(Press Release from Yancey Sheriff’s Department)
Yancey County Sheriff’s Office would like to shed some light on rumors that have been stated in a public forum. There is no substantiated allegation or investigation into Ally’s house. Our community is lucky to have assistance from Ally’s House – Children’s Advocacy Center of the Toe River (CAC). The CAC is operated by Southmountain Children and Family Services who is the largest single provider of these services in NC. The CAC is a member of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of NC (CACNC) and is fully accredited by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA). Both CACNC and NCA have very stringent protocols and guidelines that must be met in order for Ally’s House to operate. Furthermore, Southmountain Children & Family Services has been in the business of protecting the children of Western NC since 1903 and is highly recognized for their professionalism and ethical models of care.
When a child is reported by DSS and/or Law Enforcement to (possibly) have suffered any form of abuse, (physical, sexual, neglect, etc.) they contact the agency, Ally’s House. Ally’s House provides multidisciplinary teams of professionals and is not part of DSS or Law Enforcement but is an independent, neutral, nonprofit center that assists the child as well as the family with the investigation process. All of the staff at Ally’s House is highly trained to work with crisis and trauma with child victims of abuse.
These are some of a long list of services provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Toe River (CAC).
- Forensic Interviews – this is an interview held by a highly trained professional to help authorities and other agencies determine if the child has been abused in any form.
- Medical Examination and Treatment – this medical exam is held with a nurse practitioner or physician. The exam is non-invasive and most times like a physical that you would get from your family physician. In some cases of sexual and physical abuse photos may be taken to document the injuries.
- Therapeutic intervention – this service allows for treatment after a traumatic event to help the victim cope with the abuse/traumatic events. This is provided to the children as well as the parents for as long as the situation requires.
- Victim Support and Advocacy
- Case review and tracking
- Testifying in the court proceedings of their findings.