The Baltimore Child Abuse Center got a much needed facelift, mostly by adding many new faces under one roof.
Now, representatives from several Baltimore Police units, the State's Attorney’s Office and the House of Ruth will share space with the forensic interviewers and medical and mental health professionals of the child abuse center; a one-stop shop for victims and families.
"All services that a child may need or a team member. A police officer investigating a case, a legal advocate from the House of Ruth, a prosecutor and having everyone under one building, one roof builds team and then that child, that family member, that team member doesn't have to go to multiple locations to get help. They can do everything together," said Executive Director Adam Rosenberg.
And all those new people need a new space.
The newly renovated third floor of the Charles Village facility is complete with office space and rooms for investigations and counseling.
Up on the main, fourth floor there will be newer, more inviting interview rooms complete with new cameras, recording equipment and child friendly spaces.
About $3 million from three different grants over three years helped make this possible and much of it directed here by the governor's office on crime control and prevention.
"Governor Hogan is really behind evidence based practices and as you heard today from Adam Rosenberg, this program is going to bring different groups together, collaboration from different services...we are going to make Maryland better," said the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention Glenn Fueston.
That best practice is putting all that can help in one 24 hour a day facility.
Rosenberg says it creates efficiencies in time and money, but more importantly helps build better cases and ultimately, more resilient children.
It is a no brainer for counselors and law enforcement.
"It's always best when you have all your partners working together and sometimes you physically have to be together to get this hard work done,” said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, “So it's a good day for public safety in Baltimore."
