From the National Children's Alliance (NCA):

CACs (Children's Advocacy Centers) are defined by the Children's Bureau (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) as LEVEL 1 emergency responders.

CACs are how communities mount a coordinated response to allegations of child abuse. To understand what a CAC is, you must understand what children face without one. Without a CAC, a child may end up having to tell the worst experience of his or her life over and over again, to doctors, police, lawyers, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may not get the help they need to heal once the investigation is over, either.

When police or child protective services (DSS) 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 experience once to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask. Then, based on the interview, a multidisciplinary team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health providers, prosecution, child protective services, victim advocates, and other professionals make decisions together about how to help the child. Finally, CACs offer a wide range of services like therapy, medical exams, courtroom preparation, and more regardless of the ability to pay.

KIDS Place Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) welcomes everyone regardless of their race, religion, color, socio-economic status, national origin, sex, age, ability, citizenship, immigration status, marital status, familial status of language spoken.

Child Advocacy

Child Advocacy and support of the child and families/cargivers are fundamental to the services we provide. We do this by providing a supportive, inclusive, comfortable, and private environment for the necessary services that will take place.

The child advocate is just that - the advocate for every child / youth / teen, parent, or caregiver who walks through our doors. Family advocacy is a blanket term for a myriad of services, including orientation to the interview process, provision of resources, and emotional and logistical support.

Forensic Interviews

The interview room at KIDS Place is specially designed to be comfortable and child-friendly. Interviews are observed via closed circuit cameras by law enforcement, child protective services and medical providers so that kids don’t have to be in a roomful of adults while being interviewed. Forensic Interviews are scheduled at the request of law enforcement and child protective services.

Medical Service

Law Enforcement officers and Social Workers can refer a child to KIDS Place for a medical evaluation.

The purpose of these complete physicals is to see if there is a need for treatment. Medical professionals who do these exams must have specialized training in child abuse and be listed on the roster of specialty providers with the Child Medical Evaluation Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. KIDS Place has specialized medical equipment to help with diagnosis and documentation.

Mental Health Therapy

After a child has disclosed an incident of abuse or neglect and a report has been made to the department of social services, the child may receive free therapy services from a trained licensed therapist at no charge to the family. Counseling provided at KIDS Place is evidence-based. The specific model most often used is Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. KIDS Place also provides help for caregivers and family members through the healing process. These free services are limited to children who were abused in or currently reside in Macon County, and for whom healing around issues related to abuse is the primary concern.

Multidisciplinary Team Case Review

Case review meetings are held at least monthly to ensure collaboration and communication between agencies for the child’s best interest. The Multidisciplinary Team is made up of professionals from: Child Protective Services, Law Enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, Medical providers, Mental Health providers, Juvenile Justice, and KIDS Place.

Presentations & Training

The staff of KIDS Place is available to provide training and informative presentations to our community that address issues related to the abuse of children. KIDS Place has a trained Darkness to Light Facilitator on-staff. Darkness to Light is an evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention training program. If you are interested in taking this training or setting up this training for your church, civic club, or other group, please call KIDS Place - 524-3199.

KIDS Place can also provide training on topics such as recognizing and responding to abuse, reporting abuse, and the socially skilled child molester.