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(580) 762.5266
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Ponca City, OK
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What is a Child Advocacy Center?
National figures reveal that one in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse before reaching adulthood. More often than not, the abuser is someone the child knows, leading to a fear of reporting the abuse due to possible blame or disbelief. A child advocacy center serves as a secure and nurturing environment where these children can share their experiences and receive support from professionals specifically trained in child abuse investigations. This child-centric approach is recognized as the most effective method for managing child abuse investigations.
Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) are community-oriented, child-friendly services aimed at assisting children and families affected by severe abuse or neglect. By bringing together Child Protective Services, law enforcement, legal professionals, and medical and mental health experts in one location, we offer a comprehensive, coordinated response to victims and their caregivers.
Before CACs, the system inadvertently inflicted more harm than good on child abuse victims. Children were expected to repeatedly recount their traumatic experiences in stark locations such as police stations, ERs, and school offices. Each recounting of their story added to the trauma they had already endured.
Now, our partners—child welfare, law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical and mental health professionals—come together in one convenient location. Children share their experiences with a trained forensic interviewer in a comfortable setting. They receive necessary medical examinations and therapy sessions, and are connected with a victim advocate. Our team members collaborate to provide the child and family with the services they need, offering support that could last weeks, months, or even years.
The CAC is built on a multidisciplinary team approach by providing a non-threatening child focused environment. Our location is central and neutral for families and team members. The CAC provides supportive care for the child as well as the family. Our advocates work with the District Attorney's office and help families to navigate the court system. The advocates will also refer families to appropriate counseling centers where it will be convenient for them to get the services they need.
Today there are nearly 880 CACs nationwide and 22 in the state of Oklahoma. CACs are designed to meet the needs of the community in which it is located – so no 2 centers are exactly alike. As a member of Child Advocacy Centers of Oklahoma, Dearing House collaborates with advocates across the state!
Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) are community-oriented, child-friendly services aimed at assisting children and families affected by severe abuse or neglect. By bringing together Child Protective Services, law enforcement, legal professionals, and medical and mental health experts in one location, we offer a comprehensive, coordinated response to victims and their caregivers.
Before CACs, the system inadvertently inflicted more harm than good on child abuse victims. Children were expected to repeatedly recount their traumatic experiences in stark locations such as police stations, ERs, and school offices. Each recounting of their story added to the trauma they had already endured.
Now, our partners—child welfare, law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical and mental health professionals—come together in one convenient location. Children share their experiences with a trained forensic interviewer in a comfortable setting. They receive necessary medical examinations and therapy sessions, and are connected with a victim advocate. Our team members collaborate to provide the child and family with the services they need, offering support that could last weeks, months, or even years.
The CAC is built on a multidisciplinary team approach by providing a non-threatening child focused environment. Our location is central and neutral for families and team members. The CAC provides supportive care for the child as well as the family. Our advocates work with the District Attorney's office and help families to navigate the court system. The advocates will also refer families to appropriate counseling centers where it will be convenient for them to get the services they need.
Today there are nearly 880 CACs nationwide and 22 in the state of Oklahoma. CACs are designed to meet the needs of the community in which it is located – so no 2 centers are exactly alike. As a member of Child Advocacy Centers of Oklahoma, Dearing House collaborates with advocates across the state!
History of Dearing House
The idea to start a child advocacy center in Kay and Noble counties was initiated in 1998 by a Task Force under the guidance of the District Attorney's office. At that time, a new approach to responding to reports of possible child abuse was moving across the country, following the model of the first center, the National Child Advocacy Center, in Huntsville, Alabama.
Community awareness and support for a local center was generated by a "child watch tour" in 1999 when 20 community leaders were given the opportunity to follow the steps of a child during a re-enactment of the investigation process, with adults playing the roles of the child as well as the investigators, child welfare workers, and court personnel. Driven by the desire to improve the investigative process and outcomes for traumatized children and their families, community members on the tour made a commitment to support the Task Force' goals of creating a child advocacy center. The Task Force conducted a successful capital campaign and in 2002 began remodeling a donated building in compliance with national standards established for all centers by the National Children's Alliance..
Dearing House, named for the family that donated the building, opened its doors to children in April 2003. Dearing House is a non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors, and accredited by the National Children's Alliance, and Child Advocacy Centers of Oklahoma.
Community awareness and support for a local center was generated by a "child watch tour" in 1999 when 20 community leaders were given the opportunity to follow the steps of a child during a re-enactment of the investigation process, with adults playing the roles of the child as well as the investigators, child welfare workers, and court personnel. Driven by the desire to improve the investigative process and outcomes for traumatized children and their families, community members on the tour made a commitment to support the Task Force' goals of creating a child advocacy center. The Task Force conducted a successful capital campaign and in 2002 began remodeling a donated building in compliance with national standards established for all centers by the National Children's Alliance..
Dearing House, named for the family that donated the building, opened its doors to children in April 2003. Dearing House is a non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors, and accredited by the National Children's Alliance, and Child Advocacy Centers of Oklahoma.