Wynona’s House is an accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). NCA defines a child advocacy center as, “a child-friendly facility in which law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy professionals work together to investigate abuse, help children heal from abuse, and hold offenders accountable.”

At its core, the model is about teamwork – bringing the agency professionals involved in a case together on the front end – and about putting the needs of the child victim first.

Answering the question “Why is the Children’s Advocacy Center model so important? How does it make a difference for child victims of abuse?” the NCA website states:

“At its core, the model is about teamwork – bringing the agency professionals involved in a case together on the front end – and about putting the needs of the child victim first. So rather than having a child taken from agency to agency throughout the law enforcement and child protection systems, and having to endure multiple, sequential interviews, the CAC model brings the system to the child, and brings the agency professionals together to work in a collaborative approach that results in effective, efficient and child-centered casework.” http://nationalchildrensalliance.org/cac-model