Family Center

Visiting the Center

River Bridge is a child advocacy center, where the needs of your child always come first. At River Bridge, you’ll find a neutral, child-friendly, and comfortable setting for your child to be able to talk about what happened, and to receive any needed services.

What happens at River Bridge?

1. Our Victim Advocate will greet you and your child, and get you settled in our front room.
2. You will have an opportunity to meet privately with the investigators and to get questions answered.
3. The Forensic Interviewer will speak one-on-one with your child, using open-ended, developmentally appropriate questions with the aim of fact-finding.
4. You and your child will have the opportunity to meet with our Mental Health Therapist, and to learn how counseling may be helpful.
5. Your child may be referred for a medical exam or checkup. Depending upon scheduling, this may occur on the day of the interview, or be set for a later time.
6. Before you leave, you will know what the investigators’ next steps are.

Due to limited space at River Bridge and in order to ensure your privacy, please make your caseworker or law enforcement officer aware of anyone coming with you to River Bridge.

River Bridge is also a Cell Phone Free Zone.

How do I prepare my child for our visit?

• Unless the investigator has instructed you otherwise, we advise parents to give children a general idea about what River Bridge is and why you are going.
• You might say something like, “River Bridge is a safe place where kids can talk about things that have happened to them.”
• If your child has told you about the concern, you might say, “You’ll be talking more about what you told me happened with _______.”
• If you need guidance on an age-appropriate way to explain River Bridge, please feel free to call us before your appointment for suggestions.

Do:

• Give your child permission to talk with the interviewers.
• Tell your child it is a safe place to talk openly and honestly.
• Tell your child that the person they will talk to is someone who talks to kids every day.
• Tell your child you will be in another room during the interview, and that you will the not be leaving the Center.

Don’t:

• Tell your child what to say.
• Promise treats or rewards to your child for talking.
• Try to answer questions that you don’t know.

Getting Here

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