Multi-Site Evaluation of Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs)
The Multi-Site Evaluation of CACs was conducted in 2005 and funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The study was designed to evaluate the impact of CACs on children, families, systems, and communities. Using a quasi-experimental design, data from over 1000 cases were collected from four participating CACs and from communities without CACs.
Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) are endorsed as the “state of the art” intervention for effective, sensitive investigation of allegations of child abuse. The core element of CACs, the multidisciplinary investigation team, is used in hundreds of communities across the country.
The study examined the impact of CACs on children, families, agencies, the court system and communities. Sites consisted of a CAC community with a matched comparison non-CAC community. The participating CACs were: Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, Dallas, TX; The Pittsburgh Child Advocacy Center, Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA; The Low Country Children's Center, Charleston, SC; and The National Children's Advocacy Center, Huntsville, AL
Results suggested that CACs increase coordination of investigations and use of medical examinations, and lead to greater satisfaction among non-offending parents of alleged victims. No differences were found at the time of the study for mental health service access for victims, satisfaction with the investigation for children, or criminal justice outcomes.
For more information search CCRC papers for “Child Advocacy Centers” and “Multi-Site Evaluation of Children’s Advocacy Centers.”
