Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center earns accreditation from National Children’s Alliance

Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center (CMCAC), a community program that provides a child-friendly environment geared toward making a child feel safe and comfortable while being interviewed about possible abuse, has been awarded accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.

National Children’s Alliance awards accredited membership based on a child advocacy center’s compliance with 10 national standards including a multidisciplinary team approach in child abuse investigation, prosecution and treatment, as well as cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention and child-focused setting.

The CMCAC multidisciplinary team includes law enforcement, child and family advocates, medical providers, mental health professionals, prosecuting attorneys and child protection/social workers. Since opening in 2016, the CMCAC has served more than 400 children and 300 caregivers in Stearns and Benton counties.

“We have a strong multi-disciplinary team which is the foundation to our CAC,” said Katie Boecker, Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center director. “This accreditation is acknowledgement, at a national level, that we are providing high quality and effective services to child abuse victims and their non-offending caregivers.”

National Children’s Alliance 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 national authority on multidisciplinary approaches to supporting child victims of abuse, the purpose of National Children’s Alliance is to empower local communities to provide comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.