Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – The Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center has been awarded accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
Founded in 1990, National Children’s Alliance (NCA) is the national association and accrediting body for the 777 Children’s Advocacy Centers and 49 State Chapters serving each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. As the accrediting agency NCA awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abusein ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with NCA, and denotes excellence in service provision. In 2014, the Plymouth County CAC first became fully accredited, and has been accredited each year since. NCA notified our office of this year’s accreditation in a letter dated October 28.
“We recognize the importance of accreditation from National Children’s Alliance and supporting the multidisciplinary team approach,” DA Cruz said. “Accreditation not only validates our CAC’s proven effective approach to responding to allegations of child abuse. Our CAC is a place where the healing process begins for child victims and their families, and I am proud of the work that our staff does each and every day.”
The Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center was created in 1997, to help minimize trauma to children and families when concerns of abuse arise. Initially operating directly out of The Plymouth County DA’s Office, in 2004, the CAC joined with Brockton Area Multi Services, Inc. to create a comprehensive public/private partnership. Plymouth County CAC is dedicated to minimizing trauma to children and families when concerns of abuse arise. Through the expertise of the multi-disciplinary team members, we are able to gain a complete understanding and address the unique needs of each child and family. Last year, our CAC received 1,032 referrals for children between the ages of 3-18 and each child victim and their family was given targeted services and referrals.
National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membershipbased on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims. NCA updated these standards in 2010 to reflect the most recent evidence-based practices in the field of child abuse intervention and prevention. According to these standards, Accredited Members must utilize a functioning and effective Multidisciplinary Team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment. NCA also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.
“The Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center is to be commended for its excellent work serving victims of child abuse,” Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children’s Alliance said. “As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration.”
For more information about the Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center, please go to our website: CAC.PlymouthDA.com