McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center

The accepted national standard for quality investigation and intervention of child sexual and physical abuse is the development and operation of a Child Advocacy Center (CAC). The CAC approach brings all essential services and supports for abused children to one safe, child-friendly location. The CAC ensures non-threatening, child-focused environment for interviews with the child victim with rapid and efficient access to a full range of services, while maximizing communication and coordination among numerous law enforcement and treatment providers.

The CAC model is also cost effective. The community pays three times as much for a child to go through the system when a CAC is not in place. According to the findings from the National Child Advocacy study, "On a per case basis traditional investigations were 36 percent more expensive than CAC investigations…generating a savings of more than $1,000 per case." We are the only Child Advocacy Center in all of Onondaga County.

Our ultimate goal since the inception of the APU was to make the victim’s experience as painless as possible. The victim’s interest is our first and foremost concern.

- Sergeant Jack Schmidt, Onondaga County Sherriff's Abused Persons Unit

Mission

The McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ending child abuse through intervention and education. The organization offers a safe, child-friendly process for abused children and their families, supported by a committed, professional team specializing in the investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse.

History

In 1998, members of the McMahon and Ryan families of Syracuse, New York, began working with members of the Child Abuse Management Team (professionals involved with child abuse efforts). A needs assessment concluded that the creation of a facility that focused on child abuse issues was a critical need in the community. The McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site was incorporated in December of 1998. The initial goals were to provide:

• a consistent meeting place and training facility for child abuse professionals;
• a child friendly location for interviews and supervised visitation for Child Protective Services;
• educational resources for non-offending care takers;
• educational resources for mandated reporters and other professionals;
• central location for tracking of all abused children;
• community awareness & prevention efforts.

2002 - Original site opens

Our doors officially opened in April 2002 during National Child Abuse Awareness Month at 509 W Onondaga Street Syracuse, New York in an 1860's vintage house donated by the McMahon and Ryan family members. Since then McMahon/Ryan has not only achieved our initial goals in meeting a critical community need but has grown significantly by expanding our role to include:

• serving as the coordinator of the Onondaga County's multidisciplinary team (Child Abuse Response Team or CART) which works to develop procedures, protocols and programs that are centered on the needs of the abused children;
• providing services to nearly 300 child victims and their families every year;
• hosting the Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Clinic from Upstate Medical University on site;
• hosting representatives from Onondaga County Sheriff's department and Child Protective Services on site;
• providing education and outreach on child abuse prevention and awareness to school age children.

2011 - New center opens

McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center opened its new doors to a totally renovated 30,000 square foot building, the former Reid Hall (former location of Syracuse University’s University College) at 601 East Genesee Street in June 2011. This new location provides space for all the agencies that are members of the Child Abuse Response Team to co-locate under one roof, achieving the goal of providing Onondaga County with a state of the art Tier 1 Child Advocacy Center.