While no one wants to live in a world where children experience abuse, it is a tragic reality that too many children face.

Of the more than 10,000 victims of abuse confirmed in Colorado annually, El Paso County, the jurisdiction I serve, experiences the highest instances of child abuse reporting.

If we don’t take the time to support children who have experienced sexual abuse or neglect, Colorado will continue to grapple with the impacts.

Beyond the physical, behavioral and emotional tolls of abuse on the victim, there is an economic cost to communities who ignore those who are suffering. We know that those who have experienced sexual abuse or neglect and go untreated often struggle with education, criminal justice, behavioral health, domestic violence, addiction, self-harm and unemployment.

By listening, and believing, we manifest hope and healing and create responsible, resilient human beings who contribute positively to their communities and move beyond a moment in time.

Given child abuse is a complex, long-lasting problem, it’s up to each community to develop a customized solution.

I am proud of the work that is happening in El Paso and Teller counties to protect children and families.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. At Safe Passage, a nationally accredited children’s advocacy center that provides hope and healing to children who have experienced abuse and neglect, we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of believing victims, seeking justice and setting each child who has experienced the unthinkable at no fault of their own on a path toward healing.

☀ MORE IN OPINION

This is emotional work. It is taxing to every agency who is part of the process — from law enforcement to judicial, from advocates to behavioral health.

How do children’s advocacy centers sustain and build hope? It’s about the child and for that child to be the focal point, it means seamless coordination.

After 27 years of service, Safe Passage opened Colorado’s first and only co-located Children’s Advocacy Center, a designation only 20% of nationwide centers can claim. Being co-located means all of the key agencies needed to respond to child sexual abuse are in the same location.

A single factor drove this realization: partnership. Over the past 10 years, child safety advocates in southern Colorado have been working to create a co-located children’s advocacy center that includes key partner agencies to collectively conduct child abuse investigations and provide abuse prevention services, under one roof.

The co-located model includes Safe Passage, Colorado Springs Police Department Child Crimes Unit, El Paso County Department of Human Services, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, UCHealth, The Family Center and Kidpower Colorado.

What this means is when a child steps forward to tell their brave story, they only have to tell it once, in a single location, without having to travel around town to get needed elements for an investigation, which previously included waits in an emergency department for a medical exam or hours in the lobby at a police station.

By providing a professional and respectful response to a child’s outcry of abuse, we can coordinate child abuse investigations with partner agencies and provide advocacy and support, avoiding additional trauma to the child.

Collaboration was the solution for El Paso and Teller counties to make changes to the system to serve the child and family more effectively.

And if you think it’s a walk in the park to get public safety, legal, health care and nonprofit agencies to align and live together under one roof, I’m here to tell you it’s not. But, undoubtedly, it was worth all the sweat and tears.

In a field that is organically disjointed due to the nature of the work, a coordinated response is what’s best for the child.

This kind of partnership is sweeping through Colorado.

As regional entities find solutions to address their needs, advocacy centers are also collaborating on a state level through the Colorado Children’s Alliance. They are using programs like mental health peer support and learning, nationally accredited training for all disciplines responding to child abuse, legislative education and national best practices.

Theodore Roosevelt said nothing worth having comes easy. In Colorado, we are not waiting on the dock but jumping into the deep ocean to create sea change for kids.

Children’s advocacy centers are here to ensure that all children feel safe and heard, and each day we are working to better our processes and partnerships toward justice and a future of possibilities for every child.

If you suspect abuse or neglect, please contact Colorado’s anonymous Child Abuse and Neglect hotline at 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437).

Maureen “Mo” Basenberg lives in Colorado Springs and is the executive director of Safe Passage Children’s Advocacy Center.

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Type of Story: Opinion

Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.