Child Advocacy Centers

At a co-located Child Advocacy Center (CAC), such as the four operated by Safe Horizon, victims of child physical and sexual abuse and their families find the help they need - fast and in one location. The police (including a fully operational police precinct), Assistant District Attorneys, medical professionals, counselors, and child protective caseworkers are all working together under one roof in a child-friendly environment that minimizes the emotional distress of disclosing abuse and begins the healing process from the moment the families step through the door.

Safe Horizon's four CACs in New York City serve as models of the fully co-located model in which experts from four partner agencies - including police, child protection, prosecutors, medical experts and victim support and advocacy - work together as a multidisciplinary team to investigate child abuse. Safe Horizon's existing CACs help more than 5,000 children and their families each year. With the opening of two new co-located Centers in the coming months, Safe Horizon will be one of the largest single providers of these services in the nation.

Take a tour of a CAC >