Mission Statement
Georgia Care Connection provides statewide, independent care coordination for commercially sexually exploited children. Using a System of Care philosophy with a family-driven, youth guided approach, the Georgia Care Connection Office helps set a new direction for their lives.
Georgia Care Connection serves girls 11-17
Many of the referrals we receive are for girls who have an immediate need to be taken off the streets and placed into a safe secure setting where their physical and mental health needs can be addressed. GCCO presently collaborates with three residential safe homes where a girl can get off the street and into a safe place with treatment and services. During her stay in the safe home, which averages six to nine months, a girl receives medical care, intense therapy (individual and group), credits toward a high school education, life skills and hope for a new direction in the future.
A resource for child-serving agencies and individuals
GCCO is the single point of contact for anyone who seeks help, needs information or technical assistance for a commercially sexually exploited child. This includes family, community members, law enforcement, private citizens, medical personnel, service providers, and self-referring youth.
Some facts about the victims
The average child victim of sex trafficking in Georgia is involved with 3-4 agencies including law enforcement (county or state probation officers), CSEC-specific safe homes, community providers, youth detention centers (YDCs) and funding agencies (DJJ, GOCF). Some children receive exclusive funding from the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) or the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Other children receive funding from other sources including GCCO and the Safety Gap Fund.
The Safety Gap Fund is an innovative public-private partnership that helps cover the cost of unfunded residential placement to help CSEC victims recover from the trauma of exploitation. We are asking community partners to help us raise $600,000 to match what the Governor’s Office for Children & Families has invested in victim-centered safe house services in 2009 and 2010.
Click here to make a contribution today
How many children are served by GCCO? This information is from the 101 referrals received by the Georgia Care Connection Office between June 2009 and June 2010. The table below illustrates cumulative referrals. The GCCO office was officially up and running and fully staffed in October 2009.
At what ages are children exploited sexually? Another disconcerting issue regarding CSEC is the young ages of the children targeted by exploiters.
AGE AT INTAKE
