State Child Advocacy Centers Calling on Lawmakers to Support Their Work Ahead of Reduction in Federal Funds for Victim Services

Friday, February 9th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Child advocacy centers in Wisconsin are calling on state lawmakers to support their work ahead of a significant reduction in federal funding for victim services.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, the centers allow law enforcement, child protective services and medical providers to coordinate their response to children who are victims of abuse or neglect through forensic interviews and often medical care.

Like programs for domestic violence and sexual abuse survivors, child advocacy centers receive federal grant funding distributed by the state through the federal Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA.

Dr. Kristen Iniguez leads the Marshfield Child Advocacy Center, which serves around 300 children each year from more than 20 counties in northern Wisconsin. Before her center started receiving VOCA funds in 2015, Iniguez said she was only able to hire two other staff members.

“We now have two forensic interviewers on staff. We also have educators,” she said. “VOCA was really a boon for (child advocacy centers) to be able to expand those very important services for children and for what we call the non-offending caregiver.” In the past, Wisconsin has received around $44.5 million annually for VOCA grants. But starting Oct. 1, the state will only see roughly $13 million.

VOCA grants are funded through the Crime Victims Fund which is financed through federal fines and fees paid by people convicted of a crime. But that fund has been shrinking over the last several years. Without the same level of VOCA funds, Iniguez said the future of these services is unclear.

The state Department of Justice awards each child advocacy center with a $17,000 grant to support some services. But Iniguez said that is not nearly enough to keep operations running, especially when the average cost per child at her center is $1,849.

She said child advocacy centers don’t have access to other state funding sources that exist for domestic or sexual violence programs, leaving few options to make up for the upcoming cuts.

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