WHAT IS A CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER?
Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) are child-focused facilities that help abused children heal by coordinating the investigation and treatment of child sexual abuse. CACs provide children and families access to long-term advocacy and healthcare. To better understand what a CAC is, you must understand what children face without one.
WITHOUT CACS
Without a CAC, a child may end up having to tell the worst experience of his or her life over and over again to doctors, police, lawyers, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may not get the help they need to heal once the investigation is over. However, in a CAC setting, children share their trauma ONLY ONE TIME with trained professionals.
WITH CACS
When police or child protective services believe a child is being abused, the child is brought by a caregiver or other “safe” adult to the CAC - a safe, child-focused environment. At the CAC, children tell their stories to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask. Then, based on the interview, a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health providers, prosecution, child protective services, victim advocates, and other professionals make decisions together about how to help the child. CACs offer a wide range of services like therapy, medical exams, courtroom preparation, victim advocacy, case management, and more. This multi-disciplinary team (MDT) response is the backbone of the CAC.
