When the family arrived at the CAC, Jeanette’s parents were frightened and angry at the idea that they sought to report a crime and now they were the subjects of a child protection investigation. Hannah, a Safe Horizon Clinical Forensic Specialist, and Joanna, a Family Advocate, greeted and oriented the family, spent some time explaining the CAC process and listened to Jeanette’s parents’ concerns. Hannah interviewed Jeanette at the CAC while Joanna provided support and information to her parents. Following the interview, the team met with Jeanette’s parents and told them Jeanette disclosed the sexual abuse during the interview and advised the parents of the team’s next steps in the investigation, which would include interviewing Peter with his parents.
Peter was interviewed and arrested. The Detective and then Hannah met with Jeanette’s parents to explain the prosecution process through Family Court. Given Peter’s age, the Family Court process would focus its outcome on services for Peter as well as accountability for his behavior.
Jeanette and both of her parents engaged in the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) virtually during the first few sessions and in person at the CAC for the final few sessions. Over the weeks they participated in CFTSI, the family happily observed reductions in Jeanette’s trauma symptoms and how they were becoming increasingly closer as a family. Once they completed CFTSI, the parents requested a referral for additional family counseling to continue to work through some of the issues they still faced. Joanna also continued working with Jeanette’s family and assisted them in finding and accessing additional food and other practical resources, COVID vaccine appointments, and in navigating the complicated virtual Family Court process with the CAC’s Assistant Corporation Counsel who was prosecuting the case in Family Court.
During an Expedited Case Review, the multidisciplinary team supervisors who reviewed this case paid close attention to the report against Jeanette’s parents, including exploring the harm such a report can cause a family. The team addressed the impact the family’s race and homelessness played in the reporting as well as in the team’s investigation, acknowledging the many levels of generational trauma and systemic oppression at play for this family. Following this review, Safe Horizon staff continued to advocate for Jeanette and her family to the team’s child protective partners to ensure that they also acknowledged the impact of unconscious bias and structural racial violence in this investigation and toward this family. They worked to ensure that lines of communication remain open and transparent for this family. As a result of a disposition in Family Court, Peter is receiving services geared toward rehabilitating his behavior.
