Who We Are

The Wayne County Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc. (WCCAC) is a child-oriented facility, which serves as a centralized location for interviewing and examining children who are victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse. The children are interviewed by specially trained forensic interviewers and medically examined by specially trained medical professionals in a child-friendly environment. The cases are managed by a multidisciplinary task force comprised of those interviewers, county children services caseworkers, county prosecutors, law enforcement officers, mental health workers, victim advocates, medical professionals and clinical staff. Members of the task force team help the child and family cope with the abuse and begin the recovery process. WCCAC serves children and familiies in Wayne, Holmes and Ashland Counties.

GOALS

  • To follow the path mapped out by the Center's Strategic Plan.
  • To identify child victims who report sexual abuse.
  • To reduce the number of multiple interviews for victims of child sexual abuse by doing a forensic interview.
  • To increase child safety by conducting forensic interviews and medical examinations.
  • To increase the success of prosecution of those who sexually abuse children.
  • To support the victim and non-offending family members by offering better coordinated services, such as medical exams, forensic interviews, and victim assistance.

OUR HISTORY

The Wayne County Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc. (WCCAC) opened its doors in June 2004, via a 2004 National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Program Development Grant of $25,559. The WCCAC is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a full accredited member of the NCA, since 2006.  The center is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors. The WCCAC utilizes two part-time employees and three part-time professional contractors. The employees are the Executive Director and Coordinator of Case Management. The contractors are the Medical Director and two Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. The WCCAC MDT is made up of 35 different professionals from across Wayne County and now have expanded into Holmes and Ashland Counties. The center provides onsite forensic interviews, medical examinations, and information and referral services. Over the past 16 years, 3000 children have been served by the WCCAC.

ENDING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AFTER DISCLOSURE

A children’s advocacy center is a child-focused, facility-based program in which representatives from many disciplines, including law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy, child advocacy, work together to conduct interviews and make team decisions about investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child sex abuse cases.
The primary goal of all National Children’s Alliance (NCA) children’s advocacy centers is to ensure that children disclosing abuse are not further victimized by the intervention systems design to protect them.
National Children's Alliance strongly believes that the combined professional wisdom and skill of the multidisciplinary team approach results in a more complete understanding of case issues and the most effective child- and family-focused system response possible.

 

Advisory Committee

Deanna Nichols-Stika
Executive Director
Wayne County Children Services

Director
Mental Health & Recovery Board of Wayne and Holmes Counties

Daniel R. Lutz
Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney

Sheriff Travis Hutchinson
Wayne County Sheriff's Office

Chief Matt Birbeck
Orrville Police Department

Wayne County Children's Advocacy Center, Inc
1734 Gasche Street
Wooster, Ohio 44691
(330) 262-1063
After Hours: (330) 466-1159

Our Partners

Akron Children’s CARE Center
Anazao
Apple Creek Police Department
Catholic Charities Services of Wayne County
Creston Police Department
Dalton Police Department
Doylestown Police Department

Holmes County Department of Job and Family Services

Holmes County Sheriff's Department
Marshallville Police Department
Millersburg Police Department

Mt Eaton Police Department
OneEighty
Orrville Area United Way
Orrville Police Department
Rittman Police Department
Shreve Police Department
Smithville Police Department
The Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties
The Village Network
Wayne County Children’s Services Board
Wayne County Court House
Wayne County Health Department
Wayne County Juvenile Court
Wayne County Prosecutors Office
Wayne County Sheriffs Department
Wayne County Victim Witness Assistance Program
West Salem Police Department
Wooster Community Hospital
Wooster Police Department