Attorney General Approves Child Death Scene Investigation Guidelines

To view a copy of the letter that Attorney General Jon Bruing sent out, please click <<here>>.

Please click <<here>> to view a copy of the guidelines.

Check out what's happening in North Platte...

An army of workers

The North Platte Telegraph Monday's cool September weather was a perfect reminder that the renovation project for the Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center has begun just in time.
The more than 100-year-old house that opens its doors to children undergoing the trauma of abuse will no longer have the cold winter winds streaming through its corridors. A traumatized child who has suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and nurture them will no longer have to relay their stories to investigators over the sounds of passing vehicles. (For more of this story, click here.)

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Here are two more great articles on the Bridge of Hope, the Child Advocacy Center in North Platte. Web links are are direct resource to the articles posted by the North Platte Telegraph.

Hope Rides by Mark Young

Club works to 'black out' abuse by Mark Young

Chair of the Board Honored

Congrats to the NE Alliance Child Advocacy Center's Board of Director's Chair, LeeAnn Neilsen!! She is a "Make A Difference" Honoree! Please click here for more of the story!

Check out what is happening in CAPstone's area with...

the advocate's Voice

(CAPstone's Quarterly Newsletter)

• October 2009
• July 2009
• April 2009
• January 2009
• October 2008
• August 2008

County Attorney Association's Criminal Justice Conference-
May 21, 2008

Colleen Roth, Director of Service Coordination at Project Harmony and Nicole Goaley, Deputy Douglas County Attorney, presented to the County Attorney Association's Criminal Justice Conference in Kearney on May 21, 2008. The presentation was titled, Speaking of Children: Collaboration Efforts in the Metro. This included a brief overview of the prevalence of child abuse in the U.S., in NE, and in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. Colleen Roth discussed the purpose of Child Advocacy Centers (CACs), where the 8 CACs in NE are located, and a summary of the services provided by Project Harmony. Ms. Roth included the NE Revised Statute 28-728 that requires the multi-disciplinary teams include in their protocols arranging for a "Videotaped forensic interview at a CAC for children 16 yrs or younger........." In addition, Nicole Goaley, the Juvenile Division County Attorney, talked about the 1184 Teams and how they began to get court-ordered referrals to the team. The County Attorneys would refer problem cases, the CAC coordinator would write up a report with team's recommendations, and the County Attorneys would submit the report into evidence at court. This led to all 5 Juvenile Court Judges in Douglas County to court order cases to the multi-disciplinary team for review. Ms. Roth and Ms. Goaley discussed the system issues resulting from the 1184 case reviews and their efforts to collaborate in meetings outside the team on issues, such as the Safe Haven Law and the Child Death Scene Protocols. Finally, Ms. Roth and Ms. Goaley gave information on upcoming conferences and ongoing trainings and urged them to utilize their local CACs to assist them in addressing system issues in their area and providing needed training.

Respectfully Submitted by:
Colleen Roth, LMHP
Project Harmony
croth@projectharmony.com