What is a Child Advocacy Center (CAC)?

A Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is a child-focused, community-based facility designed to support children who have experienced abuse or neglect. CACs provide a safe, welcoming environment where children can begin the healing process and professionals can respond with care and coordination.

What do CACs do?

Each CAC uses a collaborative, multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach and research-supported practices to reduce trauma, support healing, and pursue justice. Local centers serve as central hubs where evidence can be collected and services delivered—all under one roof.

CACs work closely with law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, medical and mental health providers to ensure a comprehensive, coordinated response to child abuse. This team approach reduces duplication, limits retraumatization, and ensures that children and families receive the support they need.

Each year, Arkansas CACs serve more than 10,000 children who have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, severe neglect, or have witnessed violence.

CAC Services

Services offered by CACs may include:

Forensic Interviews
Family Advocacy
Mental Health Services
Medical Exams
Law Enforcement
Community Awareness & Education

All services are provided at no cost to children or their families.

Advocacy

Child advocacy centers (CACs) guide and support families through every step of the process, from investigation to court preparation to follow-ups. CACs connect families to mental health services, legal and immigration services, as well as food, shelter and clothing. These services are rendered at no cost to victims or their families.

Introduction to the process
Family support
Guide through investigation
Extensive follow-up
Court preparation
Connection to services
- Mental health
- Food, shelter, clothing
- Legal
- Immigration

Medical Services

At every CAC, providers with child abuse expertise are on-site to carry out specialized exams and collect important evidence. These experts ensure the health and safety of the child and reassure victims and their caregivers.

Specialized exams for child abuse
Ensures health and safety of a child
Collect important evidence
Reassure children and their caregivers
Sexual Abuse Nurse Examiners (SANEs)
Children served by CACs are 4x more likely to receive a medical exam

Mental Health

Victims of child abuse and neglect can face long-term mental health consequences. Using evidence-based practices, CACs offer crisis intervention and trauma-informed treatment, in an effort to reduce these effects.

Crisis intervention
Long-term trauma-informed treatment
Evidenced-based practices
Reduces the long-term effect of traumatic experiences
Children served by CACs are twice more likely to receive mental health services

Community Awareness & Education

Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas is directly involved in community education through schools, churches and childcare facilities around the state. This outreach includes mandated reporter training, abuse prevention, body safety and internet safety.

Mandated reporter trainings
Prevention
Body safety
Internet safety
Churches, childcare facilities, schools

How are CACs Funded?

From state and federal funding to private and individual donations, Arkansas child advocacy centers are supported by many sources. We are immensely grateful to all our donors and supporters.

State fundingArkansas Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Federal grants – Victims of Crime Act
Local grants – United Way and foundations
National Children’s Alliance grant
Crime victims reparations
Individual donations
Organized fundraisers