Phila. Children's Alliance Surveys Its Successes and Remaining Goals
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Children's Alliance says it is moving toward its goal of serving 100 percent of city children who report sexual abuse.
The Philadelphia Children's Alliance helps kids who have been sexually abused to heal, and seeks justice for them.
PCA says one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18.
"Right now we are seeing approximately 75 percent of kids who make allegations of sexual abuse in this city," said associate director Jackie Block Goldstein at PCA's third annual legislative breakfast today in center city. "So, while we are moving in the right direction certainly, and we really ramped up over the past couple of years, there are still a small pocket of kids who need our services. And we need to make sure we have the capacity and funding to serve everyone."
To do that, the city has located a building at 300 Hunting Park Avenue where PCA will co-locate with partner agencies -- including 80 officers of the police department's special victims unit, Department of Human Services social workers, and two district attorneys -- all under one roof, to intervene quickly and collaboratively on all sex abuse claims.
The facility is scheduled to open this spring.
