RBRC is a Child Advocacy Center serving child abuse victims and works closely with child protection and law enforcement to ensure that all child abuse victims are provided the necessary services to heal. We work to ensure that all professionals work together leading to the best outcomes.
River Bridge Regional Center (RBRC) provides collaborative services to child abuse victims, their families and the community in a supportive environment through a child centered approach.
The primary mission of Mountain West SANE Alliance (MWSA) is to meet the needs of assault victims by providing trauma informed, compassionate, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive forensic evaluation and treatment by trained, professional nurse experts.
Founded in 2007, River Bridge Regional Center (RBRC) is a Child Advocacy Center (CAC), a child-friendly facility in which law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health providers, medical providers, and family advocates work together as a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to investigate abuse, help children heal, and hold offenders accountable.
In 2007, RBRC initially offered services for child abuse victims and non-offending family members in Garfield County and subsequently expanded to serve Eagle, Pitkin, and Rio Blanco counties. At the outset, RBRC was housed under the umbrella of a national nonprofit organization. In 2012, our local board determined that we needed our independent 501c3 status to provide the best quality of services for the region. RBRC is the only CAC between Grand Junction and Summit County to provide services for abused children in Garfield, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Eagle County.
Referrals to the organization are provided from law enforcement and human service agencies. RBRC's physical location allows for a coordinated team to meet on-site. This 'one stop' approach provides a neutral, child-friendly environment to provide crucial services to children (ages 0 to 18) and non-offending family members. In order to treat child abuse and prosecute the abusers effectively, RBRC staff ensures that victim advocates, medical personnel, law enforcement, the District Attorney offices, forensic interviewers, child protection workers, and mental health professionals all work together. This multi-disciplinary team (MDT) uses a child-centered approach to generate an efficient, comprehensive, and effective method of service delivery where the needs of the child always come first.
RBRC follows the child advocacy center model and the National Children's Alliance (NCA) standards and practices. RBRC earned its accreditation with NCA, a nationwide not-for-profit membership organization, in October 2010 and was re-accredited in October 2015 and for a third time in October 2020.
The community turns to RBRC for best-standard protocols regarding child abuse treatment and prevention. Support for the program was evidenced by the continuous backing from all partner agencies allowing the program to operate fully throughout the transition to a 100% local Child Advocacy Center.
"We have become so accustomed and reliant upon the child advocacy center model and the excellence of the staff and services at River Bridge that I cannot imagine how we investigated these situations with any success prior to its existence" ~ Partner agency
2020 Evaluation Results:
• 100% of caregivers agree the staff members at the Center have been friendly and pleasant.
• 100% of caregivers agree that if they knew anyone else who was dealing with a situation like the one their family faced they would tell the person about the Center.
• 100% of caregivers agree the services I have received have helped me support my child and meet his or her needs.
• 86% of caregivers strongly agree the information received has helped me understand how I can best keep my child safe in the future.
• 86% of caregivers agree that as a result of their contact with the Center, know what to expect in
the days and weeks that followed.
• 92% of multidisciplinary partners believe the clients served through the Center benefit from the
collaborative approach of our multidisciplinary team.
"The MDT provides a pivotal role in ensuring victims needs are being met and information necessary to the apprehension and prosecution of suspects is provided to law enforcement." ~MDT Partner
