The Child Advocacy Center Model
The Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) model 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. CACs are community-based programs designed to meet the unique needs of a community, so no two CACs look exactly alike. They share a core philosophy that child abuse is a multifaceted community problem and no single agency, individual or discipline has the necessary knowledge, skills or resources to serve the needs of all children and their families. They also share a belief 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.
The primary goal of all CACs is to ensure that children are not further victimized by the intervention systems designed to protect them. Program objectives include:
- Developing a comprehensive multidisciplinary, developmentally and culturally appropriate response to child abuse which is designed to meet the needs of children and their families in a specific community;
- Establishing a neutral, child friendly facility where interviews and/or services for abused children can be provided;
- Preventing trauma to the child caused by multiple, duplicative contacts with different professionals;
- Providing needed mental health treatment and other services to children and families;
- Maintaining open communication, information sharing and case coordination among community professionals and agencies involved in child protection efforts so that case decision-making and policy development are enhanced;
- Coordinating and tracking investigative, prosecutorial, child protection and treatment efforts so that cases do not "fall through the cracks";
- Holding more offenders accountable through improved prosecution of child abuse cases;
- Enhancing professional skills necessary to effectively respond to cases of child abuse through cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural training and support;
- Enhancing community awareness and understanding of child abuse.
Table of Contents
Supportive Organizations2
West Virginia Resources5
Training Resources7
Public and Media Relations10
Online Resources12
Statistical Resources15
Resource Guides16
Accreditation...... 16Confidentiality...... 16
Fundraising and Financial16
Management16
MDT Coordination17
Miscellaneous Resources18
Research18
Sample CAC Documents19
Sample Job Descriptions19
Technical Assistance20Commonly Used Acronyms21
West Virginia Child Advocacy Network
Mission
The West Virginia Child Advocacy Network's mission is to better serve children and families when concerns of child abuse arise by supporting the development, growth and continuation of Child Advocacy Centers and multi-disciplinary teams in West Virginia.
Early Agency History
In November of 1999, the Summers County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) became the first NCA Associate Member in the state of West Virginia. Awareness of a need for Child Advocacy Centers had been increasing in West Virginia. With the West Virginia Legislature's mandate that child abuse investigations be approached using the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) method, a clear need for coordination and standardization of programs statewide was indicated.
In 2001 – 02, for the counties in Region IV of the Department of Health and Human Resources, a series of meetings began, which included those people and organizations interested in developing CACs, and the Southeast Region CAC group was formed. In April 2002, a multidisciplinary meeting, spawned by this group, was held in the state capitol with NCA staff to discuss expansion of CACs in West Virginia. At this point, there were nine CACs in the development stage, five of whom were NCA Associate Members. The Southeast Region CACs collaboratively sponsored a MDT Building Training with NCA.
The Southeast Regional group began formalizing the mission and goals of this newly formed team, expanding the network throughout West Virginia. In September 2004, the Southeast Regional CACs hosted a statewide Organizing Conference in Flatwoods, WV. The group then began meeting bi-monthly with members from the entire state, and in February 2003 the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) was born. Its mission is to support the development, growth and continuation of Child Advocacy Centers using multidisciplinary teams, so that West Virginia communities can better serve children and families when concerns of child abuse arise. ChildLaw Services agreed to be the Fiscal Agent for WVCAN.
WVCAN began obtaining small grants from various funding sources, which were used to further its mission. In 2006 officers were elected, By-laws and Articles of Incorporation were completed, and two CACs were Accredited by NCA. The group also passed its first legislative agenda, which defined Child Advocacy Centers in the WV Code using the 10 NCA Standards for Accreditation, made CACs a mandatory member of Multidisciplinary Investigative Teams, and an invited member of Multidisciplinary Treatment Teams in cases where the child has received CAC services.
In the Spring of 2007, WVCAN received its second Southern Regional CAC training grant. The state's first Forensic Interviewing Peer Review was hosted by the Greenbrier Child Advocacy Center and WVCAN in the Summer 2007, inviting all trained Forensic Interviewers in the state. Two additional CACs were accredited in Fall 2007 (bringing the total to four), and WVCAN received Chapter Membership with the National Children’s Alliance in Fall 2007.
