Over the Rainbow Franklin Cty Children's Advocacy Center

Over the Rainbow Children's Advocacy Center (otr-cac) is a child centered organization which provides services and support to suspected child abuse victims and their families. Otr- cac is a neutral agency which works closely with a multidisciplinary investigative team (mdit) to provide a collaborative approach in the evaluation, investigation, treatment and intervention as related to child victims. Otr-cac enhances the multidisciplinary approach by providing a central location for joint interviews and information sharing among team members thus allowing for reduced trauma to the child victim and a higher probability of measurable outcomes for all disciplines. Members of the mdit consist of forensic interviewers, medical providers, mental health providers, family advocates, law enforcement, children and youth services and the district attorney's office, each of whom have specific roles within the framework of the collaborative approach. A forensic interview is a developmentally sensitive, fact gathering method of obtaining information regarding allegations of abuse or violence. This interview is conducted by a neutral professional utilizing research and practice-informed techniques as part of a larger investigative process. In 2019, the cac provided services to 315 children and their families. the cac also hired an intake coordinator/community educator to assist families and mdit members in the referral process and provide prevention programs to community members and schools. the objectives of the intake coordinator are to streamline the referral process for mdit members and families. the objectives of the community educator program are to spread awareness, increase the number of individuals who are informed about the issue of child abuse and provide children with body safety information.