Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2760

Tonight's special guest is Maria Vinci-Savettiere, Esq, from Morris County, New Jersey, Executive Director of Deirdre's House since 2003. Deirdre's House is a nationally accredited child advocacy center and is the only site in Morris County, New Jersey, where child victims of abuse and/or neglect can be forensically interviewed and prepared for trial by law enforcement, medically examined and treated by a pediatric abuse specialist, and clinically counseled-in English or Spanish—all under one roof, all free of charge. Since 1996, Deirdre's House has provided services in over 40,000 child visits. Deirdre's House means that a child victim will not have to be interviewed and processed at a police station, examined in a hospital emergency room, and counseled at yet another location. It means that an already badly traumatized child will not be retraumatized by the very system that is trying to assist them. It means that free, state of the art care is available on an immediate basis, because the longer a child victim waits for treatment the less likely they are to fully recover from the trauma they have experienced. Most importantly, it means that a child's life may be altered by abuse, but not defined by it. As Executive Director of Deirdre's House, Maria has combined her legal knowledge and business acumen to improve and add to the programs and services offered to child victims and their families. She has increased cooperation and collaboration among law enforcement, child welfare agencies and organizations investigating crimes against children and providing services to child victims. Maria also educates the community regarding child abuse prevention and reporting, and emerging issues in child welfare, through speaking engagements at schools, corporations, and community organizations.