Mission Statement
Child Advocacy Center serves victims of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and drug endangered children along with their non-offending parents and family members. The Center works as a multidisciplinary team with Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, mental health counselors, and the District Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases and help children and their families heal from the trauma and victimization of the abuse.
Description
The Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County, Inc. is a non-profit agency whose primary purpose is to reach out to our community’s youngest crime victims. The Center provides a safe, child friendly location where children suspected of being victims of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and drug endangered children are interviewed by the multidisciplinary team of professionals in connection with the crime.
The organization provides the coordination of cases for the Child Protective Investigative Team meetings to facilitate the forward progress of each child’s case. Meetings are held monthly for the team to assess and follow-up on the developments in each case. These team meetings ensure that no child’s case will be overlooked.
The following program services are provided free of charge to child abuse victims, child sexual abuse victims, drug endangered children, and their non-offending parents and grandparents: Forensic interviews of child victims, Crisis intervention counseling, Case management and referrals to community resources, Crisis telephone line, Court advocacy services, Home visits for drug endangered children, Child sexual abuse children’s groups, Non-offending parents support group for parents of child sexual abuse victims, Coordination of services to victims, and Darkness to Light prevention training.
