Sometimes, students need educators to connect them with advocates. Teachers are mandated reporters, duty-bound to act on suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.
In this episode, hear how Child Advocacy Centers can help, in a conversation with Kim Mangiaracino, executive director at Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois; and Julia Strehlow, Director of Education, Prevention and Policy at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.
In the second half of this episode, you will meet Molly Uhe-Edmonds, former deputy director of education at Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and now the director of the new Student Care Department at ISBE.
Theme music by José Rivera.
Incidental music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com
Sometimes, students need educators to connect them with advocates. Teachers are mandated reporters, duty-bound to act on suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.
In this episode, hear how Child Advocacy Centers can help, in a conversation with Kim Mangiaracino, executive director at Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois; and Julia Strehlow, Director of Education, Prevention and Policy at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.
In the second half of this episode, you will meet Molly Uhe-Edmonds, former deputy director of education at Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and now the director of the new Student Care Department at ISBE.
Theme music by José Rivera.
Incidental music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com
When Kids Need Help Transcript
RHODES 0:02
Hello, we are the Illinois State Board of Education, and we love Illinois schools. I'm Dusty Rhodes in the Communications Office at ISBE. This episode will focus on the serious subject of child abuse and neglect. We're going to hear what educators must do to safeguard students and learn who to contact to get help. In the second half of this podcast, you will learn how the COVID 19 pandemic has affected this issue as you meet our new Director of Student Care, Molly Uhe-Edmonds. Let's get started.
ALBERT 0:36
I'm Denise Albert in the Communications Office at ISBE. Today, we're getting an inside look at supports that are available to school districts statewide when it comes to helping students whom educators think may be victims of child abuse or neglect. Our teachers and administrators are on the front lines of spotting the signs and symptoms of abuse. While that can be a heavy responsibility, Children's Advocacy centers statewide are here to help. Kim Mangiaracino is the Executive Director at Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois and Julia Strehlow is Director of Education prevention and policy at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center. Ladies, thank you for taking time with us today.
STREHLOW 1:12
Of course, happy to be here.
MANGIARACINO 1:15
Thank you for having us.
ALBERT 1:16
Some of our listeners may not be familiar with Children's Advocacy centers. What kind of work do you do, and Kim, what led you to this work?
MANGIARACINO 1:25
Children's Advocacy Centers are responsible for the coordination of investigations that result from allegations of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse, as well as other kinds of maltreatment. The Child Advocacy Center will receive a referral from law enforcement or the Department of Children & Family Services, and they will reach out to other partner agencies which include the prosecutor's office, as I said, law enforcement, DCFS they have advocacy at the Child Advocacy Center. They provide forensic interviews by trained professionals at the CAC as well as mental health providers and medical providers. CACs are child friendly places where children and their families can get the services they need whenever these allegations are present.
ALBERT 2:15
Julia, how did you come to work in Children's Advocacy? Has this been a longtime passion of yours?
STREHLOW 2:20
Yeah, I'm a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Illinois and have worked alongside and with young people who have been impacted by the child welfare system for nearly 15 years. Then when I finished graduate school, I was looking for an opportunity to do some work in the community to help adults learn more about what they needed to do to protect children and help children. So, I got a job at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, and I've been here ever since overseeing our training, prevention and policy work.
ALBERT 2:55
What supports do you offer schools and districts?
MANGIARACINO 2:58
Well, there are 40 CACs that cover Illinois. So even if people don't realize it, there's probably one in your or near your community. CACs can be a resource for local school districts in a lot of ways. They can provide educational resources about child sexual abuse and other types of maltreatment. They can offer in-service training for school personnel regarding reporting abuse, dynamics of abuse, as well as offering prevention programs for students and parents. And sometimes they're just a good place to call when schools or school districts are having some issues, and they want some more education about the dynamics of abuse.
ALBERT 3:35
Julia, the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center is, of course, the largest CAC in Illinois, but you do training and outreach statewide. Talk to us about that.
STREHLOW 3:43
Yeah, Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, just based on the volume of cases that we get in Chicago, the third largest city in the country, we are a large CAC. We're also unique in that we are co-located with our law enforcement, DCFS, medical and legal partners, all in one building. So because of our size, we do prioritize outreach and training as one of the complementary things we do to our core services. Most of the training and outreach that we do is in the metropolitan area of Chicago. Chicago, the city a little bit of work in Cook County and sometimes a little bit further out into the collar counties.
