Blog

Nearly every day children visit the Kosair Charities Child Advocacy Center. There for a forensic interview, medical examination or a visit with a family advocate, therapist or other member of the resident multidisciplinary child protective team stemming from an alleged incident of abuse – physical or sexual.

Along with the stress of the alleged incident, the child faces anxiety over telling his or her story – revealing potentially painful details, along with dealing with his or her own feelings – guilt, shame, hurt, anger and others.

Family & Children’s Place takes every effort to provide best in class, trauma-informed care for every child in every case, with the goal to make him or her feel as safe and as comfortable as possible. Trauma informed touches everything we do, from the design of the facilities to the materials we use to the care we provide, with the child at the very center of everything.

Part of being a child is being surrounded by things of play, of comfort, so staff goes out of its way to ensure children have tools and toys for play or purpose – games, puzzles, coloring books and the like. But we can always use more.

Sadly, while supplies seem to run out, there is no end to the children we strive to help recover from abuse, so we have a wish list – items we need to help us in our work with children and families.

Please look at this list, and if you can help, please do. To give, contact our Development team at 502-893-3900.

• Crayons – Crayola 24pk $2.90 – Children waiting for their forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center use the use the crayons to fill the time and to reduce associated anxiety. Children also use the crayons during their interview, to help illustrate what happened or to help reduce stress, a facet of trauma-informed care.
• Playdough – Play-doh Rainbow Starter Pack $6.88 – Children use the playdough during the forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center to help tell a story or illustrate what happened. The playdough gives the child a tool or toy to help reduce anxiety, providing trauma-informed care.
• Gel pens – American Crafts Gel Pen Canister 48pk $14.29 – Children use gel pens in the waiting room of the Child Advocacy Center to write or draw, passing time and reducing anxiety as they wait for their forensic interview. Children also use the pens during their interview to help disclose details and information – to draw what happened or to occupy their hands as they talk, providing trauma-informed care.
• Coloring books – Princess Coloring Book $6/ Wonderful World of Horses Coloring Book $3.51/Pets Coloring Book $3.55 – Children at the Child Advocacy Center use coloring books as they wait for their forensic interview. This helps a child express ideas and art and reduces stress. The children also use the coloring books during their forensic interview to help ease the stress of telling their story.
• Colored pencils – Crayola 36pk $5.92 – Children use colored pencils at the Child Advocacy Center while they wait for their forensic interview to help reduce anxiety. They are use the pencils during the interview to help disclose or describe what happened or to occupy their hands, helping ease the stress of the conversation.
• Rubik’s cube-Rubik’s 3X3 Cube $9.88 – Children use the Rubik’s cube in the Child Advocacy Center as they wait for their forensic interview. The toy provides distraction and helps reduce stress and anxiety about their upcoming conversation.
• Checkers game – Pressman Toy Checkers Board Games $5.99 – Checkers games are available in the family waiting rooms of the Child Advocacy Center so that children waiting for forensic interviews can use the game to play with their caregivers or siblings, helping reduce stress and anxiety about their interview.
• Chutes and Ladders-Hasbro Chutes and Ladders Game $8.88 – Chutes and Ladders is available in the family waiting rooms of the Child Advocacy Center so that children waiting for forensic interviews can play with their caregivers or siblings, helping reduce stress and anxiety about their interview.
• Candy Land -Hasbro Candy Land Game $9.97 – Candy Land is available in the family waiting rooms of the Child Advocacy Center so that children waiting for forensic interviews can play with their caregivers or siblings, helping reduce stress and anxiety about their interview.
• Uno cards -Mattel Uno Card Game $11.99 – Uno cards are available in the family waiting rooms of the Child Advocacy Center so that children waiting for forensic interviews can play with their caregivers or siblings, helping reduce stress and anxiety about their interview.
• Yahtzee game-Hasbro Yahtzee Classic $8.88 – Yahtzee is available in the family waiting rooms of the Child Advocacy Center so that children waiting for forensic interviews can play with their caregivers or siblings, helping reduce stress and anxiety about their interview.
• Regular deck of cards – two Decks Bicycle Playing Cards $7.99 – Card decks are available in the family waiting rooms for children to use to play with their caregivers or siblings. Children know many games to play with a single deck, and helps entertain/distract them as they wait for their forensic interview. This helps ease stress, fear and anxiety about their interview.
• Pencils-Dixon Ticonderoga Tri-Write Woodcase Pencil 12pk $2.15 – Children use pencils in the waiting room of the Child Advocacy Center to write or draw, passing time and reducing anxiety as they wait for their forensic interview. Children also use the pencils during their interview to help disclose details and information – to draw what happened or to occupy their hands as they talk, providing trauma-informed care.
• Wooden puzzle – The Learning Journey Lift and Learn: Alphabet Puzzle $10.62, USA Map $8.50, Colors and Shapes $10.99 – Wooden puzzles are available in the family waiting rooms for younger victims who may not be able to understand and/or play the available games. Puzzle help distract and entertain children, as well as reducing stress and anxiety,  as they wait for their forensic Interview , to teach the alphabet, colors, or animals depending on the puzzle’s theme.