Birmingham
2012 Director’s Community Leadership Awards
Birmingham | Prescott House |
Executive Director Mary Murphy accepts the award on behalf of Prescott House. |
The Birmingham Division is pleased to honor Prescott House, a children’s advocacy center, as a recipient of the 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award. Founded in 1987, Prescott House provides counseling to young victims of crime and conducts forensic interviews of children for federal, state, and local law enforcement in Birmingham, Alabama. The organization is the first to be contacted when law enforcement personnel learn of the sexual abuse of a minor, production of child pornography, severe neglect, or the need to interview a child who has witnessed a violent crime. Prescott House offers a warm and comforting environment where professionals work tirelessly to restore the lives of victims. Since the services provided at Prescott House are often part of criminal investigations, fees are not charged to families. The counselors at Prescott House conduct approximately 500 forensic interviews a year and provide approximately 150 counseling sessions. Other services include court preparation and accompaniment when a Prescott House child testifies in court. Prescott House counselors understand that a child’s trauma is not always the child’s alone—they are also trained to help families cope with physical, emotional, and other challenges that often occur when a child is abused. |