Feature Story

August 30, 2008

Evaluating Children's Advocacy Centers' Response to Child Sexual Abuse

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Child sexual abuse investigations can place enormous stress on victims and their families. Prior to the 1980s, child abuse investigators had no model for conducting interviews and coordinating investigations.

The first Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) was established in 1986 to create a sensitive environment for child abuse interviews, provide victims and their families with medical and child protection services, and coordinate abuse investigations. The model has gained popularity in the past 20 years. As of 2006, the National Children’s Alliance had certified more than 600 centers.

This Bulletin describes the findings of a study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center that evaluated the effectiveness of the CAC model in four prominent Children’s Advocacy Centers and nearby comparison communities.

Findings demonstrate the important role these centers can play in advancing child abuse investigations and suggest ways in which the model could be improved in the future.