Your CAC Visit
Team Approach
Responding to reports of child abuse requires a team approach that addresses the physical, emotional and legal dimensions of child victims of crime. It requires a coordinated response from expert professionals to reduce stress throughout the investigation and intervention process. Child Advocacy Centers work in partnership with all the necessary agencies and specialists to coordinate a plan of action. Together, we work with law enforcement, prosecutors, interviewers, social workers, advocates, medical and mental health professionals and others to provide high-quality, specialized services for children who experience abuse and their caregivers. What’s more, we provide our services in the comfort and convenience of our child-friendly locations.
Inside a Child Advocacy Center
New Hampshire’s Child Advocacy Centers are designed to make children and families feel welcome and safe. Our waiting rooms are child friendly and interview rooms are quiet and comfortable. Children tell what happened to a single, trusted interviewer while other professionals observe from another room.
- Confidentiality and respect for family privacy is very important to us. Our centers have separate areas for private conversations and interviews are scheduled so only one family is at a center at a time.
- Navigating the forensic interview process may feel overwhelming.
- click here for more information about the CAC process.
- Each CAC in NH has a video tour with more information.
- Find your CAC on our You Tube Channel
Family Support Specialists
A Family Support Specialist (FSS) is the first person you will meet when you come to the Child Advocacy Center. They are part of the multi-disciplinary team and their role is to meet with the caregiver while the child victim is participating in the Forensic Interview. The FSS will make referrals for behavioral health services, specialized medical care and other community resources. The FSS will follow-up with the caregiver and ensure any questions are answered and that the family is connected with the appropriate services to begin their healing journey. The FSS is always available to help the family after they leave the CAC.
Forensic Interviewers
Forensic interviewers at New Hampshire’s Child Advocacy Centers are trained in a nationally recognized model of forensic interviewing developed by the National Children’s Advocacy Center. The forensic interviewer has special training and is experienced in talking with children. The interviewer’s goal is to make your child as comfortable as possible gathering information.
Forensic interviews are a first step in child abuse investigations. They produce evidence that can be used in court if an investigation leads to criminal prosecution. Properly conducted forensic interviews are effective because they’re objective, non-leading, and carefully documented.
After The Interview
We offer evidence-based, trauma- informed assessment and treatment services to support healing following a forensic interview. Child abuse can cause children and their families to lose trust in the world and in themselves. Support from a mental health professional can help children and families:
• Deal with strong and often confusing feelings
• Heal from the trauma and move beyond the abuse
The GSCA behavioral health staff is comprised of licensed and master’s level clinicians with training and expertise in trauma and child abuse. Behavioral health services are available in English.