Beech Tree News Network

The Guardify Awards were announced at the 3rd Annual National Forensic Interviewers Week. Brittany Brooks, who was nominated by McCall Allen, received the Child Advocacy Leader Award.

"Brittany has been a child advocate for over six years at the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center. Her commitment to the children she serves is unwavering. Brittany meets each child she serves precisely where they are, ensuring they know she will be a constant amid all the unpredictability surrounding them. I have watched countless times the sense of empowerment and bravery rise in a child as Brittany attentively listens and holds space for them during some of their darkest moments. Child advocacy is different from your typical 8-hour workday job. I have worked numerous after-hours and weekend cases with Brittany, to which she eagerly jumps in to triage the child's needs. Brittany's advocacy approach encompasses not only giving voice to the child's needs but also the needs of the caregiver(s) because Brittany sees the larger picture and understands how empowering caregivers dramatically impacts the child's healing journey. When Brittany first begins working with a child, she uses her voice to advocate for that child, but as she builds that relationship one trust moment at a time, she leads the child to rediscover the strength and power in their voice. Brittany truly is a champion for the child, and her servant's heart offers immense hope to our most vulnerable children.

Brittany will always be the first to shy away from any recognition or spotlight; she believes nothing should take the focus away from the child. Therefore, there aren't any news articles or videos highlighting or applauding her work. However, I have several first-hand experiences I can share to demonstrate why she deserves this award. The first example I had happened just a couple of days before Christmas when a sibling group of two was brought to our Center by law enforcement as a result of being severely physically abused by their father. During Brittany's initial meeting with these kiddos and their mom, she learned that the kids' dad had not only abused them, but he had also fled with all their Christmas gifts that mom had saved for months to purchase. Prioritizing their most pressing needs, Brittany ensured mom's and the children's safety and directly connected mom with local resources for necessities – but Brittany's initial work didn't stop there. Brittany spent the next two days collaborating with Toys for Tots and several local churches so this mom and her kiddos would not go without gifts on Christmas morning. Another example demonstrating Brittany's immeasurable impact on the children she serves involves a 16 y/o who had been raped for years by a family member. This case came in as an emergency in the middle of the night, and to no one's surprise, Brittany arrived at the Center first to meet this terrified teenage girl. Brittany worked intensely with this victim – helping her cultivate bravery, resiliency, and a sense of purpose as this adolescent girl healed from within. When the victim turned 18, by our Center's protocol, Brittany's advocacy should have ended as we are, by definition, a child advocacy center and do not serve adults. However, knowing this victim's case was soon going to trial, despite the victim becoming an adult, Brittany maintained their relationship and continued to be a trusted resource to her. There were only a select few people this victim requested to be in the courtroom with her when she testified against her dad for the abuse he committed against her – Brittany was one of those people. What a full circle moment to have the advocate who spent years using their voice to fiercely advocate for you sit in the courtroom gallery while you, the victim, now use your reclaimed voice to advocate for justice for yourself from the witness stand. That's Brittany's immeasurable lifelong impact on children as their advocate."

Brittany is the daughter of Richard and Karen Brooks of Morgantown.