During the 2007 Fall Interim Sessions and 2008 Legislative Session, WVCAN decided to pursue State funding. The 2008 Legislature appropriated a line item of $1 million, fiscally administrated by the Division of Criminal Justice Services, to support the already existing network of Child Advocacy Centers across the state and to encourage the growth and development of new centers. This sustainable funding stream is supplemental to funds already being raised at local centers.
WVCAN secured a National Children’s Alliance Chapter Support Grant for 2008 and hired a State Coordinator in May 2008, the first WVCAN paid staff position. WVCAN continues to work on supporting CACs and promoting best practices in Multidisciplinary Teams in West Virginia. The CAC movement has continued to grow over the years, with WVCAN adding the Training and Education Coordinator, Program Development Specialist and an AmeriCorps*VISTA to the staff. In 2012, there were 20 CACs in the state, 11 of which were accredited by NCA.
Supportive Organizations
National Children’s Alliance (NCA)is an organization thatequips communities to provide a coordinated investigation and comprehensive response to child victims of abuse.National Children's Alliance provides training, technical assistance, research, support and education to children’s advocacy centers, communities and child abuse professionals throughout the United States in support of child abuse advocacy and prevention.
National Children's Alliancewas founded in 1987 by former Congressman Bud Cramer, then District Attorney of Madison County Alabama, in response to the needs of a growing number of facility-based child abuse intervention programs and the demand for guidance from grassroots organizations working with child victims.
Today, NCA is a membership organization providing services to more than 700 children’s advocacy centers across the United States, as well as numerous developing centers, multidisciplinary teams and child abuse professionals.
10 Standards for Accreditation
The National Children’s Alliance (NCA) requires Child Advocacy Center programs to meet 10 Standards to become an accredited member. These 10 Standards, which have been in place since 1996, help to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims. The standards were revised in 2008 to better meet the needs of child abuse victims.
- Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)
- Cultural Competency and Diversity
- Forensic Interview
- Victim Support and Advocacy
- Medical Evaluation
- Mental Health
- Case Review
- Case Tracking
- Organizational Capacity
- Child Focused Setting
NCA Member Benefits:
Background Checks
Safety is one of primary concerns for a CAC – safety of the kids served, the center, staff and supporters. A critical component of safety is background screening for employees and volunteers within children’s advocacy centers. NCA has negotiated pricing for First Advantage’s services on behalf of CAC members. NCA highly recommends their user-friendly, secure, internet-based program but does not require centers to use a particular provider. This recommendation is made for the sole purpose of assisting centers in finding a cost-effective, efficient and convenient provider for these services.
Where to find:
Children’s Advocacy Center insurance program (CACip)
The Children’s Advocacy Center insurance program (CACip) was created by a team of professionals from both the insurance industry and children’s advocacy center programs – including a member of the National Children’s Advocacy Center training faculty. Together they created a program that addresses the specific insurance needs of advocacy centers with a single carrier for all types of coverage. NCA does not endorse any one insurance broker, insurance package or underwriter.
Where to find: David E. Harbarger
email:
ph: 256-428-1014
TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment (THICM)
The TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment (THICM) provides confidential expert review of medical examination findings to medical professionals who perform sexual abuse evaluations for children and adolescents. THICM makes child sexual abuse expertise available to all child advocacy centers medical providers who upload case information to the secure, web-based system. The use of this HIPPA compliant system is for medical providers only. It is free to join and no additional software or licenses are required for usage. The cost per case uploaded is $25.
Where to find:
Where to find:
Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers (RCACs)were established by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and are funded separately from both NCA and local child advocacy centers. The RCACs offer a full range of training, technical assistance, consultation and information to established and developing children’s advocacy centers. The four RCACs are: Northeast Regional, Midwest Regional, Western Regional, and Southern Regional.
Each RCAC is located within an accredited children’s advocacy program, which keeps them grounded with the day-to-day work of advocacy centers and allows them to more effectively pursue their common objective of helping both established and developing child advocacy centers.
Where to find:
Southern Regional Children’sAdvocacy Center (SRCAC)is a project of NCAC funded through the Department of Justice to provide training and technical assistance to communities working to provide a coordinated, collaborative response to child abuse. SRCAC serves the 16 southeastern states and DC. The SRCAC is the Regional Advocacy Center that serves West Virginia.
Where to find:
Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention (OJJDP),a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice supports states, local communities, and tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective programs for juveniles. The Office strives to strengthen the juvenile justice system's efforts to protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and provide services that address the needs of youth and their families.
OJJDP sponsorsresearch, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues; disseminates information about juvenile justice issues; and awards funds to states to support local programming.
Where to find:
West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN)
TheWest Virginia Child Advocacy Networkis the state chapter membership organization dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient – and put the needs of child victims first.The West VirginiaChild Advocacy Networkprovides training, support, technical assistance and leadershipon a statewide level to local children’s and child advocacy centers and communities throughout West Virginia responding to reports of child abuse and neglect.
WVCAN is committed to the development and growth of West Virginia’s Child Advocacy Centers and multidisciplinary teams. WVCAN offers its members a wide range of services that help to ensure West Virginia communities can better serve children and families when concerns of child abuse arise. Services that WVCAN provides include: Education & Training, Technical Assistance, Legislative Representation, and Collaboration.
Where to find:
West Virginia Resources
Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline
The Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline accepts confidential reports of suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Reports are received through a toll-free telephone line which is answered seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Members of certain occupational groups, such as teachers, social workers, and physicians, are mandated by law to make reports to the Hotline.
Where to find:1-800-352-6513
WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WVCADV)
The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WVCADV) is a statewide, non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of domestic violence and to the transformation of social systems that support non-violence, accountability, and economic self-sufficiency in diverse family structures and intimidate relationships.The WVCADV is the state membership organization for all domestic violence programs.
Where to find:
WV Court Improvement Program (WVCIP)
The West Virginia Supreme Court’s Court Improvement Program creates, identifies, and promotes initiatives that make the Court system more responsible and efficient in achieving safety, permanence, well-being, due process, and timely outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system.
Where to find:
WV Crime Victim Compensation Fund
In 1981, the West Virginia Legislature enacted legislation (WV Code §14-2A) creating the crime victims program within the West Virginia Court of Claims declaring that "a primary purpose of government is to provide for the safety of citizens and the inviolability of their property." This Act provides for compensation to innocent victims of crime who have suffered personal injury and who have incurred out-of-pocket losses as a result of criminally injurious conduct.
Where to find:
WV Division of Justice and Community Services (DJCS)
The West Virginia Division of Justice and Community Services serves as West Virginia’s criminal justice planning agency. DJCS serves as the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for grant funded programs provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as designated programs from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, other federal agencies as necessary, and the State of West Virginia. The Division’s duties include, but are not limited to, assisting in the protection of the citizens of WV through research and statistics; planning and coordination of services; training and certification of law enforcement officers; program development and implementation; and, administration of grant funded programs emphasizing safety, prevention, coordination and the general enhancement of the criminal justice system as a whole.
Where to find:
WVFoundation for Rape Information and Services (WVFRIS)
The West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services was established in 1982 as the network of regional rape crisis centers in West Virginia. As the state’s sexual assault coalition, FRIS has established standards of services throughout the state for victims of sexual violence and in 2004 expanded those services to include victims of stalking.
Where to find:
WV Prosecuting Attorney’s Institute (WVPAI)
The West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney’s Institute provides training and manuals to prosecutors, assistance with a database docket control system, and training to law enforcement. WVPAI hosts Finding Words trainings, which are trainings for forensic interviewers and multidisciplinary teams. The organization also administers the Forensic Medical Examination Fund.
Where to find:
WV State Police Crimes Against Children Unit
The purpose of the unit is to focus on identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminal child abuse and neglect cases, in coordination with Child Protective Services. The unit may provide training, technical expertise and coordination of services for other law-enforcement agencies, Child Protective Services caseworkers, prosecuting attorneys and multidisciplinary teams.
Where to find:
WV State Police Sex Offender Registry
The intent of the Sex Offender Registration Act is to assist law enforcement agencies in their effort to protect the public from sex offenders by requiring sex offenders to register with the State Police Detachment in the county where they reside, and by making certain information about sex offenders available to the public.
Where to find:
WV Victim Witness Assistance Program
The Victim Witness Assistance Program supports, improves and replicates promising practices in victims’ rights and services and to ensure that the voices of crime victims play a central role in the state's response to violence.The Crime Victims Compensation Act establishes a fund, which pays certain compensation and medical benefits to innocent victims of crime. The program is administered by the West Virginia Court of Claims.
Where to find: