Protecting Children is a Team Effort

In 2014, the tragic death of a two-year-old boy from Texas made child abuse investigators and advocates re-evaluate current processes to ensure that every possible effort is made to prevent such fatal abusive situations. His death sparked action and positive changes, including the creation of the Multidisciplinary Team Coordination Program as a way to provide greater bandwidth to the work of children’s advocacy centers. Alliance For Children is proud to partner with 28 Tarrant County law enforcement agencies, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Cook Children’s® Medical Center, JPS Health Network, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, and Tarrant County Juvenile Services. This team is the “heart and soul” of the children’s advocacy center model.

The Multidisciplinary Team Coordination Program (MDTCP) was created in order to provide support for the important work of our partner agencies, facilitate and advocate for children and families’ access to Alliance For Children or appropriate community services, and support vital communication that takes place between our partners.

“My staff truly cares about our partners and will do whatever it takes to support them in order to make sure they have the time, resources and bandwidth they need to protect the children and families of Tarrant County. I am so incredibly proud of my team and the work they do - it isn’t always easy or glamorous - but it serves such a critical role.”

--MDTCP Supervisor, Lyndsi Price

The MDTCP program serves as another set of eyes on cases, ensuring that Alliance For Children and the greater multidisciplinary team are doing everything possible to promote justice and provide healing to families. The case reviews conducted by this team ensure that no child falls through the cracks and help safeguard children from additional screenings or interviews, thus minimizing additional trauma to the child. They facilitate forensic interview scheduling and help to expedite childrens' healing services if needed. We believe that this increased communication and collaboration ultimately leads to better outcomes for the children and families that we serve.

For more information visit https://www.allianceforchildren.org/multidisciplinary-team-coordination

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