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Children's Advocacy Center & CASA
What is the Children’s Advocacy Center?
The Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is where children are brought when there has been an allegation that a child may have been sexually abused, seriously physically abused, a witness to a major crime, and/or a victim of human trafficking.
In McLean, Livingston, and DeWitt Counties, DCFS and law enforcement are required to bring children to our centers to be interviewed by a forensic specialist utilizing the “child first” doctrine. This is part of a multidisciplinary team approach that provides children with a warm, friendly environment that is focused on reducing trauma to child abuse victims. All professional disciplines who work on these cases (law enforcement, DCFS, prosecution, medical, mental health, forensic specialists, advocates) work together from day one to case closure. Our advocates on staff assist the family as the case is to move through the judicial system. A trained, licensed therapist is on staff to provide counseling to the child victims and their non-offending caregivers, as well. The McLean County Advocacy Center is nationally accredited, complying with all the best practice standards in the field. The Livingston and DeWitt County Advocacy Centers are satellites of the McLean County Advocacy Center and follow all the same national best practice standards.
Refer to our agency brochure (PDF) for more information.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program
The CASA program trains community volunteers to advocate for McLean County abused and neglected children who have been removed from their biological family and placed into foster care. Read more about our program by clicking on the CASA page.