Programs & Services

Safe Harbor provides a safe and friendly place for a child to talk about what has happened to them. Safe Harbor forensic interviewers are highly trained in best practice interviewing methods and understand child development. The forensic interview is video-recorded, so that the statement can be used in court. Unfortunately, children are still required to testify. However, the recording can reduce the amount of testifying time and the child's own words that are shown in the video have enormous impact on judges and juries.

Safe Harbor provides family advocacy services to non-offending caregivers of children who are interviewed at Safe Harbor. Our Family Advocates provide support, crisis intervention, and referrals to resources for caregivers both at the time of the interview and on an ongoing basis. Safe Harbor Family Advocates focus on the caregiver, addressing questions, needs, fears, and concerns. In addition, Family Advocates address the needs of the victimized child with the caregiver, exploring the effects of trauma on children.

A Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) warmly greets each child, spends time with the child to answer questions and helps put the child at ease during their visit to Safe Harbor. After the forensic interview, the CCLS provides child-directed play, creating a trauma-informed environment to help maximize coping. By providing children with developmentally-appropriate information, therapeutic play opportunities, and activities and interventions that promote self-expression and enhance effective coping, children can gain a sense of control over their experiences and build resiliency.

Safe Harbor works with agency partners to ensure that complex child maltreatment cases benefit from maximum possible coordination among systems. Safe Harbor coordinates meetings of multi-disciplinary supervisors, drug endangered children protocol meetings, and coordination of individual cases, whether a forensic interview occurs or the team meets for a case staffing. The multi-disciplinary team includes Dane County Human Services, Dane County District Attorney's Office, Madison Police Department, Dane County Sheriff's Office, other local law enforcement agencies, as well as medical and mental health providers. Children who attend a Safe Harbor forensic interview often require a forensic medical exam. Safe Harbor partners with Meriter's Forensic Nurse Examiners and the American Family Children's Hospital Child Protection Program for these services.

Safe Harbor has mental health specialists on site who provide crisis support and trauma treatment for children and caregivers. Our mental health specialists meet with children to talk about signs of traumatic stress, and screen for suicidal ideation. Our specialists also refer to providers in the community for mental health treatment.