But we prioritize education for adults who spend time with children, in terms of learning how to best prevent and respond to sexual abuse. We want to make sure that when schools are doing what they need to do to follow Erin’s Law, which is a law that mandates child sexual abuse prevention education in the school, that also the adults have received some training so that they're able to properly respond to a young person who might disclose in school. Whether that disclosure happens after something like an Erin’s Law training or just throughout the course of a day, maybe with a teacher or social worker, we want adults to have those resources.
We do some outreach at the policy level statewide in collaboration with Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois. Kim, then can also be an adviser to Child Advocacy Centers if they need it, or if they want to get some training resources from us, we can share those. We have a relationship with Chicago Public Schools, and we go into a number of those schools every year in Chicago as well as other schools throughout the city that may not be part of Chicago Public Schools, are in Cook County to make sure that adults are equipped to respond.
ALBERT 5:49
And speaking of that response, Governor Pritzker recently signed a series of new laws strengthening protections for student safety, especially when it comes to educators accused of crimes and misconduct. Julia, talk us through how these new rules will better help protect our students.
STREHLOW 6:05
Because of recent media attention to the issue of educator sexual misconduct in Chicago, but also in other parts of the state, legislators have really responded with wanting to see some changes. There are some new policies and procedures coming out based on legislation that will do a variety of things, really, including some differences in how educator licenses may be overseen for individuals that get convicted of crimes relating to sexual abuse. That has to do with how the state board may be looking at that also some protections for whistleblowers who warn school districts about things that they may be seeing in a school that are concerning. There's legislation that is enhancing the training that people who are mandated reporters in Illinois receive by making it a requirement that they get training that was already a requirement for educators in Illinois, but the requirement is increasing from being every five years to every three years. And many school districts do offer mandated reporting [training] once a year. So that's really great.
We're also seeing some opportunities for students to have more of a voice, if they do have to go through a process of testifying against someone within a school community that may have been alleged to have had behavior that was sexual misconduct, that the student may be able to be less traumatized by not having to repeat their interview or their testimony multiple times. Of course, this is extremely confusing, because there are so many systems that touch sexual misconduct, it's not only a crime; it's also a violation of our DCFS child protection policies in Illinois.
And then, of course, the school district has federal responsibilities under Title Nine, and other things where they have to look into it. Children's Advocacy Center has really helped do, I would say the biggest thing that we did this last legislative session was to try to still ensure that the forensic interview that's conducted at the Child Advocacy Center after abuse is reported, if it's alleged to have happened by an employee or vendor or volunteer of a school, that that forensic interview happens before other individuals talk to the child that may be affiliated with the school. And that forensic interview is really upheld as a very important piece of evidence that possibly the school may be able to have some access to, so that they do not have to re-interview the child. The idea is less traumatic by retelling stories to children and a more streamlined process for looking into some of these important matters.
ALBERT 9:07
It sounds like these ideas and changes in policy are really the ultimate goal of protecting our students. What other solutions or ideas do you think the state should be thinking about?
STREHLOW 9:16
I think that we'd really like to see the state consider other forms of harmful behavior that might be sexual in nature that are happening to students that may not quite be rising to the level of a CAC. Of course, the CAC’s are really concerned with the cases that we see. But we know that sexual violence is one of the most underreported crimes that exists in our communities in the United States of America. How can schools be more accommodating to students who may come forward about something? Some behavior that a peer is doing that's concerning to them? How can we make sure that schools are equipped with professionals such as social workers or counselors that have good training in responding to those. Additionally, how can we engage our school systems in being a part of prevention. And when I say prevention, I mean, that sexual abuse never happens that we're not just intervening after it's happened, but we're ensuring that it never happens. And some of that is about educating our young people. Some of it is about educating our staff, some of that is about helping schools navigate how to talk to families about these types of things. CAC's absolutely support things that would help us end this epidemic that we have in our society, but also continue to provide those mental health supports that children deserve.
ALBERT 10:46
That support for teachers and administrators is really essential. Kim, what do our educators listening need to know about reporting suspected abuse?
