Children’s Receiving Center
Decades of experience serving children and families in crisis made clear the need to create a safe haven for children entering protective custody due to abuse, neglect or criminal activity in their homes.
The Children’s Receiving Center is an innovative 24–hour crisis response and prevention program, designed to provide short–term safety and comfort to severely traumatized children, and allow time for the careful coordination of their next placement. Sibling groups are kept together and existing school placements are maintained.
The program is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which sets the standards by which healthcare quality is measured for hospitals and healthcare providers.
The Children’s Receiving Center (CRC) was developed to meet the safety, physical, emotional and educational needs of youth taken into protective custody, lessen the devastating emotional trauma experienced by these children and ensure careful planning and implementation of successful community placements.
The benefits for children and families – and the community – include:
- Sibling groups remain together. Research shows siblings placed together have fewer emotional and behavioral problems than those split apart, yet emergency placements rarely have the capacity to accept intact sibling groups of diverse ages. The CRC admits and discharges siblings together whenever possible.
- The CRC provides critical time for placement planning. During a child’s stay at the CRC – usually less than one week – the best possible placement is found, allowing relatives or foster parents to prepare for the arrival of children.
- A health assessment is performed for every child while in care. A licensed nurse practitioner conducts an assessment to determine the physical health of the child. If necessary, the child is referred to CARES Northwest for a sexual abuse assessment.
- School attendance is maintained whenever possible. Because children taken into protective custody often experience school disruption, the CRC works to maintain education stability and attendance by providing transportation to each child’s local school for classes and extracurricular activities.
- Contact with family members and community resources is encouraged and coordinated, allowing children to maintain the crucial connection to their everyday lives.
ChristieCare partners with Multnomah County, the Oregon Department of Human Services and local law enforcement agencies to deliver CRC services.