Dedicated to the Prevention of Child Abuse

 The Children's Advocacy Center opened it's doors on Jun 1, 2001 to provide services to children in Erie County who have made allegations of sexual or physical abuse.  Referrals to the CAC primarily come from the Office of Children and Youth and from the police.  Children are interviewed at the Center in a child-friendly environment.  The CAC was created to make the system easier for the children to navigate, and to foster enhanced coordination and linkages between all the adult professional systems that come into play when a child is abused.  The CAC is not a government organization.  As a non-profit organization, it is totally reliant on grants, donations and fundraising events. 

A Child Friendly Environment... 

When a child discloses abuse, several professionals are needed to hear the chld's account of what happened in order to assist the child. Rather than having the child go to multiple locations for interviews, the CAC provides a child-friendly environment where separate involved departments come to the Center to participate.  The involved professionals observe and interview conducted via Closed Circuit Television and meet periodically to review how to best assist the child.  This process greatly reduces the need for multiple interviews as well as lessening the trauma for the child.  Immediate referrals for counseling and other needed services are provided following the interview so that all the professionals are involved early to insure the child and their community safety needs are addressed.  

An investigation must be conducted to keep the community safe.  Rather than having the child go to multiple locations for interview, the CAC provides a child-friendly
environment in a comfortable suite of offices. The adult professionals come to the child, observe an interview conducted via  Closed Circuit Television and meet periodically to review how to best assist the child.  This reduces the need for multiple interviews, lessens the trauma of the child, provides for immediate linkages to counseling and needed services, and gets all the professionals involved early to assure the child and their community safety needs are addressed.