The District of Columbia Children's Advocacy Center

What it reported doing in 2024

Teen advocacy initiative adolescents between the ages of 13 to 17 who have been sexually assaulted in the district of columbia have the right to an advocate pursuant to dc's sexual assault and victims' rights amendment act of 2019. Safe shores teen advocates are on call around the clock to be dispatched to help teen survivors in the midst of crisis understand their options and support them in their choices. Teen advocates travel to where the survivors is--at a hospital or elsewhere in the community, as soon as the crime is reported. Examples of the support a teen advocate might provide include referrals to medical care, mental health care, or legal aid. Prevention and outreach program - safe shores' prevention and outreach program is rooted in the belief that adults are the first line of defense in protecting children from abuse. Deploying evidence-informed training curricula and also by participating in community events to provide basic information to the public, safe shores provides adults who work with and/or care for children in various settings with information about the impact of child abuse and child trauma and equips them with skills to recognize, respond to, and prevent abuse. Mdt advancement and support program -safe shores serves as the hub of the wheel of dc's legally mandated, multi-disciplinary team (mdt) response to children impacted by abuse in the district of columbia. Safe shores' coordination of the mdt's joint work with child victims and cultivation of collaborative working relationships among the various mdt agencies improves the public system's response to child abuse victims and their families in the district of columbia. By helping public agencies with different mandates and professional cultures work together more effectively and providing them with up-to-date information about changes in the field of child protection and updated knowledge about child health and development, safe shores strengthens these professionals' skills and knowledge, thereby fostering enhanced and cost-saving system efficiency while keeping the needs of child victims at the center of this work. Maintaining a healthy mdt partnership for nearly three decades requires constant and focused attention, particularly since personnel and leadership at public agencies change regularly. There is a need for ongoing orientation, training, and relationship-building to achieve optimal outcomes for victimized children. Our mdt advancement and support program is dedicated to meeting this need.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 80.2%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 82.6%; rating input score 83
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 3.9%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.72; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings