NCJ Number
252703
Date Published
April 2018
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This is the 2017 Annual Report on the activities of the National Children's Alliance (NCA), which is the national association and accrediting body for a network of 854 Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs), which act as the initial point of contact between a suspected victim of child abuse who is referred by police or child protective services.
Abstract
At the CAC, the child tells his/her story once to a trained interviewer. Based on this interview, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) makes decisions about how to help the child. They then provide a wide range of services that include therapy, medical exams, courtroom preparation, victim advocacy, case management, and other services appropriate to the case. In 2017, the NCA began to see the impact of its advocacy work in getting more funds to CACs under the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). It was the second full year of progress under NCA's current 5-year strategic plan to meet current and future challenges. It began a partnership with the Pentagon to better serve children and families on military bases. It also collaboratively developed resources and projects to assist CACs in meeting the needs of children victimized by commercial sexual exploitation and physical abuse. It addressed improvement in the mental health services provided by each CAC. Planned NCA activities for 2018 are also presented in this Annual report. NCA is the leading advocate working to influence the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act, which is the only federal funding program dedicated solely to CACs. NCA is pushing to double the allocation to $45 million over a 5-year period. In 2018, NCA will expand its key federal agency partnership to include the Department of Defense. A financial statement is provided.