Local CACs
A children’s advocacy center (CAC) is the ONE non-profit that serves as the first stop for children victimized by sexual abuse or severe physical abuse or who have witnessed a violent crime. CACs provide a safe, child-friendly environment where law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, medical, and mental health professionals can share information and develop effective, coordinated strategies sensitive to the needs of each unique case and child. It is the goal of all local centers to reduce trauma to child abuse victims and their families by offering six core services:
In the fiscal year 2021, 68,018 children received critical services at a Texas children's advocacy center. Our Texas CAC network brings together:
- Over 1,400 dedicated CAC staff members
- Over 1,000 law enforcement jurisdictions
- More than 230 district and county attorneys
- More than 300 medical and mental health professionals
- Every Department of Family and Protective Services region in the state including Child Protective Investigations, Child Care Investigations, and Adult Protective Services
Click the image below to see how these multidisciplinary partners work together to serve child victims:
Before CACs Were Here
If your child made an outcry of abuse, wouldn’t you want the investigation, prosecution and intervention services to be handled in a manner sensitive to the needs of your child? Prior to children’s advocacy centers, a child’s outcry of abuse didn’t necessarily mean the hurt was over.
Due to the complex nature of these cases, our systems require the involvement of many different professionals to investigate, prosecute and intervene. Historically, information was not routinely shared, efforts were rarely coordinated, and obtaining successful outcomes for these child victims was virtually impossible.
