Manatee Children’s Services, Inc
Child Protection Team
453 Cortez Road West
Bradenton, FL 34207
(941) 345-1200
Medical Director: Jerome Isaac, MD
Team Coordinator: Libby Maginness
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The Child Protection Team (CPT) serving Manatee County is one of 11 programs administered by the non-profit agency Manatee Children’s Services whose mission is to advocate for and provide the resources, skills and shelter to alleviate abuse. The programs are prevention and intervention intended. Parenting classes are offered, no charge counseling is provided to child victims of a crime, a home visitation program for parents of newborns through age 5 years is offered and the Youth Intervention Program for adolescents who have committed a domestic battery or assault is available. Emergency shelter, foster care and group home placements are available to children and youth determined by Investigators and the Court to need placement.

The Child Protection Team can be reached 24 hours a day for services or consultation. In Manatee County child protective investigations (formerly the responsibility of the Department of Children and Families) are being provided by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Most of the referrals are made to the team by the Child Protective Investigations staff or by the Law Enforcement agency involved in a joint investigation. CPT can provide numerous assessment services to help determine the existence of abuse, risk to the child and make recommendations as related to child safety and well being. This team provides approximately 330 medical assessments a year and over 350 interviews, some of which are forensic and subsequently used in the court. Child and family assessments, multidisciplinary case staffings, expert court testimony, and trainings round out our complement of services. On going training is provided by the team to law enforcement, Protective Investigations, and community professionals regarding child abuse identification and reporting. Training on child abuse topics of interest is provided to medical personnel in our community.

Our team is made up of a Medical Director with a specialty in Pediatrics, a Team Coordinator (supervisor), 3 full time Case Coordinators, 1 part time Case Coordinator and a secretary. We have 3 consulting Psychologists and a Legal consultant. Individual team members participate in the county wide Children’s Summit, the Sexual Assault Awareness Day, sit on the Child Fatality Review Team, and the Violence Link Task Force of Manasota, an organization whose mission is to promote the association of Animal Cruelty and Human Violence

Under the leadership of the Child Protection Team and funded by a grant from Manatee County Government, an education and awareness program for children who are expecting to testify in a court proceeding and their non-offending parent(s) is offered. The success of Court School is measured by the individual’s comfort level participating in the legal process being increased.