WHAT IS A CAC?

Child Advocacy Centers (CAC’s) are child-friendly facilities where child victims of maltreatment may be interviewed, undergo medical examinations, and receive therapy.

Child Advocacy Centers stress coordination of investigation and intervention services by bringing together professionals and agencies as a multi-disciplinary team to create a child-focused approach to child abuse cases. This multi-disciplinary team is comprised of members from many disciplines including law enforcement, social services, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy who work together in the investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases. The main goal of all CAC’s is to ensure that children are not re-victimized by the very system designed to protect them.

CAC’s in Maryland are locally-based and each is uniquely designed to best meet the needs of its own community, so no two CACs look exactly alike.