A $228,886 grant to Child Protect in Montgomery and a $443,480 grant to the Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center in Dothan will help these organizations continue offering forensic interviews, counseling and advocacy to child abuse victims and family members determined not to have been involved in the abuse. Child Protect serves Montgomery County and the Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center serves Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties.

Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, based in LaGrange, Ga., will use a $135,000 grant to help continue its Keeping Family Connections program, which provides supervised visitation for non-custodial parents and their children in Lee County.

“Providing special care for abused children and helping to strengthen family connections is important for the future of Alabama,” Ivey said. “I commend the staff members of these agencies for the great work they do, and I am pleased to be able to award these grants to help them continue that work.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“ADECA stands with Gov. Ivey in support of these agencies and the important work they do in helping families and children,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.

ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victims services, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation development.