Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, November 5, 2007

Honor for child advocacy center

Dawson Place should have an easier time raising money to help abused children in Snohomish County.

By Jim Haley
Herald Writer

 EVERETT -- Dawson Place, Snohomish County's child advocacy center, has won an endorsement that is expected to make it easier for the organization to obtain money to continue operations and to acquire a permanent home.

"It means we're officially in the big leagues," said Mark Roe, a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor who has long backed the facility. "We're now able to tap into all sorts of knowledge and resources and grants all over the country."

Prosecuting Attorney Janice Ellis last week announced that Dawson Place received accreditation from the National Children's Alliance. Accreditation is offered only to child advocacy centers that show a proven record of investigation and treatment of victims in child-abuse cases.

Dawson Place, named after former prosecutor Seth Dawson, opened in June 2006 and has seen hundreds of youngsters who may have been abused. Achieving accreditation within 16 months of operation is "very unusual," said Ellis, who heads the steering committee for the nonprofit organization.

Dawson Place brings together people who work in a variety of disciplines that focus on bringing child abusers to justice and helping victims become healthy.

That includes law enforcement and prosecutors, state Child Protective Services, and experts in physical and mental health.

"We've been recognized as a quality service provider and at the forefront of children's services nationally," said Dusty Olson, advocacy supervisor for Providence Intervention Center.

Accreditation will make no difference in the day-to-day operation of the facility, which is in downtown Everett.

However, accreditation "is just a recognition of the quality services we have long provided here in Snohomish County," Olson said. "It's the gold standard across the country."

The difference from the past is that all the services are in one child-friendly location.

That's a boon for an anxious parent who no longer has to take a child from place to place and watch a child repeat what happened to different professionals, said Bill France, a longtime child advocate for the prosecutor's office who worked on the accreditation process.

"I think the county should take great satisfaction and pride" over accreditation, said France, who recently retired. Working at Dawson place not only is more efficient but also a lot more fun for the workers, he added.

"A lot of boundaries are getting merged," France said. "It's a good public-private enterprise."

In addition, for families of abused children, locating the various services in one place is something that can't be overrated, France said.

The organization's program coordinator, Mary Wahl, said the achievement endorses the way interviews are conducted and the physical and mental health examinations of children, all aspects of the operation.

"It means we have achieved a level of competence recognized nationally," Wahl said.

The accreditation endorses the quality of work, Ellis said.

"We think we do a good job, but this really confirms it," she said.



Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA