Champaign County Children's Advocacy Center

Michael Williams, Executive Director

About CAC

What are Children's Advocacy Centers
Core Components of the Champaign County CAC
Governing Board & Staff of the CAC
Breaking the cycle of abuse - one child at a time
Abuse - A Community Problem
What you can do to help: Get Involved & Stay Informed
Individuals who are the voice of the child
Volunteers & Donations
How we benefit the community
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Core Components of the Champaign County Children’s Advocacy Center

The Champaign County Children’s Advocacy Center is a fully accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance.  In order to obtain accreditation, the Children’s Advocacy Center was required to meet the NCA’s standards for providing a comprehensive, culturally competent multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse in a dedicated, child-friendly setting.

The following components are necessary for accredited membership in the National Children’s Alliance:

• The Children’s Advocacy Center provides a comfortable private, child-friendly setting that is both physically and psychologically safe for clients.
• The Children’s Advocacy Center utilizes a multidisciplinary team for response to child abuse allegations that includes representation from the following: law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, mental health and medical services, victim advocacy agencies, and the Children’s Advocacy Center.
• The Children’s Advocacy Center has a designated legal entity responsible for program and fiscal operations and the implementation of basic sound administrative practices.
• The Children’s Advocacy Center promotes policies, practices and procedures that are culturally competent.  Cultural competency is defined as the capacity to function in more than one culture, requiring the ability to appreciate, understand and interact with members of diverse populations within the local community.
• Forensic interviews at the Children’s Advocacy Center are conducted by specially-trained interviewers and are conducted in a manner which is of a neutral, fact finding nature, and coordinated to avoid duplicative interviewing. 
• Specialized medical evaluation and treatment are made available to CAC clients as part of the team response, either at the CAC or through coordination with other specialized medical providers. 
• Specialized mental health services are made available as part of the team response, either at the CAC or through coordination and referral with other appropriate treatment providers. 
• Victim advocacy and support are made available as part of the team response, either at the CAC or through coordination with other providers, throughout the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.
• Team discussion and information sharing regarding the investigation, case status and services needed by the child and the family occur on a routine basis.
• The CAC has a system for monitoring case progress and tracking outcomes for team components.

For more information about the National Children’s Alliance, please visit their website at http://www.nca-online.org

If you suspect abuse, call your local police department or
the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
at 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873)