In an ideal world, my job wouldn't exist. Child protection centers would be unnecessary. Crime would never occur in our communities.
However, the reality is quite different.
Last year, the Children's Advocacy Centers of Kansas provided more than 8,500 services – from forensic interviews to mental health care to advocacy services – to 4,400 children facing the severe consequences of their victimization. In fact, the 17 accredited CACs in the state serve children from infancy to age 18, regardless of race or social class, guiding them through the criminal justice system as they process their trauma.
For years, Kansas' CACs have been vital to children and their families after violent crimes such as sexual assault, physical abuse, witnessing violence or child sex trafficking. The centers provide comfort and support during some of their most difficult moments. CACs are critical to helping victims navigate the harrowing road to recovery and justice.
But now their services are under threat. Budget cuts are looming and the threat of closure is real.
As Executive Director of Children's Advocacy Centers of Kansas, it is my mission to promote excellence in child abuse prevention and response through training, support, and mobilization of our member CACs statewide. The goal of this effort is to create outstanding centers dedicated to supporting children and families in some of the most traumatic situations of their lives. Rather than leaving child victims to bear the burden of seeking justice and victimhood alone, our victim support workers provide young victims with the critical support they need. But to continue to provide these vital services, CACs need adequate funding.
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and by extension the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), have supported CACs in their important work for decades. Unlike tax-funded initiatives, the VOCA provides a sustainable source of government funding that supports numerous service providers dedicated to assisting millions of crime victims each year. Through this critical support, countless children and their families have found comfort in their most difficult moments.
I have seen first-hand how our services intervene in the lives of these young people. One girl was sexually abused by her babysitter's husband when she was just three years old. Her mother contacted her local center the next day and from the first moment the child was involved in the recovery process by the dedicated staff. In the years that followed, she received everything she needed to overcome her trauma. Now, after the resolution of her case, the girl is still in contact with her family lawyer and shares with her story how important CACs are for these children and their families.
CACs work tirelessly to support victims of crime, ensuring they receive the time and resources they need to heal their wounds and rebuild their lives.
This year, federal VOCA grants were cut by $600 million, forcing the country's nearly 1,000 CACs to consider cuts or closing their operations.
Kansas is fortunate to have received federal support through the Governor's Grants Program, which increased the FY 2024 budget by an additional $1.8 million and the proposed FY 2025 budget by an additional $1.1 million. This has stabilized programming and ensured uninterrupted service to children and families in all 17 CACs in Kansas. While we are grateful for the increase statewide, our centers remain underfunded to meet the current need for services in our communities.
This vital infusion of funding to the CAC won't save everything. Cuts to VOCA will continue to leave thousands without critical services like victim advocacy and mental health care. These survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and child abuse will not have the same access to the services or support we have provided them for decades.
Already, Kansas CACs cannot reach 32% of the state. Further limiting our services will increase that percentage and prevent countless children who need to reach our doors. This will result in staff cuts, satellite center closures, and our rural communities will be left to fend for themselves without the resources to start their own CACs. The Kansas Legislature has ensured that the doors remain open in our urban and rural communities, but we are still about $4 million short of meeting demand.
Ultimately, cuts to the VOCA program mean that child victims must bear the trauma of abuse alone.
Before we move forward with long-term CVF funding reform, we must stop the cuts that directly impact victims and survivors. That's exactly what U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) is proposing to do with the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024. This bill is designed to maintain current levels of service nationwide and give the CVF more time to close the funding gap. But most importantly, it will allow CACs across the U.S. to continue their work at the highest level.
In fact, it would be an act of abandonment of young victims if we were to end programs for them. We owe more to victims of crime.
Kasey Dalke is executive director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Kansas. The Kansas Reflector's opinion section seeks to amplify the voices of people affected by policy or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own comment, here.
