Dear Friends,
Greetings from the Board of Directors and staff of the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC), serving children in and around the County of Los Angeles.
We want to take this time to THANK YOU for your generous, past support of our efforts to help children who have been abused, and to update you on our progress. Without your continued support, we would not be able to provide this unique service, one that is changing the lives of many children and their families in our region.
Now into its twelfth year of operation, having served nearly 3,000 sexually and severely abused children, the CAC remains the newest, multidisciplinary assessment and treatment center in Los Angeles County. The CAC provides forensic interviews; coordination, case review and follow-up with forensic medical examiners; case management for every child and family, including referrals to counseling. Currently, 60% of children seen at the CAC are under six years of age. Thirty percent are ages 7-11 years old, and ten percent are teenagers. Two-thirds of the children seen are female and one-third are male.
Before the Children’s Advocacy Center was created, young survivors had to be taken to multiple locations in Los Angeles County for interviews and services. The Los Angeles Times recently described a not-uncommon situation where a young victim had been seen more than 50 times by the five or six different agencies typically involved in such a case. This child, like the others, was repeatedly re-traumatized by having her or his injury reopened psychologically again and again.
In contrast, because there is a CAC serving the East San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, all of the various agencies can observe a skillfully conducted forensic interview of a child from an adjacent room using closed circuit TV. These recorded interviews elicit valuable information needed by everyone from local law enforcement to the district attorney to child protection agencies. The interviews have dramatically increased the plea-bargained convictions of perpetrators of these horrific crimes, releasing the child from the further trauma of court testimony.
The need for this unique state-of-the-art service is overwhelming. The demand for it grows. By providing these children immediate, essential, coordinated services, they can much more quickly return to normal lives, the joys of childhood, and the promise of a full, successful life.
Since CAC is privately funded, we appeal to you to become a supporter of CAC so that we can continue to strengthen this unique, life-enhancing work.
We are proud to share our accomplishments with you and hope that you will share your resources during this season of giving. Thank you once again for supporting this innovative and critical service for children in our community!
Please consider making a tax deductible donation today!
http://childrensadvocacyctr.org/donate/