Washington County Children’s Justice Center sees ‘steep incline’ in use of mental health services

ST. GEORGE — While 2022 saw the number of child abuse cases handled by the Washington County Children’s Justice Center level off somewhat compared with last year, the center’s director said the use of its mental health services have seen a “steep incline.”

Kristy Pike presents the Washington County Commission with a biannual report on the Washington County Children’s Justice Center’s work over the last 6-12 months, St. George, Utah, March 22, 2023 | Photo by St. George News

“We went from 900-plus hours to 1,200 hours of trauma-focused therapy that we were able to provide,” Kristy Pike, the director of the Washington County Children’s Justice Center, or CJC, told St. George News following a presentation to the Washington County Commission during its March 22 meeting.

Over the last two years, the CJC has expanded its mental health services as it has been able to contract with or hire new therapists. Along the way, the garage of the CJC building in St. George was remodeled to provide two new mental health therapy rooms.

Last April, the CJC worked out a charitable donation with Intermountain Health for a 50-year lease for land next to the center for the construction of a new building aimed to house expanded medical and mental health services for children. A groundbreaking for the new facility is set for late April.

“The program just continues to grow and grow,” Pike said.

The Children’s Justice Center provides a place where children who have experienced abuse of any sort can be interviewed in an environment geared to feel more inviting and open than a police station. Once inside, the child meets with a forensic interviewer during a session that is also recorded and watched by law enforcement and others in another room. From there the child is referred to medical and mental health services as necessary.

Other services the nonprofit center offers include victim advocacy, preparing protective orders and helping the children and their families find aid in various ways.

The numbers

Every March and August, Pike gives a report to the Washington County Commission as required by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant the center receives each year. The grant can go a long way in funding the activities and staff of the center year-to-year.

2022 numbers for the Washington County Children’s Justice Center reported to the Washington County Commission, March 2023 | Slide courtesy of the Washington County Children’s Justice Center, St. George News

The biannual reports often include the number of cases the center handled over the last year and also give a snapshot of the allegations and individuals involved. They also provide a look at how much the CJC’s medical and mental health services are used.

In 2022, the center served 420 primary victims as compared to 2021, which saw 401. Pike said these numbers have appeared to “level off” since 2020’s high of 502.

Additionally, the CJC performed 283 forensic interviews, completed 142 medical exams and completed 154 traumatic-stress screenings with an average score of 20.2. This is down slightly from the 20.9 average reported in 2021.

Anything over 20 is considered high, Pike said.

Pike previously told the commission that these screenings include basic questions about sleep, memory triggers, objects of avoidance and mood disturbances. As children can be good actors when it comes to convincing parents to overlook something that’s bothering them, the screenings can help shed light on issues troubling the child in question.

In terms of mental health services, the center provided 1,214 hours of therapy in 2022, versus 990 in 2021.

“We at the Children’s Justice Center are seeing a population of kids who have high trauma and high suicidality,” Pike said. “They’re coming through our doors, which is why our expansion is so important. It’s all about having a dedicated space for mental health and medical care for those kids.”

2022 numbers for the Washington County Children’s Justice Center reported to the Washington County Commission, March 2023 | Slide courtesy of the Washington County Children’s Justice Center, St. George News

Going on to break down the numbers further, Pike said that of the 420 cases handled by the CJC last year, 29 of them involved allegations of child sex abuse and assault, 138 allegations involved domestic violence and 70 were said to involve child physical abuse.

Altogether, Pike noted those numbers reached over 100% as many cases carry abuse allegations that overlap each other.

Additionally, of the 420 primary victims served by the center, 114 of them were younger than 7 years old.

Funding

While the nonprofit CJC has been able to keep up with the growing mental health demands through various means, its ability to maintain this work could be threatened by decreasing funding.

The VOCA grant – which made up 30% of the center’s budget last year at $242,500 – is down 40% due to the federal government not taking in as much money from convicted offenders as it used to. The VACO grant is funded by the fines and reparations paid by offenders via court orders, and not taxpayer dollars.

“The money is down and it’s just not there to write the grant to,” Pike said.

A rural mental health grant from Cambia Health Solutions that fund one of the center’s therapists also runs out at the end of the year.

Kristy Pike (right) presents the Washington County Commission with a biannual report on the Washington County Children’s Justice Center’s work over the last 6-12 months, St. George, Utah, March 22, 2023 | Photo by St. George News

While Congress has stepped in to help fix some of the issues causing the reduction in VOCA funding, Pike added there was good news on the state level.

The Utah Legislature recently approved the allocation of $3.2 million to the state’s CJCs in ongoing funding, with an additional $5 million in one-time funding to be granted over the next three years.

Compared with federal funding, Pike said state funds are easier to report on and aren’t as restrictive in their use.

County Commission Chair Adam Snow said county funding may also be available for the CJC if needed and thanked Pike and her people for their efforts to help the county’s abused children.

“This is absolutely God’s work,” Snow said. “Thank you to you and your whole staff.”

Child Abuse Prevention Month

After hearing the CJC’s first report for the year, the County Commission went on to pass a resolution recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Stock image | Photo courtesy of LSOphoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

During the month, the CJC will approach the county’s municipalities to pass similar resolutions. On April 14, Swig will donate 25% of all proceeds for the day to the CJC, while April 26 will see the groundbreaking for the center’s expansion.

Reporting child abuse

As for what people can do to help, Pike said they can and should report potential cases of child abuse they encounter. Moreover, such action is required under Utah law. Aside from that, adults need to be worthy of a child’s trust. That way, if that child is abused, they’ll feel safe about approaching the adult with their problem, she said.

“I really encourage parents to have good relationships with their kids and to think about the things they do that let their kids know they can be trusted,” she said.

For those who believe they or someone they know needs the help of the Washington County Children’s Justice Center, call 435-634-1134, visit the center’s website or call Utah’s 24-hour child abuse reporting hotline: 1-855-323-3237.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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