Accreditation Standards of the National Children’s Alliance

Child Friendly Facility

This ensures that the child is made as comfortable as possible to decrease the trauma of an investigation.

A Multi-Disciplinary Team

This is simply a team that works together in investigating alleged child abuse. In order to keep a child from having to go through multiple interviews by strangers, a trained forensic interviewer talks with the child while the other team members (law enforcement, child protective services, mental health, prosecution, victim advocacy, medical, and CAC as needed in the particular case) observe and gather the information they need.

A Legal Entity Taking Responsibility

A legal entity that takes responsibility for the program and fiscal operations; in the case of Kids First, Inc., this is a non-profit Board of Directors.

Cultural Competence

While our staff members do not speak multiple languages, we have access to interpreters in case they are needed and our staff is frequently trained in providing services to clients of various cultures in a way that is most sensitive.

Forensic Interviews

Our center promotes legally-defensible, fact-finding interviews that are coordinated to avoid multiple interviews of the child.

Medical Evaluations

Kids First now offers medical exams on site thanks to the addiciton of Pedatrician Dr. Jennfier Brown.

Therapeutic Intervention

Kids First has two full time specialists who treat abused children using the most effective methods, from art therapy to cognitive-behavioral therapy. Each therapist is also a specialized forensic interviewer.

Victim Advocacy/Support

The therapists at Kids First provide courtroom support for clients as needed. Also, we have on staff a Family Advocate who specifically deals with the non-offending caregivers of victims. This includes supporting them through the often long process of court cases.

Case Review

Routinely, cases investigated at the center are to be reviewed by the MDT to ensure that as many resources as possible are being offered and that the case is moving along as smoothly as possible.

Case Tracking

Kids First tracks all of its cases and services given in order to be good stewards of the support we receive as well as to add to the information that is available regarding incidence of child abuse and neglect and prosecution rates.