What is a child advocacy center?
A children’s advocacy center (CAC) is a child-focused, facility-based program in which representatives from many disciplines — law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy — work together, conducting joint forensic interviews and making team decisions about the investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases. A core belief in children’s advocacy centers is that the combined wisdom and professional knowledge of professionals of different disciplines will result in a more complete understanding of case issues and the most effective, child- and family-focused system response.
