Jessica Heinze was only 8 years old when she told her parents she was being sexually abused. She didn’t know the abuser was doing anything wrong; she just knew she never wanted to see him again.

“I felt like I was going to be really embarrassed,” said Heinze, who is now 18. “I didn’t know that were so many kids who were being abused. I thought it was just going to be me and it wasn’t.”

But when Heinze went to the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County, she said she didn’t feel so alone.

That’s the intent of the Lewisville-based center, which recently relocated to its new 14,070-square-foot facility on Cain Drive to provide additional resources for the growing number of victims of abuse.

Child-abuse cases have hit an all-time high at the center with 666 interviews last year – a result of the economic downturn, executive director Dan Leal said. During times of economic struggle, abusers have more time and more access to children, Leal said.

Ninety-five percent of cases at the center are related to sexual abuse, Leal said, which is by design.

“Most advocacy centers are designed to handle the most difficult cases,” he said.

The purpose of the center, which is a United Way agency, is to reduce trauma, with interview, observation, therapy and examination rooms all in one location, Leal said.

“It’s a national movement,” said Joy Rauls, director of community relations for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, referring to centers such as the Lewisville location.

Rauls said 63 children’s advocacy centers are located across the state – all required to have a forensic unit component, mental health and medical health care. It’s a means of bringing together all the groups that play a role in a child-abuse investigation, she said.

Having all the agencies working together is fundamental, “to have a professional product,” said Highland Village police chief Ed O’Bara.

 “None of the agencies has the ability to do the entire process. That’s why there are these centers,” he said. “Being under one roof is the critical need of the advocacy center.”

Child Protective Services and law enforcement staff, therapists and a team of five nurses will now have space at the center. In August, registered nurses will gain the ability to examine victims of abuse at the center instead of the emergency room, said Paula Fornara, coordinator of the Denton County Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program.

“For the child, it’s important. It gives them continuity of care,” she said. “If it’s more than 72 hours [after the assault], they don’t have to go into an emergency room setting. It’s less traumatic for them if [the examination is] in a child-friendly place.”

Although the center specializes in sexual abuse cases, children who are victims of other forms of abuse or even witnesses to violent crimes are interviewed at the center as well, Leal said.

“That’s part of our mission. We assist law enforcement to hold offenders accountable,” he said. “We feel this building will further enhance our ability to bring offenders to justice.”

In Lewisville alone, the center helped 209 victims of abuse – 116 of whom were primary victims – in 2008, according to the center’s statistics.

Leal said he expects to see even more cases in the new building because law enforcement is more likely to bring children to the new facility. The demand for the center’s services is expected to increase, he said.

“This is a safe haven,” he said, “a place where the abused can come to get the help they need.”

Heinze said the professionals who helped her as well as the other kids at the center made a huge difference in her life. Now, she plans to attend Texas Woman’s University in the fall and major in psychology.

“I want to help children who’ve been through what I’ve been through,” she said.

Inside the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County

Interview Waiting Rooms
The center has two family-friendly rooms where victims can wait to be interviewed.

Interview Rooms
The two interview rooms have discrete microphones and cameras so the victims have to tell their stories only once.

Observation Rooms
The two observation rooms have one-way glass so CPS, therapists and law enforcement can watch the interviews with the victims.

Assessment Room
If the victim doesn’t want to talk, the center has space where he or she can come back for observation.

Consultation Room
It’s a place where law enforcement can take statements or CPS can make safety plans with the families.

Therapy Waiting Room
The room gives victims a place to wait before therapy sessions.

Group Therapy Room
The three rooms give parents, boys and girls a place to have group therapy sessions. About 18 groups meet every week, Leal said.

Play Therapy Rooms
The center has three rooms for children to talk one-on-one with a therapist.

Outdoor Play Therapy
There’s an outdoor area with toys and a basketball court where children can interact with others.

Childcare Room
The center provides childcare for kids who are too young for therapy.

Conference Room
The room gives agencies, the police chief, the prosecution and CPS a place to discuss the welfare of the children as well as provides space for group counseling and training.

Examination Room
The center can do examinations on site 72 hours after the abuse, Leal said, but if it’s within the 72 hours, the victim must go the hospital for the examination.

Rainbow Room
The center provides gently-used or new clothing for kids who are removed from the home, which rarely happens, Leal said.

Library
The library will contain a variety of material including Texas family code or sexual assault information.

Offices
CACDC employees, CPS state employees, law enforcement, therapists, interns and a nurse have offices at the center.

Lindsey Bever is a reporter with neighborsgo and can be reached at 972-436-5551 ext. 3004 or via e-mail at lbever@neighborsgo.com. If you have a story, photo or video you'd like to share, please post it directly on neighborsgo.com.