Child Advocacy Network (CAN)

Children’s Advocacy Center

Child abuse harms our community’s most vulnerable members and can have lasting effects across generations. Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach with coordinated efforts. With this mission in mind, the Child Advocacy Network (CAN) aimed to build a multidisciplinary Center to offer collaborative intervention services to child abuse victims and their families.

Before this Center was established, children involved in investigations were shuttled between child welfare offices, police departments, and medical clinics. This process not only duplicated investigative efforts but also forced children to repeatedly relive their traumatic experiences. Now, the newly renovated 30,000 SF Center houses the child advocacy team known as the Tulsa County Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). In this Center, the MDT works together to expedite child abuse investigations and make the process less stressful for children and families.

Transforming Lives

The new Center occupies a rehabilitated building adjacent to a residential neighborhood. This building hosted multiple occupants in its over 50-year history but sat empty since the early 2000s, falling into disrepair and disrepute. The building and site had become a dangerous eyesore. By transforming this vacant building into a vibrant, functional development, this project has a positive impact on the lives of those who work here along with the children and families they serve AND improves the safety and living conditions of nearby residents while raising property values.

Inspired by its surroundings, the design of the exterior renovation draws from the simple residential forms of the neighborhood context. Board-and-batten style cladded “houses” mark the entries into the Center and reinforce the neighborhood vocabulary and residential scale. Creative patterning was added to the windows, livening up the existing rigid framework of openings and providing a playful pattern of natural light and interest. The windows and exterior lighting transform the building at night. Day or night, the Center is friendly and welcoming to both neighbors and visitors. Paint colors were chosen to be joyful – bringing some brightness to what can be dark situations.

The interior design of this project uses color and playful patterns to create a welcoming, peaceful, and child-centric environment. Thoughtful details, like the “teddy bear room” and fun fabric/wall covering selections, make it a space where children feel safe and comfortable.

All Hands on Deck

During a child abuse investigation, experts from several agencies must talk with the child. Before CAN existed, children were taken back and forth among child welfare offices, police departments, and medical clinics. At each visit, a child would need to retell his/her story. This process not only duplicated investigative efforts but also forced children to relive their experiences over and over.

The newly renovated 30,000 SF Children’s Advocacy Center houses the child abuse team known as the Tulsa County Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). The building design features different porticos, each in a different color, to highlight entries into each department so families and authorities can easily determine where they need to go.

Members of the MDT include:
– Department of Human Services
– Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office
– Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office / Tulsa Police Department
– Fostering Hope
– Child Advocacy Center (CAC)

The new Children’s Advocacy Center will ensure that CAN has the physical resources needed to serve the single most vulnerable and valuable community in Tulsa: our children.

Learn more about the Child Advocacy Network here.