History of the Guilds Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center

In 1999, Valley Children’s improved the integration and coordination of child abuse and neglect services, and began efforts to initiate concurrent identification and tracking of suspected cases. This led to the creation of an internal Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Team to identify and track suspected cases and to intervene to prevent abuse and protect children from all forms of maltreatment.

The Guilds responded to the growing need for a permanent child advocacy program. Through their diligent efforts, a generous endowment of $5 million was presented to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center to ensure the program’s growth and longevity. The Center continues to expand, adding more staff as the need arises.

According to the report “Child Maltreatment 2017,” an estimated 4.1 million referrals involving the alleged maltreatment of about 7.5 million children were made to Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies in the United States during the year 2016. This is an increase of approximately 91,000 referrals from FY 2016. In California, an estimated 400,190 suspected child maltreatment reports were completed, of which about 86,700 reports came from Valley Children’s service area.

The Guilds Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center is working hard to provide the best compassionate service for each end every child who comes through our doors. The Center’s vision is to be the premier provider in Central California for diagnostic physical abuse assessments, foster care medical clearance examinations and pediatric sexual assault evaluations, including children who have been victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Additionally, our providers, known as the Child Advocacy Team, regularly testify in both dependent and criminal courts throughout the Valley. The Center is recognized in Central California and the state as a leader in advocacy, injury prevention, clinical research and academic training.