June 21, 2025 • 5 mins
Krystal Rich, Executive Director of CT Children's Alliance, joins us live at the Travelers Championship. CT Children's Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and ending child abuse.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de
murz over at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. My guest
today is Crystal Rich. She is executive director of the
Connecticut Children's Alliance. Good morning, good morning, thank you for
being here for having me. Where's the Connecticut Children's Alliance located?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So we are based in Hartford.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And for people who don't know about it, how did
you originate?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
So we actually started. We're part of a larger national movement.
There's one of us in every fifty states actually, and
so we started really to provide supports for kids who
have experienced child abuse. We support ten child Advocacy centers
statewide that provide a comprehensive collaborative response to kids who've
experienced abuse. So they provide interviews, medicals, mental health services,
(00:46):
anything you can think that are those needs. And this
response was really started to address what was happening when
kids would come forward with a with abuse. We used
to reinterview kids multiple times, well meaning adults than the
retail the traumatizing story over and over again. And so
the child Advocacy center movement was really created to take
(01:07):
all of those services that you could possibly think of
a child needing and putting them under one roof. And
in Connecticut, our job at the Connecticut Children's Alliance is
really to provide support for those ten centers.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
How successful has the program and support been to the
children in Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's been a huge success, really just seeing the collaboration
among all of the partners making sure that kids again
have that one stop shop to get those services, that
their families get support. We served roughly twenty one hundred
children last year and their families, and you know, we
see an increase of about ten percent every year, and
I think some of that has to do with education
(01:43):
and awareness. People are understanding that it's okay to come
forward and that we're here to support you.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
How prevalent is child abuse in the state of Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's very prevalent. You know, we see you know, they
say one and for one and four boys, one and
three girls. But again, I think there's a lot We
saw twenty one hundred cases last year, but I think
there's a lot more cases. Unfortunately that we're not even
aware of.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Any success stories you could share with me without naming
people personally.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Sure, we've had several cases where you know, because of
the collaboration among Lawnforce in DCF and our mental health providers,
We've had several cases where children have come forward reluctant
to initially talk, and then when they saw the center,
when they saw the support, when their families saw that
wrap around response, they decided to tell their story. And
because of that, not only did they get the help
(02:31):
that they needed, but there was also kids in the
future that won't be abused because of that.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Wow, that's absolutely wonderful. What about all of the workers,
do they decompress? Do they get therapy in order to
be able to continue to pour out because they're always
pouring out but not getting poured back into.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Vicarious trauma is something we see, you know, every day.
It is. It's very very tough work. And you know
a lot of our providers and our team members have
their different their specific coping mechanisms that they utilize, but
only always try to provide training and support and debriefing
sessions to make sure that they have that support that
they need.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Do you also have volunteers? By any chance we have volunteers.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Will help us with events and things of that nature.
So absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
We're here for Bertiees for charity, and of course you
couldn't do all of this work without donations. For every
dollar raise today, Webster Bank will donate fifteen cents so.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Everybody can go to CT. Is it CT Children'salliance dot org?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yes? Okay, just wanting to make sure because it is
the Connecticut Children's Alliance. So Ctchildren'salliance dot org or Travelers
Championship dot com.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Do it right? Now, make a donation.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Because we don't want you to forget. What else can
we talk about? Is there anything else we're missing?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
No, just to you know, again, to echo what you're saying.
Every dollar matters. It helps children, It helps our most
vulnerable populations. And you know, as they say, if you
invest in children, you're investing in our future.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
For people who don't For people who are looking for
your services, do they just go to the website? Why
would somebody go to you and let's say not DCF
or would they go to DCF first?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So we work with DCF. So typically people will call
DCF and then DCF reaches out to us and then
we activate that collaborative response making sure that everyone's coming
to that table together.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
So they wouldn't go to you first.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
They can certainly call our centers, but we would always
reach out to our partners, so we try to make
sure we have that back and forth relationship. If people
do know of abuse or feel that abuse neglect is happening,
we always tell people to make sure you're calling the caroline,
but absolutely we are there as a resource.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
What happens when people are afraid that this is my
daughter and I don't want her to get mad at me,
or this is a neighbor and I don't want to
get involved, what advice would you give?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I would say that again, you know, the protection of
our kids is the number one priority here and we
are not you know, to get people. We just want
to make sure that our kids are kept safe. And
the collaborative response that we offer through our cecs ensures that,
you know, we make sure we gather all that appropriate information,
have a specialized interview, make sure we're supporting those kids.
