Who We Are

We’re a team of specialists trained to interview children who might be facing abuse.

The Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children is a nationally-accredited organization offering children who are victims of alleged sexual abuse a safe, neutral place to talk. The center contracts with specially-trained forensic interviewers who carefully question a child using techniques which are both age and developmentally appropriate.

 

As the victim's statement is critical evidence in child abuse cases, it is imperative that questions are asked in a non-threatening, non-leading manner to ensure accuracy. This is why members of the professional, multi-disciplinary team watch the interview via closed-circuit TV and are able to ask questions of the child through the interviewer who wears a wireless receiver. This team includes members of the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Department of Child Services, Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center, law enforcement and victim advocates. The child only talks to the interviewer, and the entire process is videotaped for use in any future legal action. The child also has access to a medical examination via the Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center.

The Dr. Bill Lewis Center's team approach sharply reduces the number of times a child must be interviewed. This results in a more reliable and legally defensible testimony and, most importantly, reduces risk of further harm to the child.

We serve Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley counties in Northeast Indiana.