Tulsa’s Children’s Advocacy Center promotes a multidisciplinary approach to child abuse investigation. The multidisciplinary team of professionals works from one central location to investigate reported child abuse. This approach allows the team to immediately share information and eliminate duplicate efforts. As a result, investigations are expedited and children can begin their healing sooner.

The Team

The child abuse team is organized and sanctioned under Oklahoma State Statute (Title 10A § 1-9-102) and is known as the Tulsa County Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). Current signatory members of the MDT include:

“We deal with the unimaginable by staying focused on the job at hand.”
Sgt. Gary Stansill, former supervisor of the Tulsa Police Department Child Crisis Unit

• Tulsa County Department of Human Services – Child Welfare
• OU-Tulsa School of Community Medicine – Department of Pediatrics
• United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma
• Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office
• Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office
• City of Tulsa Police Department
• Broken Arrow Police Department
• Owasso Police Department
• Child Abuse Network, Inc. (CAN)

Understanding that team guidelines do not supersede the statutes, rules, bylaws, policies, or regulations governing each party, the members of the MDT agree and pledge to cooperate and coordinate their efforts to:

• Maintain a multi-disciplinary child abuse team pursuant to Title 10A § 1-9-102
• Provide child victims of crime and their families with medical, psychological, investigative and other appropriate assistance
• Identify, investigate and prosecute those persons who commit crimes or acts of deprivation against children
• Provide educational programs that impact the causes and effects of crimes against children
• Promote any activity chosen by the members to be in the interest of children within Tulsa County

CAN’s Role on the Team

The Child Abuse Network has three primary functions on the Team.

• Forensic interviews
  CAN employs specially trained Forensic Interviewers who conduct forensically and therapeutically sound interviews at the request of case investigators.
• Mental health services
  CAN’s mental health specialist provides:
  • crisis intervention
  • community-service referrals for children and families
  • a professional child-advocate voice in team meetings
  • case-specific consultation for team agencies
  • input to develop team guidelines that are child-focused
• Administration and coordination
  CAN provides a full-time staff for the Children’s Advocacy Center’s overall administration and the team’s coordination.