Since 1992, the Hunterdon County Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) has served the needs of children who are victims of physical and/or sexual abuse, and their families, during their involvement with the criminal justice system. Our team is presently comprised of committed professionals from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office (Assistant Prosecutor and Detectives), Hunterdon County Division of Child Protection and Permanency, a mental health professional (psychologist), the Regional Child Protection Center at Dorothy B. Hersh, Office of Victim Witness Advocacy at the Prosecutor's Office, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center(DASACC), a representative from Institutional Abuse and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator.
The purpose of the MDT is to establish guidelines for the appropriate investigation of allegations and/or complaints, with interagency collaboration to reduce potential trauma to children and families while improving services. A collaborative response reduces the number of interviews a child may be required to undergo, while reducing the number of recantations and providing timely access to appropriate community resources.
Hunterdon County MDT meets regularly and is designed to provide support to child victims and families by creating a plan of services. Referral to a counselor/therapist who is trained or supervised in the area of child abuse/neglect and child sexual abuse is one of the most vital services provided to a child victim and family.