A Visit to the Child Advocacy Center
What to Expect
When you arrive at the CAC, a staff member will greet you and and welcome you into our waiting area to fill out an intake form. The team will then introduce themselves and a Family Advocate will briefly meet with you alone to learn more about your child, to orient you with the interview process and show you our space. After this brief meeting, our interviewer will then invite your child into our child-friendly interview room. You will be at the CAC for as long as it takes to gather necessary information and answer all of your questions. The average length of a visit is two hours. The CAC will provide you and your child refreshments and snacks, there are toys, books and games in order to reduce anxiety and increase your child’s comfort while you are visiting. The team will also typically have a staff member to stay with your child or children while you meet with a Family Advocate.
After the Interview
Following the interview, you will meet briefly with your caseworker and/or law enforcement to discuss their next steps. Then you will meet again with your Family Advocate to discuss resources that are based on you and your family’s needs to begin the next step to healing.
How Do I prepare my child for our visit?
Do:
- Tell your child they will be visiting a child-friendly house.
- Give your permission to talk with the interviewers.
- Tell you child it is a safe place to talk openly and honestly.
- Tell your child that the person they will talk to is someone who talks to kids every day.
- Try to remain calm.
- Tell your child you will be in another room during an interview, and that you will not be leaving them
- Consider bringing an item that comforts your child such as a blanket or toy.
Dont:
- Tell your child what to say
- Promise treats or rewards to your child for talking
- try to answer questions that you don’t know