In just one day last week, the Hamilton House Child & Safety Center saw 23 children who were suspected of being sexually abused.
Although it was the most they had seen in one day since opening in 2010, it's indicative of just how bad the situation is in the area. West central Arkansas also has the highest need for foster homes because of neglect and abuse.
The Hamilton House, a child advocacy center on the first floor at Mercy Tower in Fort Smith, sees more than 800 children a year, from infants to young adults, who more often than not have been sexually abused by a family member or someone close to the family. They provide a safe and local place for interviews and forensic exams to take place. Prior to their partnership with Mercy Fort Smith, the interviews were done at the police station and exams were a two-hour car ride to and from Springdale.
Jackie Hamilton, the center's founder and executive director, said they are in the process of expanding a parenting program in an effort to curb a "vicious cycle" of child abuse. But they need help.
Marilyn Sanders, one of two forensic interviewers at Hamilton House, said since their work is so private, the parenting program is a good opportunity for those who want to volunteer and help the center. So far, Sanders and Hamilton have ushered 285 people through Nurturing Parenting Program classes. Hamilton wants to expand the program into individual homes.
Each program costs a one-time fee of between $750 and $1,000 for teaching materials, with additional costs of $15 for each family's manual. The two programs now being offered are "Parents with Adolescents" and "Skills for Families."
[For more of this story, written by John Lovett, go to http://www.swtimes.com/news/20...uring-parent-program]
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