To understand what a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is, you must understand what children face without one. Without a CAC, children may end up having to recount the worst experience of their life over and over again, to doctors, law enforcement, attorneys, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may have to talk about that traumatic experience in a police station where they think they might be in trouble or may be asked  questions by a well-meaning teacher or other adult that could unintentionally weaken/undermine the investigation.

When police or child protective services are concerned that  a child may be experiencing abuse, the child is brought to the CAC—a safe, child-focused environment—by a caregiver or other “safe” adult. At the CAC, the child tells their story once to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask in a way that is research based and does not retraumatize the child. Then, a team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health, prosecution, child protective services, victim advocacy, and other professionals make decisions together about how to help the child based on the interview. CACs and partner agencies offer therapy, medical exams, victim advocacy, case management, and other services. This is called the multidisciplinary investigative team (MDIT) response, and this collaboration is a core part of the work of CACs.