The Children’s Advocacy Center of Highlands County
1000 South Highlands Avenue
Sebring, FL 33870
Our Purpose
“It shouldn’t hurt to be a kid” and because of the Children’s Advocacy Center, child victims of abuse have a safe place to tell their story and feel secure in the knowledge that their abuser cannot reach them. The Children’s Advocacy Center is a child abuse prevention initiative built and operated by the Children’s Services Council of Highlands County. Its purpose is to provide a mechanism for collaboration by all the children’s services agencies in our county. The Advocacy Center provides a child-friendly facility where victims of abuse can come and feel safe. All agencies involved in the case are available on site to address the needs of the child. The most important element occurs when all the agencies devise a collective plan of action. The Center has been in operation since October, 1998, and is one of only a few such institutions in Florida. Accredited by the National Children’s Alliance in its first year of operation, the Center serves more than 500 children annually.
Benefits of the Children’s Advocacy Center
- Trauma experienced by the child is reduced.
- Child abuse reports are investigated more promptly and more thoroughly.
- More offenders are held accountable because prosecutions are more successful.
- The number of costly and repetitious child victim interviews is greatly reduced.
- Medical and mental health referrals are completed more efficiently.
- hildren are better protected; their healing is faster and more complete.
- Duplication of effort is eliminated.
- Displays welts or skin injuries
- Wears dirty clothes or clothing inappropriate for the weather
- Appears unwashed and unclean
- Exhibits severely abnormal eating habits
- Begs or steals food
- Shows extremes of behavior
- Acts unusually adult or the reverse
- Seems unduly afraid of parents
- Is often tired and without energy
- Is consistently unpleasant and hard to get along with or overly demanding and frequently a source of trouble
- Is habitually absent or late to school
- Engages in frequent vandalism, sexual misconduct, or abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Shows severely retarded physical or mental growth
Partner Agencies
The Children’s Advocacy Center
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Good Shepherd Hospice Child Bereavement
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402-6859
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Department of Children & Families
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402-6740
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385-5179
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Highlands County Sheriff’s Office
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402-7200
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402-6855
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Peace River Center’s Safehouse Outreach
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402-6853
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386-1167
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800-962-2873
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Tri-County Human Services
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385-2662
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471-5300
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402-6969
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863-519-8900
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863-773-2090
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Children’s Protection Team
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402-6847
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386-6040 X233
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Highlands County School Board
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471-5555
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402-6849
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