Health
We believe securing a family’s health and well-being is a long-term investment in individual lives and our community.
Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy Center
We work to reduce the incidence and impact of child abuse by providing a coordinated, multidisciplinary response to victims of child abuse and their families. This response includes prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment. This includes community partners who are experts in those areas. In conjunction with our partner agencies, Monarch provided a wide range of services at no cost to 839 child victims and their families last year.
About the Program
Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy Center (MCJAC) is a program of the Community Action Council serving children and families in Thurston County, Washington. MCJAC is one of eight operating advocacy centers in the State of Washington and one of over 600 nationwide.
A multidisciplinary team is changing the way the community responds to child victims of sexual abuse. The multidisciplinary team approach offers child victims and their families a place where they can access the help they need to heal emotionally and physically from abuse.
Check out this video below to learn more about Monarch and how we serve our community!
Monarch works with a service dog, Astro, who is trained by Assistance Dogs of Hawaii and is brought to Monarch by the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. Astro accompanies child victims being treated at Monarch’s Center during interviews, investigation, therapy and even into the courtroom. His presence is calming and reduces stress for victims as they go through all the steps of disclosure, investigation, prosecution, and healing. Monarch, Astro, and all partners work to reduce in the incidence and impact of child abuse by providing a coordinated, child-centered, specialized multidisciplinary response, to victims and their families.
More videos about Astro here
Services We Provide
MCJAC, in conjunction with their partner agencies, offers a wide range of services at no cost to child victims, their families, and adult survivors including:
- Investigation: Forensic Interviews, Medical Evaluations, Multidisciplinary Case Staffing, Case Tracking
- Therapy: Primary victims (child, adolescent, and adult); Family Members and Siblings; Individual, Group, Couples, and Family Therapy.
- Education and Prevention: Community Outreach and Education, Professional Training
- Advocacy: Information and Referral Services, Multidisciplinary Team Staffing, Victim Advocacy
Monarch has its own website! For more information visit: www.monarchcjac.org
Monarch’s Capital Campaign
Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy is expanding. The Council is building a new home to locate Monarch directly adjacent to our current building at 3020 Willamette Dr. NE, Lacey, WA 98516.
Currently, Monarch is leasing space that requires eight staff and contract therapists to share one office to complete notes, paperwork, and referrals for the 839 children and their families served each year. There is a large demand for use of the 3 therapy rooms, one meeting room, one forensic interviewing room, and 2 exam rooms. The new facility allows for an additional 3,000 sq. feet of space for therapy, forensic interviewing, and the Providence Child Sexual Assault and Maltreatment Center to share. The entire facility will be a child-friendly, comfortable, calming space. The main Council facility will house the Thurston County Prosecutors, Child Protective Services, drop-in space for law enforcement, interns, FBI, Tribal Nations and other surrounding service providers.
There are many ways to support Monarch’s Capital Campaign.
Attend our fifth annual Monarch Virtual Breakfast April 26th, 2022 by RSVP’ing here!
