Contact Us

Preferred Method of Contact

The Building Resiliency in Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) & Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) training curriculum was adapted by the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers from the “Building Resiliency in Child Abuse Organizations” curriculum developed by the Office for Victims of Crime. The purpose of this training is to strengthen the capacity of South Carolina’s Children’s Advocacy Centers by educating CAC staff and multi-disciplinary team members on the impact of working in this field and by promoting resilience-building on a team level. This training also assists CACs in meeting resiliency training requirements in the National Children’s Alliance accreditation standards.

CAC and MDT members who work with abused children often emphasize the importance of building resiliency in these young victims. However, they sometimes overlook the need to develop resiliency in themselves. If providers are unable to cope with the difficult situations inherent in their work, they are susceptible to vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. To maintain a healthy perspective, then, providers must learn how to build their own individual resiliency. But it is also the ethical responsibility of the organization to create an environment that supports and encourages this critical strength for the effective functioning of the CAC/MDT.

The goal of this training is to discuss the impact of working in this field, identify the five core elements of resiliency, and explore how they can be implemented in the CAC and on the MDT through the organizational resiliency model using policies/practices, communication techniques, and competency-based training. This training utilizes games, small group discussion, and reflection to encourage participants to apply the knowledge they gain to themselves and their teams. Participants will walk away with an action plan for building resiliency in their CAC/MDT.

Participants will receive a workbook as a part of this training that is packed with resources and information for maintaining resiliency after the training sessions conclude. From the workbook we learn that our work has a tendency to change the way we feel, think, and behave. Think about the many ways this work has impacted you, both positively and negatively. It’s important to acknowledge the impact our work has on us personally. Material in the workbook reminds attendees that recognizing signs of the impact doesn’t make you any less resilient and provides action planning pages for resiliency building. Click on the page images to the right to enlarge the sample pages from the workbook.

The training is intended for all Children’s Advocacy Center staff members, Multidisciplinary Team members who work with Children’s Advocacy Centers, or other groups who work with Children’s Advocacy Center teams. The training is facilitated by SCNCAC staff on site at the requesting CAC or a training location in the CACs community. The training is approximately 4.5 hours in length. If you wish to request this training at your CAC, use the training request button below.

Request Resiliency Training