Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center

Who We Are

Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) focuses on the safety, social and emotional health, and stability of children and families throughout Wayne County. Our vision is a world where child survivors of abuse, neglect and trauma receive the protection, support and treatment needed to heal. Kids-TALK CAC offers comprehensive medical, legal and therapeutic services in coordination with a network of experts to guide suspected victims of abuse and trauma through the investigation, assessment, treatment and prevention of child maltreatment.

• Watch “Who is Kids-TALK” video
• View Kids-TALK CAC infographic

Who We Serve

Throughout Wayne County, Kids-TALK serves children up to age 17 and their non-offending family members at two child-friendly facilities in Southgate and Detroit. Services include forensic interviewing, advocacy, onsite medical evaluations, mental health services, and outreach and prevention programming.

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected please contact the Department of Health & Human Services’ Centralized Intake for Abuse and Neglect immediately at 855-444-3911. Click here for information on potential signs of abuse or neglect.

Our Partner Network

Together with a network of leaders from the medical and mental health community, Kids-TALK CAC reduces the trauma experienced by child victims of suspected abuse. Kids-TALK CAC creates a safe and child-friendly environment where abused and traumatized children receive the protection, support and treatment they need to heal. Partners include:

• The Guidance Center
• The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office
• Wayne County Association of Chiefs of Police
• Wayne County Department of Health & Human Services
• Child and Family Services
• Wayne County Office of the Attorney General
• Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority
• Children’s Hospital of Michigan
• Wayne State University

Urgent Need in Wayne County

• About 1 in 7 girls and 1 in 25 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. (darknesstolight.org)
• Only approximately 30% of child sexual abuse cases are reported to the authorities. (Finkelhor, 2009)
• An estimated 40% of sexually abused children do not show symptoms or signs of being abused. (apa.org)
• The total lifetime economic burden of child maltreatment in the US is approximately $124 billion. (Fang et al., 2012)
• Wayne County had 8,100 confirmed victims of child maltreatment and Michigan had 41,462 confirmed victims in 2017. (kidscount.org)
• Children’s Protective Services estimated that 9.1 out of every 1,000 children are victims of child maltreatment; however studies show that number could be as high as 1 in 4 children. (USDHHS, Child Maltreatment 2018)
• In 2016, Wayne County Children’s Protective Services substantiated 7,058 cases of physical, sexual and emotional abuse or neglect (Kids Count in Michigan).
• Of those survivors, 4,741 live in the city of Detroit (Kids Count) and are experiencing abuse and trauma at triple the national average.
• In 2016 the Kids-TALK CAC provided services to more than 2,120 children and their families.

Our Impact

How You Can Help

There is no single source of funding for CACs, and we receive an average of 50 percent of our funding from private donors. In order to sustain the Kids-TALK CAC it is imperative that we receive financial support from individuals and organizations. To make a contribution to the Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center please contact Alexander Sebastian at 734-785-7727 or asebastian@guidance-center.org. Or download our wish list to see what supplies our CACs would benefit greatly from.

Resources and Education

“Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being”. (SAMHSA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Child Physical Abuse Fact Sheet (NCTSN)

Children and Domestic Violence(NCTSN)

Common Trauma Reactions

Resources for parents and caregivers of children who have experienced trauma

Wayne County Child Abuse and Neglect Protocol

Please click link for updated Wayne County Case Management Protocol for Child Abuse and Neglect. This Protocol was first developed in 1991 due a recognized need that child victims of abuse and neglect required a different intervention approach than adults and a need for greater coordination of services from involved agencies. It serves as a road map for all of the disciplines that are involved in allegations of child abuse and neglect in Wayne County and provides a helpful reference of roles and responsibilities.

Contact Us

Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center
40 East Ferry Street
Detroit MI 48202
313-833-2970

The Guidance Center
Building 7
19275 Northline
Southgate, MI 48195
734-785-7716

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• if you are a Member/Consumer: DWMHAc
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