STAFF

The staff of the Children’s Alliance is a diverse group of individuals who share two common characteristics:

• A deep concern for the welfare of children;
• Intensive education and training in their areas of expertise.

Christina M. Kirchner, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Executive Director
Chris Kirchner has been with the Alliance for fifteen years. She oversees the financial management, programmatic supervision and inter-agency relations for the Alliance. Additionally Chris offers training to partner agencies and the community on a variety of subjects regarding the response to sexually abused children.

The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance staff also includes:

Child Interview Specialists: These highly trained child forensic interviewers conduct most of the child interviews at the Alliance and coordinate conferences with police, social services and other parties to the sexual abuse investigation. They are the backbone of the Alliance and inspire trust from children, caretakers and the professional multi-disciplinary team. Their education includes forensic (crime investigation) techniques focusing on non-leading, objective interviewing of children. They are highly experienced in best practices in making children feel comfortable to elicit open-ended information regarding their home life, school experiences, and possible abuse.

Victim Services Staff: These professionals meet with the client families at the Alliance and provide an array of services for the children and their supportive caregivers. They do day-of-visit crisis counseling and make families aware of the many services available to them. They give referrals for therapy when necessary and refer for emergency legal and medical services. The service coordinators offer Court School educational programs for cases that move to prosecution. When an alleged perpetrator is prosecuted, they provide court accompaniment for the victim and family. And they coordinate the highly successful Education and Information Groups for parents and the Self-esteem Groups for children. A Spanish speaking staff member is always available for clients, and other linguistic services are contracted as needed.

Intake Coordinator takes referrals, obtains case information from DHS and police, schedules cases, and assures that all necessary parties are present for interview and assessment processes. She communicates with all parties involved in the investigation, including confirming police, DHS and other party attendance, arranging transportation for the family, and responding to concerns that the family may have.

Child Care Providers assure that children who visit the Alliance have a safe, carefree place to play, where they can be “just kids” again. They provide nutritious snacks, age-appropriate activities and videos, stories, games, and whatever it takes to make a child feel comfortable at the Alliance.

Regional Coordinator for Northeast Region Child Advocacy Centers. This highly experienced professional and her staff provide technical support throughout the Northeast Region of the United States to other child advocacy centers, both for new, start-up organizations and for existing centers that call on her for new programs and problem solving.

Development Staff raise funds for the Children’s Alliance, focusing on the annual direct mail campaign, writing grant proposals to private foundations, and building releationships with corporate executives throughout the city. This staff member also coordinates the web site, agency promotional communications and public relations, the volunteer program, and special events, like the annual Bear Affair.

Office Manager keeps everything running smoothly. She pays the bills, maintains files and records, publishes reports, manages inventory, keeps the mail flowing and is the front-line person on the telephones. She supervises the waiting/play room and is the point person for Alliance information technology systems.

Multi-lingual support is provided for all families for whom English is not the primary language. The Victim Services staff includes a Spanish-speaking advocate, and translators are brought in whenever another language is spoken.

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