Williamson County Produces Video Intended To Help First Responders Detect Abuse

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX -- County officials have implemented training for law enforcement personnel on how to detect child abuse, officials said on Wednesday.

At the center of the effort is an educational video titled "Recognizing Child Abuse for First Responders," now required viewing for medical first responders in the Williamson County EMS system that includes fire and police officials.

The video stemmed from a conversation last February among the county's senior director of emergency services John Sneed, and EMS Director Kenny Schnell and Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) Director Monica Benoit-Beatty, officials said. Several months of planning, scripting, filming and editing later, the video is now a reality, according to a county spokesperson.

“We felt it was important to increase awareness of what could be going on at a scene if there was child abuse and how kids and parents might be reacting," Benoit-Beatty said. "We hope this helps first responders to look at a scene through new eyes.”

While first responders are expert at detecting physical signs of abuse, the video trains them on how to discern intangible signs of abuse as well, said Dan Cohen, Williamson County EMS clinical practices captain and producer of the video.

.“Williamson County EMS and other first responders are good at recognizing and treating physical injuries, but this training helps us recognize the emotional and behavioral signs of child abuse that are new to us,” Cohen said.

Last year, 770 children were interviewed at the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center for suspected child abuse or as witnesses to a crime, officials said. More than 60 percent of child abuse cases are sexual abuse, officials added.

The CAC is designed to be a safe place for law enforcement or Child Protective Services to bring children from ages 0 to 17 for interviews in a child friendly setting. The facility features colors, furniture, toys and other items designed to make children comfortable while being questioned by a forensic interviewer to investigate a case of abuse.

Additionally, the CAC is equipped to provide on-site medical exams, and therapy for children also is available to help them through their trauma. All services provided at the center are free of charge. The CAC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is operated with funding from federal, state and local governments, community grants, and private donations from individuals and businesses.

Almost 9,000 children have come through the CAC’s doors for services since it was started twenty years ago, officials said. Since 2013, the CAC’s outreach coordinator has conducted 465 trainings for 13,588 individuals in the county on how to recognize and report child abuse. The new 43-minute educational video is an attempt to reach and train even more people, specifically more than 500 first responders.

“Everyone ages 18 and older in Texas is a mandated reporter of suspected or known child abuse,” Benoit-Beatty said. She noted that in Texas, people who suspect abuse can call 1-800-252-5400 to report child abuse or by visiting www.txabusehotline.org.

More information on the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center and its mission can be found on their website at www.wilcocac.org. In addition to producing the educational training video, Williamson County EMS also produced a short video on the CAC’s purpose to raise awareness about its mission, officials said.

Both the CAC video and “Recognizing Child Abuse for First Responders” video are available on the EMS YouTube channel by going to www.wilco.org/ems and clicking the YouTube icon on the left.

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