MANGIARACINO 10:54
The most important thing teachers and administrators need to understand is how important a role they play in reporting suspected abuse. Teachers spend a large amount of time with our children, sometimes even more than parents, so they have these relationships with children over time. And I think one common concern of teachers is that they don't want to report abuse unless they know for sure that it's happening. But it's important for them to know they're required by law to report the abuse if suspected, but not just because it's required by law but because it's the right thing to do. An official report may be made by DCFS, or it may not, it really depends on circumstances. But their obligation is really to make that report and let outside professionals decide.
I think it's important for them to know that very rarely do children fully disclose information about abuse and they really should have an opportunity to be interviewed by a trained professional. I think what happens often is adults in general, I think, have an idea about what a child abuse victim looks like, and what a family looks like that there may be child abuse involved with and that's just not really the case. Abuse affects all places in society, all kinds of families. I think that it's important for teachers to realize that if they suspect something, or if they hear or see something that just doesn't feel right, and they feel like it could be an issue, it's important to reach out and make that phone call as a mandated reporter. Let that process take place without the concern that they may be doing something wrong. They're in fact doing something really right.
ALBERT 12:35
Absolutely. That's an important message. Teachers do play an essential role in shaping our lives and the lives of our young students. So, you each in your role in advocacy, have some pretty tough subject matter you're dealing with. Tell us what's the most challenging part of your job? How do you work through those really tough days?
STREHLOW 12:53
This is Julia answering. I think, you know, a lot of people assume that the toughest part of the day for people that work in Childrens Advocacy Centers is hearing stories of child sexual abuse. And while that is extremely tough, I would say that, for me in my role in the community, the toughest conversations I have are with adults who struggle to believe the magnitude of the problem or struggle to believe the importance of their role. I believe in the resiliency of young people and really want to shape adults to understand how important it is for them to contribute to that resiliency. So that's the toughest part for me. But I get through it knowing that I do think it is possible to change minds and hearts.
MANGIARACINO 13:44
Yeah, this is Kim. I'm in an administrative role now. Previous to this, four or five years ago, I was direct service as a forensic interviewer. I would say those are kind of two different things with difficulties. Currently, I think the most challenging part of my job is always keeping in mind that every child in Illinois needs to have access to the highest quality care that the CAC's can give, regardless of where they live. So, when I'm making decisions administratively about training or funding, or where to use our resources at our chapter organization, that's always on the top of my mind, making sure that all kids get what they need.
ALBERT 14:30
It sounds like you're both very passionate about the work you do. So, what keeps you coming back every day?
STREHLOW 14:36
I really think that right now, there is a huge demand for the services and expertise that CAC's provide, we've seen whether it be individual high-profile cases that are local to Illinois or local to some of our communities in Illinois or in general, the Me Too movement. People are finally talking about sexual violence and sexual assault in more numbers than they were before. And so, I know that every day I get up and go to work and help people consider the answers to some of their issues or consider a different way of looking at something that can really benefit children. And I just really, truly believe that we need to have those perspectives because people don't deserve to grow up experiencing these things. And I do think we can end it. So that's why I come to work.
MANGIARACINO 15:31
I would say mine is very similar to that. I've worked in this particular field for about 13 years, and previously to that, worked with children and families for 15 years before that, and to see the progress that society is making about being able to talk about this issue is really heartening. Yes, it's a sad topic. But to me, it's sad when we're not talking about it. The fact that there are conversations happening now, that we have children who are understanding that it's okay to talk about these things, we have adults that are 30 years past their abuse that are now disclosing, it makes you feel good about the work that you do. In my short time, we've seen big progress in this movement. It makes me feel very hopeful, as Julia said, that there will come a time that this won't be tolerated, and it won't be acceptable. And we'll move towards a place where it's happening less and less.
STREHLOW 16:31
You know, the fact that we're here talking to you on this podcast, our relationship with many larger statewide organizations has really grown in the last couple of years, both Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, and Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois, have been welcomed into the conversation about this with schools and other systems. And I'm proud to have contributed to more collaboration so that people can begin to really understand the role that CACs play in many of our cases.
MANGIARACINO 17:05
I think I'm also very proud of Illinois. Illinois is a leader in the Child Advocacy Center movement. We have the most accredited Child Advocacy Centers across the country, we provide quality services. So, I'm proud of the leader that Illinois is in this area.
