About Us
We Are Advocates for Children
We are committed to fighting and preventing child abuse and neglect. We work closely with all programs within Cincinnati Children’s to identify and address concerns about these issues.
How We Work
Our child abuse team is a highly trained and experienced group that investigates cases of abuse and cares for victims in our advocacy center. We investigate a number of alleged or suspected abuse cases every day.
Along with physicians, nurses and social workers, our team includes Cincinnati police and sheriff’s officers, Department of Human Services workers and a victim advocate from the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office. We collaborate and expedite the diagnosis and investigation of child abuse allegations. Agencies throughout the region also have access to our center and resources.
Our Services
We offer the latest diagnostic, treatment, prevention and training programs as well as extensive research in the field of child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, child neglect and parenting.
Help for Parents
We work with Every Child Succeeds, a program that provides home visits to first-time mothers in our region. The program gives young mothers practical parenting advice that includes information about infant development and teaches them parenting skills to help prevent child abuse. For more information, call 513-636-2830.
Mayerson Advocacy Center (MAC)
The MAC is home to the child abuse team and the front door through which many children and families present for services. The child abuse team consists of Cincinnati Children’s pediatricians, nurses, social workers, a child psychiatrist and psychologist together with seven Hamilton County Job and Family Services child protection workers and their supervisor from the in-home sexual abuse investigational unit. This year, we have been joined by an additional four Hamilton County Job and Family Services child protection workers and their supervisor from the medical-neglect unit. In addition, the center houses four law enforcement officers, two from the Personal Crimes Division of the Cincinnati Police Department and two from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The team also includes a full-time victim’s advocate from the office of the Hamilton County prosecutor. Other professionals from within Cincinnati Children’s or county investigational agencies join the child abuse team as appropriate for specific investigations. In the past year, the MAC has evaluated 1,530 children, performed 1,424 forensic interviews and conducted 716 medical examinations.
The vision of the MAC is to assure safe, healthy and nurturing families and communities where all children can achieve their full potential. The center’s mission is to be the national leader and resource in the development and validation of best practices for the evaluation, treatment and prevention of child maltreatment.
