Child Abuse

Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) serve as a state-of-the-art model of best practices in community response to child sexual abuse.  Kentucky has prioritized development of Children's Advocacy Centers in order to promote the well-being of children while facilitating the most effective investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.  Children's Advocacy Centers create a child-friendly environment in which interviews, examinations and therapy services can be conducted.  In addition to focusing on the best interest of children, Children's Advocacy Centers also provide an opportunity to give support to the key professionals who dedicate themselves to the protection of children, particularly including social workers, advocates, law enforcement officers and prosecutors.  Children's Advocacy Centers and the teams of professionals attached to them currently serve more than 3,600 children every year.

Children's Advocacy Center service areas conform to the state's 15 Area Development Districts.  CACs provide technical assistance training, and other coordinated services to support organizations and individuals in their service regions, in addition to direct services they provide to child victims of abuse and sexual assault.  The CACs are designed to be not-for-profit organizations governed by a board of directors made up of local leaders who provide ongoing opportunities for growth and stability.

List of CACs

CAC Program Standards

The 1994 General Assembly appropriate funds to the Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation beginning in FY 1995-96 to develop services related to victims of child sexual abuse and perpetrators of sexual offenses. With this funding, the department established child sexual abuse clinicians within each regional MH/MR board and provided funding to centers to provide sex offender treatment. By 1996, the position of child sexual abuse clinician has been establihsed by all 14 regional MH/MR boards.

Today, the role of child sexual abuse clinician has evolved and expanded to that of a designated child sexual abuse treatment coordinator wtih responsibility for overseeing the treatment of victims of childhood sexual abuse, providing training and consultation to other professionals in the agency and community and representing the mental health needs of children who have been sexually abused. Designated child sexual abuse treatment coordinators are experts in treatment and advocacy on behalf of children who have been sexually abused.

To ensure effective and appropriate treatment of child victims of sexual abuse and their families, coordinators continue to address issues related to treatment and training while ensuring that no more than 50 percent of their time is spent providing direct services, in compliance with the law. 

Progress and the revision of duties in this program were made possible by shifting funds in the department in SFY 03 which provided a slight increase in funding and expanded the role of coordinators.

Designated Child Sexual Assault Treatment Coordinators