ALBERT 17:24
What do you wish more people knew about our schools here in Illinois?
STREHLOW 17:28
I think a lot of people know this, but I wish that more people fully understood the power that a school has to help a young person work through the kind of trauma that Children's Advocacy Centers see every day. I think one there isn't enough awareness of how much trauma there is sexual abuse and other types, but then also just how essential those positive relationships are in healing.
MANGIARACINO 18:01
I think it's important that people understand that, yes, we are always working to educate people about mandated reporter training. However, it's important that people know that teachers are a large group of mandated reporters, they are one of our greatest weapons against child abuse. So that's important for people to know. And I think with that, there's a lot of responsibility that teachers hold. And I think we need to remember that as they're educating, they're also so essential in keeping our children safe.
RHODES 18:41
That was Kim Mangiaracino, and Julia Strehlow speaking with Denise Albert. Now, I want to introduce you to Molly Uhe-Edmonds, our new director of Student Care. Molly came to ISBE from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, where she was the deputy director of education. So, the first part of this podcast has been about Child Advocacy Centers, but it was recorded before anybody ever heard of COVID-19. Has it changed anything for child advocacy workers?
UHE-EDMONDS 19:20
I think it has made their jobs even more important. Not only has this pandemic made us all realize how important teachers and educators are, and that it's more than just teaching. Child Advocacy Centers, schools, anybody who works with children, especially for the amount of time that we all do during the day, we are an extension of the family. These Child Advocacy Centers, they are now filling the gap where families have used schools. It's continued to use them, meals, nurses, counseling Child Advocacy Centers can help and have helped with internet access, with technology, in order for these kids to continue with their schooling, with resources for families. So they are that tie, because right now, during the pandemic, we've lost connection. Child Advocacy Centers are that connection that continue to help these kids grow.
RHODES 20:26
When teachers interact with students, now, it may be over Zoom, may not be in person, and you are a mom, I'm a mom, kids are not always the most forthcoming. They kind of can lay things out and see if you catch on, right? So, what should all of us be listening for?
UHE-EDMONDS 20:52
When we interact with students these days, it's so hard during the pandemic, because like you said, the interactions are over Zoom. So, you have classes, you still have 20 to 30 kids that may be on Zoom with you. And they're all trying to vie for your attention. Some of it's for positive reasons, some of it's for negative, some of them just want your attention, because the only other faces they've seen are their families, so they want to attach to somebody else. But really looking for those students that may feel uncomfortable and are acting.
You want to get to know all your students for good reasons and for reasons that you may think something's wrong. But what I would suggest, you know, it's not about, do they look disheveled? Do they, you know, have their pajamas on. I think all kids and all adults are having trouble figuring out what to wear on Zoom right now. But you're absolutely right with kids that may have things going on at home, they're not always going to be forthright with that. So those that may be more reluctant to engage, you need to build that relationship, it's not going to happen in the first month of school.
Now, if something very traumatic is happening, and the students feel they need help, they will find ways to get your attention and it is looking for signs. It may be that they say that they're hungry, or they feel sick, or that nobody's home. Those are things to look for. But it's not always, you need to get to the bottom of it. It's not just a quick action where you say this child needs to be taken from the home. Right now, it is a process of getting to know each and every one of these students.
I don't think there's any one clear definition for what you need to look for, as an educator, and that's what makes it so hard. You take the mandated training at the beginning of the year, which is not necessarily interactive, and you can ask these questions. And then training specific to teachers moving on in your career, as you start to see things just like that the student that may be a little too perfect. Those are discussions that need to be had continually because there is not one clear definition, this is not a clear-cut diagnosis for what an abused or neglected child looks like.
RHODES 23:21
Okay, so let's talk about students who are already in foster care. There's already a high mobility rate among youth in foster care. So, it's gotta be even harder now to make sure they're enrolled and attending, so who should check-in with those students and care during the pandemic?
UHE-EDMONDS 23:42
These kids that are in foster care, they're in care of the state. It is the responsibility of all of our agencies, collaboratively, to make sure these kids are where they need to be. I was deputy director of DCFS education before I came here. And at that time, at the end of the school year, there were 12,236 students enrolled in ISBE funded schools. So that's Pre-K through 12.
