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West Virginia child advocacy centers report increase in children served

(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — The West Virginia Child Advocacy Network released statewide child abuse data for the 2025 fiscal year, reflecting services provided from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

The report covers 21 Child Advocacy Centers that provided official services in 48 of the state’s 55 counties. Child Advocacy Centers offer child-friendly settings where child protection, criminal justice and treatment professionals coordinate abuse investigations, offender accountability and support services for children, according to the release.

During the fiscal year, West Virginia Child Advocacy Centers served 4,734 children, a 7.5% increase in new children served over the past five years, according to the release.

Locally, the North Star Child Advocacy Center served 558 children during the 2025 calendar year, an 11% increase from the previous year, according to the release.

According to the release, highlights from North Star’s fiscal year report include:

* Thirty-seven percent of children served were referred due to allegations of sexual abuse.

* Thirty-eight percent were referred due to allegations of physical abuse.

* Thirty-five percent were referred due to allegations of drug endangerment, 18% higher than the state average and 31% higher than the national average.

* Seventy-five percent of children served were younger than 12.

* Fifty-nine percent of alleged offenders were the child’s parent, 7% were a stepparent, 13% were another relative, 17% were a parent’s boyfriend or girlfriend, and 12% were another known person.

* Forty-eight percent of children served had a reported or suspected disability.

* Twenty-three percent of children interviewed did not disclose abuse.

* Fifty-six percent of children served were female and 44% were male.

* Twenty-six children received medical evaluation or treatment.

* Therapy or counseling was initiated for 84 children.

* Charges were filed in 29 cases, with 22 offenders indicted.

* The child population in North Star’s official service area is 21,949.

North Star’s operating budget is $718,839, with funding sources including 19% from the state, 32% from federal grants, 2% from municipal funding from the city of Vienna, no county funding, 12% from foundations, 2% from United Way for medical programming, 21% from donations and 12% from income generated by the center, according to the release. Sixty-seven percent of the budget is allocated for personnel, while 28% is for operational expenses.

“Although I realize all statistics can be somewhat subjective, they give us a really good understanding of what we are seeing throughout the course of the year and help us make adjustments if needed in order to do a better job for our kids,” North Star Executive Director Greg Collins said, according to the release.

“I think the most important function of these yearly statistics is it lets the communities we serve know exactly what we are doing. I think the education of the public on how bad this is leads many to a call to action,” Collins said, according to the release.

“With only five staff members doing the interviewing and the same staff members also doing family advocacy, it’s a painful and heavy lift for them daily. Some months, the stories coming through the front door are gut-wrenching and don’t seem to let up. This staff, CPS, law enforcement and prosecutors don’t get the credit they deserve for fighting these battles for kids who can’t fight them for themselves,” Collins said, according to the release.

North Star Child Advocacy Center can be reached at 304-917-4437 or by email at nscac@northstarcac.org

For more information or to request a tour of the facility. Donations, endowments and legacy gifts may also be made through the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. More information is available at northstarcac.org.

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