So I know that it's scary, but it's much scarier
(04:58):
to know that a child is being abused in it
not being dealt with.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Wow, I'm speaking with Crystal Rich, executive director of the
Connecticut Children's Alliance. Again, that web address is ct Children'salliance
dot org or go to Travelers Championship dot com. Crystal,
thank you for being here and for serving the community.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de
murz over at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. My guest
today is Crystal Rich. She is executive director of the
Connecticut Children's Alliance. Good morning, good morning, thank you for
being here for having me. Where's the Connecticut Children's Alliance located?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So we are based in Hartford.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And for people who don't know about it, how did
you originate?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
So we actually started. We're part of a larger national movement.
There's one of us in every fifty states actually, and
so we started really to provide supports for kids who
have experienced child abuse. We support ten child Advocacy centers
statewide that provide a comprehensive collaborative response to kids who've
experienced abuse. So they provide interviews, medicals, mental health services,
(00:46):
anything you can think that are those needs. And this
response was really started to address what was happening when
kids would come forward with a with abuse. We used
to reinterview kids multiple times, well meaning adults than the
retail the traumatizing story over and over again. And so
the child Advocacy center movement was really created to take
(01:07):
all of those services that you could possibly think of
a child needing and putting them under one roof. And
in Connecticut, our job at the Connecticut Children's Alliance is
really to provide support for those ten centers.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
How successful has the program and support been to the
children in Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's been a huge success, really just seeing the collaboration
among all of the partners making sure that kids again
have that one stop shop to get those services, that
their families get support. We served roughly twenty one hundred
children last year and their families, and you know, we
see an increase of about ten percent every year, and
I think some of that has to do with education
(01:43):
and awareness. People are understanding that it's okay to come
forward and that we're here to support you.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
How prevalent is child abuse in the state of Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's very prevalent. You know, we see you know, they
say one and for one and four boys, one and
three girls. But again, I think there's a lot We
saw twenty one hundred cases last year, but I think
there's a lot more cases. Unfortunately that we're not even
aware of.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Any success stories you could share with me without naming
people personally.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Sure, we've had several cases where you know, because of
the collaboration among Lawnforce in DCF and our mental health providers,
We've had several cases where children have come forward reluctant
to initially talk, and then when they saw the center,
when they saw the support, when their families saw that
wrap around response, they decided to tell their story. And
because of that, not only did they get the help
(02:31):
that they needed, but there was also kids in the
future that won't be abused because of that.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Wow, that's absolutely wonderful. What about all of the workers,
do they decompress? Do they get therapy in order to
be able to continue to pour out because they're always
pouring out but not getting poured back into.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Vicarious trauma is something we see, you know, every day.
It is. It's very very tough work. And you know
a lot of our providers and our team members have
their different their specific coping mechanisms that they utilize, but
only always try to provide training and support and debriefing
sessions to make sure that they have that support that
they need.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Do you also have volunteers? By any chance we have volunteers.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Will help us with events and things of that nature.
So absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
We're here for Bertiees for charity, and of course you
couldn't do all of this work without donations. For every
dollar raise today, Webster Bank will donate fifteen cents so.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Everybody can go to CT. Is it CT Children'salliance dot org?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yes? Okay, just wanting to make sure because it is
the Connecticut Children's Alliance. So Ctchildren'salliance dot org or Travelers
Championship dot com.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Do it right? Now, make a donation.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Because we don't want you to forget. What else can
we talk about? Is there anything else we're missing?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
No, just to you know, again, to echo what you're saying.
Every dollar matters. It helps children, It helps our most
vulnerable populations. And you know, as they say, if you
invest in children, you're investing in our future.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
For people who don't For people who are looking for
your services, do they just go to the website? Why
would somebody go to you and let's say not DCF
or would they go to DCF first?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So we work with DCF. So typically people will call
DCF and then DCF reaches out to us and then
we activate that collaborative response making sure that everyone's coming
to that table together.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
So they wouldn't go to you first.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
They can certainly call our centers, but we would always
reach out to our partners, so we try to make
sure we have that back and forth relationship. If people
do know of abuse or feel that abuse neglect is happening,
we always tell people to make sure you're calling the caroline,
but absolutely we are there as a resource.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
What happens when people are afraid that this is my
daughter and I don't want her to get mad at me,
or this is a neighbor and I don't want to
get involved, what advice would you give?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I would say that again, you know, the protection of
our kids is the number one priority here and we
are not you know, to get people. We just want
to make sure that our kids are kept safe. And
the collaborative response that we offer through our cecs ensures that,
you know, we make sure we gather all that appropriate information,
have a specialized interview, make sure we're supporting those kids.
So I know that it's scary, but it's much scarier
(04:58):
to know that a child is being abused in it
not being dealt with.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Wow, I'm speaking with Crystal Rich, executive director of the
Connecticut Children's Alliance. Again, that web address is ct Children'salliance
dot org or go to Travelers Championship dot com. Crystal,
thank you for being here and for serving the community.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Thank you so much.
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