblood, and community support is how we stay open to serve the children,” Amanda says. “That money is critical. We are so blessed with community and business support. No one is charged for any service we provide. If you were going through something like that with your child, the last thing you’d want to do is worry about paying for services. We want to keep it that way.”

While the CAC used to hold a large annual fundraising event, COVID changed their fundraising strategy. They now orchestrate a Pass the Pinwheel fundraiser during the month of April, which is Child Abuse Awareness Month.

“We pass the pinwheel throughout our entire service region,” Amanda explains. “It starts in my yard, and I pass it to you with the expectation that you make a donation and pass the pinwheel to someone you know. You can contribute any amount – if you have $10 to give, that’s great. If you have $10,000, that’s amazing. This allows anyone in our community to participate at a level where they feel comfortable.

“It is amazing the response we get from it. It’s so exciting. It raises awareness –people call and want to know how to get the pinwheel in their yard – just call and we’re on our way! I keep one in my car, and I’m getting it to your house tonight,” Amanda laughs.

She mentions that donations fund more than salaries. The CAC offers different resources and support, all thanks to the generous donations from the community. It could be paying for a hotel for a weekend for a family in crisis who can’t go back to their house that night, or loading up a family’s car with groceries because they have nothing to eat this weekend, for example.

CAC’s needs aren’t small, but they aren’t insurmountable. “We’d love to raise $70,000 through Pass the Pinwheel,” she says. “The most critical component here at CAC is our staff. I’ve worked with some doggone good people, but these people are incredible. It’s never lost on me that these ladies could go elsewhere and do really great work. They are committed to the children of this community and to this organization. Donations help keep these amazing folks here.” WGW

If you'd like to learn more about Amanda Carden and the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center, or to participate in the passing of the pinwheel this month, call 770.832.8733, email info@cc-cac.org or visit the website at www.cc-cac.org.

To make a donation to help the CAC help children in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties who have suffered abuse, donate through the website or mail checks to: