The core element of a Children’s Advocacy Center is a Multidisciplinary Team. An MDT is a group of professionals representing various disciplines who work collaboratively to promote a thorough understanding of case issues and assure the most effective system response possible.
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes County recently recognized its MDT in recognition of Children’s Advocacy Center Week in Georgia. The local MDT consists of five representative agencies. Those agencies and their participants are the Department of Family and Children Services, Gail Finley and Penny Turner; Valdosta Police Department, Commander Steve Heaton and Sgt. Steve Owens; Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Detective Alicia Brantley; District Attorney’s Office, J. David Miller and Laura Wood; Children’s Advocacy Center, Laurie Bajalia, Joseph Driggers, Teresa Thomas and Meg Giddings; and lastly, the medical director, Dr. Jan Loeffler.
The purpose of interagency collaboration is to coordinate intervention so as to reduce potential trauma to children and families, while preserving and respecting the rights and obligations of each agency to pursue their respective mandates. The MDT meets twice monthly to discuss open cases.
In 2005 the CAC of Lowndes County conducted 140 forensic interviews with children and served 200 new children and/or families. For information about the CAC, call 229-245-5369.
