To understand what a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is, you must understand what children face without one. Without a CAC, the child may end up having to tell about the worst thing that has happened in his or her life over and over again, to doctors, police officers, lawyers, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may have to talk about that traumatic experience in a police station where they think they might be in trouble, or may be asked the wrong questions by a well-meaning teacher or other adult that could hurt the case against the abuser.

When police or child protective services believe a child is being abused, the child is brought to the CAC—a safe, child-focused environment—by a caregiver or other “safe” adult. At the CAC, the child tells their story once to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask in a way that does not retraumatize the child. Then, a team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health, solicitor’s office, child protective services, victim advocacy, and other professionals make decisions together about how to help the child based on the interview. CACs offer therapy and medical exams, plus courtroom preparation, victim advocacy, case management, and other services. This is called the multidisciplinary team (MDT) response and is a core part of the work of CACs do in South Carolina.

What is the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (SCNCAC)

SCNCAC is the accredited state Chapter of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA). NCA is the national association and accrediting body for a network of more than 850 Children’s Advocacy Centers—CACs. SCNCAC is the coordinating entity for the 17 CACs in South Carolina. We provide support, advocacy, quality assurance, and statewide leadership for CACs, all to help support the important work that CACs do in communities across South Carolina. CACs provide a coordinated, evidence-based response to children who have been abused in all 46 counties of South Carolina.

The Process of a CAC and the Multidisciplinary Team Partners

The flowchart below shows how children and families go through the CAC investigation and intervention process and helps to show how case decisions are made.

The above flow chart is available in a PDF format for download and printing by using the link below.