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A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center at 432 Glover St. in Woodbury took place on Tuesday, April 23.
Local prosecutors said they found the need for a larger space necessary due to a rise in the number of crimes against children during and following the coronavirus pandemic. Child abuse and neglect cases rose from 3,334 cases in 2000 to 4,355 last year in Gloucester County, according to the Rutgers University School of Social Work.
Statewide, those cases rose from a low of 73,728 in 2000 to a 17-year high of 98,583 last year, according to the School of Social Work. (see graphic)
This new center substantially increases working space from approximately 2,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet, the Gloucester County Prosecutror's Office said in a press statement.
"We are very proud of this facility and greatly appreciative of all those partners and supporters who helped move this wonderful facility from a vision of expansion to the reality it is today," said Chief of Detectives Tom Gilbert of the prosecutor's office.
The center will serve as a safe, comfortable space where children can share painful descriptions of abuse, both physical and sexual, to trained professionals, the office said. The space also will be used for forensic interviews of child victims and interviews of non-offending parents, officials said. This expanded space provides the ability to investigate two cases simultaneously, they said.
The Child Advocacy Center also can be used to meet with families to discuss available services, to orient them to the criminal justice process, and to prepare the family and victim for courtroom testimony, they said.
"Gloucester County’s Child Advocacy Center will serve our communities and survivors of abuse for years to come by providing hope, healing and justice," said Acting Prosecutor Christine Hoffman.
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