Join us in helping children on the journey to hope and healing. Together, we can make our community a better and safer place for children.
Our History
Helping Children for 25 Years and Counting
It all started with a question from former District Attorney Bob Gallagher:
“How can we better serve child victims of sexual assault and other crimes in ways that the criminal justice system cannot?”
The answer? SungateKids
To answer the question, Gallagher formed a committee of over 100 members from all across the community, including child-serving agencies, law enforcement, child protective services, medical and mental health professionals, and private citizens. Together, they worked tirelessly to find the right solution for our community. After extensive research they decided that the child advocacy model, which had already been piloted in Pueblo, Colorado, was right for our community, too. In 1993, Children’s Advocacy & Family Resources, Inc. was incorporated as a Colorado not-for-profit organization.
In 1996, we opened our first facility in a bright yellow house with a white fence, giving the organization its nickname and the name by which you know it today – SungateKids. Much has changed since 1993 – our programs and our staff have grown and, since 2011, we have a new home. But one thing that has never changed is our commitment to our mission and to helping victims heal, survive and thrive.
Putting Children First from the Start
We believe that children who are victims of abuse and children who witness violent crimes can and should be treated differently than adult victims. That’s why for the past 25 years we have focused on creating a system that is sensitive to the needs and developmental levels of children as victims and witnesses.
To ensure the response is professional, trauma-informed, and victim-centered, SungateKids’ expert forensic interviewers work together with Law Enforcement, Child Protective Services, the District Attorney’s Office, and medical and mental health professionals using a multidisciplinary team model.
SungateKids also provides:
- Victim and family advocacy services
- Referrals for medical evaluations
- On-site mental health services including therapeutic support groups and individual counseling
- Comprehensive abuse prevention education programs, and
- Referrals for a host of other resources and support services
At every step, SungateKids is committed to providing these services with the highest level of quality, professionalism and sensitivity both to the needs of the children and to those of the agencies that utilize SungateKids as a resource. We are proud to be an accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance and one of more than 850 child advocacy centers nationwide.
How We’ve Grown
Over the years, SungateKids has continued to evolve to meet the growing needs of the communities we serve. Having established ourselves as experts in the field of child abuse intervention, in 2014 we turned our focus to the issue of prevention.
Armed with the expertise of our staff and the insight we have gained from the many thousands of interviews we have conducted, we set out to create a prevention program that helps children, parents, youth-serving organizations, and community members stop abuse before it ever happens. SungateKids’ Prevention Program now educates over 6,500 children and adults each year.
Meet the Team
Meet the Dedicated Team Members of SungateKids
Our talented staff has years of training, expertise, and experience. Each brings unique wisdom and perspective, but all share a passion and determination to serve child victims and their non-offending family members.
Behind every great nonprofit is an outstanding and hardworking Board of Directors — and that is certainly true for SungateKids. Our phenomenal Board is comprised of members whose dedication to our community is surpassed only by their generosity of spirit and devotion of time and effort.
Partners and Accreditation
Dedicated to Working Together: Our Partners and Accreditation
SungateKids serves Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, which is Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties. SungateKids has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with more than 40 agencies throughout the four counties, which establishes the protocol for investigating cases involving allegations of child abuse. The protocol allows SungateKids to work together with Law Enforcement, Child Protective Services, the District Attorney’s Office, medical and mental health agencies and practitioners, and others, to investigate allegations of child abuse in a way that is professional, thorough, and focused on the needs of the child.
SungateKids is a fully accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance, the national organization for the more than 850 Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, and a member of the Colorado Children’s Alliance, the statewide organization for Colorado’s 17 centers. SungateKids was re-accredited in 2017 and is subject to review for accreditation every five years by the National Children’s Alliance.