RHODES 24:11
I need you to repeat that, please.
UHE-EDMONDS 24:15
There are over 12,000 students.
RHODES 24:18
You have a very specific number.
UHE-EDMONDS 24:20
Yeah. 12,230. Did I say to 236 students at the end of at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
RHODES 24:32
Who were in foster care?
UHE-EDMONDS 24:33
Yes. We have a data sharing agreement with DCFS. So nightly, those students that come into care are attached to the student information system. So that information is there. We know who is in foster care, is enrolled in an ISBE funded school.
RHODES 24:56
And which school they are in?
UHE-EDMONDS 24:57
Correct.
RHODES 24:58
Okay. All right. So, the schools, the teachers, the school social workers, the principals, all hands-on deck, should be connecting with those kids?
UHE-EDMONDS 25:13
That's the part that's difficult because when students are enrolled there isn't, you know, a flag that says this is a student that's in care. It could be that the child is living with grandmother but is considered a youth in care.
Now, DCFS has an office of education and ISBE has a foster care coordinator. And they are consistently, you know, discussing enrollment information. There are foster care liaisons at all 852 school districts. So, there's someone that is supposed to be the point person for all youth that are in-care, that's their point person at the district.
However, again, there's our foster care coordinator, here at ISBE doing a great job providing training for those foster care liaisons. It's just there's not money tied to that position. So, it's more difficult to have the same person each year that has the training in the school district to work with foster care students. That information is updated to school districts maybe monthly that they find out who their new foster care, you know, the new foster care lists that they have within their school districts. So, it's not always on time that they find out that a child's being enrolled.
So I think that's something that could be improved upon within the agencies is getting that information immediately to school districts, if they have a foster care child, I don't know how that needs to be done. But I think that would be helpful to everyone. And again, when a child is moved, you talked about the mobility rate. So, when a child moves placements, the school district may be the last to know. So, they're not able to transfer all the information they have on that child to the new school district, there may be a lapse, and how long it takes for them to be enrolled in the new school. So, there's a gap in their education.
So those are things that make it difficult sometimes for youth in care to compete with their typical so-called typical peers that may stay in one to two school districts throughout their educational career. Whereas these children may have 6 to 12, maybe more throughout their educational career.
RHODES 26:20
The thought came to my mind is the McKinney Vento act, apply to them, where even if they move to a different house, they can still go to the same school, like students who are homeless.
UHE-EDMONDS 27:51
McKinney Vento and the Foster Care Connections act. Those are two separate entities now. So, they're supposed to be what's called a bid meeting, a best interest determination meeting, when a child is moved from one school to a new school. And so, the team, which could consist of administration from that school, school counselors, teachers, and then the child welfare side are supposed to come together and say, what is in the best interest of this child? Should they stay in this school? Or should we move them to a different environment?
I just think everything gets so hectic and chaotic. All the intentions are good. But what is considered best practice? That is something that needs to be improved upon. Because children may be moved geographically throughout the state, they may leave Chicago and move to Southern Illinois and not have the time to have that meeting. So, some of what is in the child's best interest is lost in that move.
RHODES 29:01
What happens to students in foster care who were on the run or have changed placements due to COVID-19? Or did we just cover that?
UHE-EDMONDS 29:10
Well, if they are on the run, or have moved placements. If they are on the run, you would think oh, they would be considered homeless at that time. And they could be under McKinney Vento, no, if they are a youth in-care, if they're in care of the state; they do not get those same types of resources that McKinney Vento children do. So, when they're on the run, they are still supposed to be in the school of origin. They are supposed to remain there. So, they can't register in a new school on their own.
RHODES 29:46
But if an educator cannot get in touch with the student’s caseworker, who can they reach out to?
UHE-EDMONDS 29:52
And I know that that was something that educators would always say to me, it's very hard to get in touch with the caseworker or the caseworker might have changed three or four times over the school year, and we don't know who to call. DCFS has an office of education, the number is listed on their website, they can call and talk to an educational advisor and education specialists. So there's throughout the regions, they have individuals that will deal with each child. So, if they're having difficulty finding the caseworker, they can call that Office of Education. And again, that office is tied in with the Illinois State Board of Education and the foster care coordinator here. They've built a very strong relationship. So, the resources are there. They don't just have to call the caseworker
RHODES 30:42
Since people are working remotely, probably, the email address would be more useful than the phone number.
UHE-EDMONDS 30:48
Correct.
RHODES 30:49
Okay, so what's the email address?
UHE-EDMONDS 30:50
The email address is dcfs.educationassistance@illinois.gov.
RHODES 30:59
All right.
UHE-EDMONDS 31:00
Yes, and there's someone that will get back to you within 24 hours to assist you.
RHODES 31:06
A real person?
UHE-EDMONDS 31:07
A person. Yes. A real person.
RHODES 31:11
All right. So, when everybody was in school, teachers and school staff might be the people who picked up on the little signs of distress from a student might notice something wasn't right, and could intervene, or are mandated to intervene. Right. So, let's talk about how that's changed.
UHE-EDMONDS 31:35
What's so difficult during this pandemic is to really know what signs to look for, the mandated training that teachers are required to take, they're still taking that. I think the concern now is not having that connection with students, if they don't see them if they have not been enrolled in school, if they're not showing up for online learning. Those are what teachers are looking at right now as a sign of concern, just not being able to have that outreach with them.
RHODES 32:06
So, if a teacher does have a feeling that a child needs adults to intervene on their behalf, does that teacher just call the hotline or what?
UHE-EDMONDS 32:16
DCFS has created an online version of the hotline where they're able to report an incident over their phone or over their computer. I know they're doing a soft launch of that starting, I think it started this week and more information will be coming about this new online reporting system. So, they're able to, I won't say expedite their report, but ensure that it's going to the right place and will be investigated in a timely manner. So, I know that DCFS is making improvements to reporting. I know that was one complaint that teachers would have, they would call it would take, you know, so much time for an investigator to get back to them. But it will decrease the amount of time that it takes for someone to get back to that teacher to get the report.
RHODES 33:11
That sounds great. Yeah. That way a teacher can type that in whenever is convenient for them, instead of being on hold, right? Yeah, correct. That's a piece of good news.
UHE-EDMONDS 33:23
It is great news.
RHODES 33:25
So, what about students who are safe at home, but simply not able to participate in remote learning? If the school or the district does not have resources, is there any way a teacher can help?
UHE-EDMONDS 33:40
Teachers can help and if we're talking about youth in-care, DCFS was providing if a school district contacted DCFS, or if the caseworker said this student needs technology or they need Internet access, if it was verified with the school district that they did not have that device, DCFS bought computers, Chromebooks and internet hotspots to help out those kids in-care. For families that are not in care, I know I just read where Horace Mann is providing a lot of internet access and computers to families around our Springfield area. And then the Governor's Office, they just announced the package for internet access and in Chromebooks. So those resources are there. If schools are still having difficulty providing devices to kids in need, they also have money from the Cares Act. So, there are a lot of resources out there. I don't think any child at this point should not be able, their family should be able to find the resources to get those computers and internet access. I think what the issue is now, there's such a backlog when you purchase the Chromebooks. The last I heard it takes about 16 weeks for those to be delivered. Wow. So that's the difficult part right now.
RHODES 35:10
What do you plan to do? What do you hope this department can do for students and families?
UHE-EDMONDS 35:17
By the department of student care, the main issue is making sure that students feel safe, that they have equitable opportunities that their voice is being heard. And just ensuring along with the rest of the departments in my center, that the whole child is being taken care of. I am not over students in foster care. So, that's one part I will miss working with, the youth-in-care, because that is in the Wellness Department. They have a great, like I mentioned before, foster care coordinator that communicates daily with the DCFS office of education, and they've done a great job with that. I think it's great what DCFS and ISBE have done in the last few years and trying to build that bridge. Because I think so often DCFS is looked at as the one that needs to save all these kids either that come into care, or that are needing assistance outside of care. And it is a collaborative effort. You know, schools again, and we've seen this in light of the pandemic. They're such an important part of the everyday life of kids that are of compulsory age and need to attend school. So, it's a group effort. We can't just make it one agency's charge to save or assist these children and families.
RHODES 36:45
To find a Child Advocacy Center near you go online to childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org. Again, that's childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.
ALBERT 36:58
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai