Ryanne Coffman

Project Portfolio Description

Kids FIRST is a children’s advocacy center that works with families who have a child that has experienced violence of any kind (for example, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, etc.). Children are referred to Kids FIRST mostly through local law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, and sometimes child protective services. At Kids FIRST, we conduct forensic interviews, as well as medical exams if necessary, and help the family connect with community resources. Our main goal is to limit the amount of times a child has to talk about their traumatic experience, which is why the interviews are recorded and we work closely with our community partners every step of the way. Kids FIRST also helps families navigate the legal system if their case progresses and reaches the point of legal interventions.

My senior project is a flowchart to help the parents and caregivers follow along with their child’s case through the legal system with blank spaces to help organize and remind caregivers of important dates and times. This project will be added to the take-home packet that caregivers receive at Kids FIRST which is full of resources for the family and reviewed by advocates each case. Paper master copies will be kept with all the other handout master copies. The electronic version is stored on Kids FIRST’s K-drive and can be accessed in the future for any necessary changes, although few edits will likely be needed as the legal system is fairly concrete.