Statements

Mission

The mission of Nashville Children's Alliance is to provide healing and justice for children who have been abused or exposed to violence.

Background

The Nashville Children's Alliance (NCA) was founded in 1992. NCA was started as a result of a community task force composed of ministers, therapists, case managers, judges, teachers, assistant district attorneys, police officers and other community leaders. This task force recognized an urgent need for a Davidson County advocacy center for children to be served when there were allegations of sexual or severe physical abuse. To prevent further trauma to child abuse victims, they envisioned a comfortable, safe and child-friendly place for children to receive services from the multidisciplinary team working the individual cases through the process of detection, disclosure, prosecution, therapy, counseling and the ultimate resolution of the court case. All services provided by NCA are provided free of charge. NCA receives referrals from the Department of Children's Services to provide forensic interviews for children when there are allegations of sexual or severe physical abuse. NCA forensic interviewers are trained to conduct non-leading, age appropriate interviews with children about the allegations. Forensic interviewers, therapists and counselors from NCA work together with professionals from the Department of Children's Services, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Office of the District Attorney General to manage each and every case to resolution. By facilitating a multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse, children have a team of professionals working for them from the initial allegation of abuse until the case is completed. NCA also provides therapy for children who have been abused or witnessed violence. Our therapists are specially trained to work with children and to provide trauma-focused therapy. Bilingual therapists are available to provide services to our growing diverse community. Family advocacy is also provided to assist children and families with the many difficulties that they are facing. The abuse is often just a portion of the problems within the family and the family advocate networks services for them to meet their needs. NCA believes that no one agency can meet all the needs of children in crisis, but a multidisciplinary team approach will yield better results for children.

Impact

The Nashville Children's Alliance provided trauma-focused therapy services to 54 children and non-offending caregivers in 2023. NCA provided 1227 individual therapy sessions during this time.

Through the Child Protective Investigative Team process, the Nashville Children's Alliance was reviewed 1853 reports of severe abuse in 2023. Ensuring quality case management and collaboration between investigative partners results in better case outcomes for the children served in Davidson County.

The Nashville Children's Alliance provided forensic interviews to 429 children in 2023. Our Family Support Specialists provided 913 total services to non-offending caregivers to aid families in accessing criminal injuries compensation, linkage of resources, crisis intervention and safety planning.

Needs

1. Growth of direct service staff (forensic interviewers, clinical therapists, crisis counseling, family support specialists) to meet the growing needs of children suffering from severe child maltreatment and their supportive family members. Nashville has a wait list for therapy for children who have been exposed to trauma and needs clinical therapy. 2. Help make Nashville the safest city in America for children by meeting the increasing demands for services and educating the community about child maltreatment. 3. Diversify and strengthen funding sources to sustain programs of the NCA. 4. Awareness in the community of the integral role that Nashville Children's Alliance has in detecting and treating child abuse.

CEO Statement

The Nashville Children's Alliance (NCA) is Nashville's child advocacy center. NCA provides a child-focused environment designed to meet abused children's needs for comfort, safety, support and treatment. NCA is involved in the children's cases from the first allegation of abuse until after the case is disposed of in court. NCA is dedicated to reducing the trauma of child abuse victims and their families by using a multidisciplinary team approach. This multidisciplinary team consists of the Department of Children's Services, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Office of the District Attorney General and the professionals of NCA. These entities are brought together at NCA for a united approach to the detection, investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse. As a result of services, victimized children and their families are no longer further traumatized by numerous interviews at various agencies. NCA believes crime victims should not pay for the help and support they need, so all services are provided at absolutely no cost. NCA is anticipating increased demands for services including trauma-focused therapy for children and families, forensic interviews, family advocacy and support and education/support groups for parents. The best outcomes for children occur when a team of dedicated professionals work together as a multidisciplinary team. NCA's staff receive ongoing trainings to ensure we are providing the best care for children and families of Nashville.

Board Chair Statement

Years ago, when a child in Davidson County was thought to have been sexually or physically abused, that child was subjected to multiple interviews in intimidating surroundings at various agencies with little coordination and communication among the investigators. A number of dedicated professionals and community leaders, believed that Nashville's children deserved a better response at such a difficult time - this city needed a child advocacy center. As a result of many community meetings and the work of dedicated volunteers, the Nashville Children's Alliance (NCA) was established. It is a true public-private partnership with the NCA, the Office of the District Attorney General, the Department of Children Services, and the Metropolitan Police Department working as a team to serve the children of abuse. Unlike in the past, now investigators, prosecutors, mental health professionals and social workers collaborate so that children are interviewed by highly-trained professionals in a comforting and child-friendly environment to ensure a quality investigation. While the primary focus of the Board and the agency is providing the very best services to children and their families, there is also a partnership between the board, staff, and the community to ensure the financial stability of the Nashville Children's Alliance. Local foundations, corporations, and individuals have stepped forward to secure the continued programmatic and financial success of the agency. Also, fundraising efforts by the Board and staff such as a new fundraising event, Dine to Shine, the Metropolitan Police Department Law Enforcement Talent Showcase, and other events have helped put the Nashville Children's Alliance on a solid financial foundation. Fundraising efforts and a tightly-controlled budget have been instrumental to the agency's success, particularly during the recent economic challenges. Also, research has shown that a coordinated team approach with services provided at child advocacy centers results in a savings to taxpayers. The Board of Directors fully supports the agency's culture of conducting a fair and thorough investigation while providing compassionate care, hope and healing to victims of severe child abuse.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Victims' Services
Secondary Category:	Mental Health & Crisis Intervention  - Counseling
Tertiary Category:	Youth Development  - Alliances & Advocacy

Areas Served

Primarily Davidson County

TN - Davidson