Our Services
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Sullivan County (CAC) is dedicated to serving children who are alleged victims of sexual and severe physical abuse through prevention, education, and intervention.
We help our clients heal by offering the following services to our clients. All services are completely free of charge:
Forensic Interviews
Child forensic interviews are conducted in a manner that is legally sound, of a neutral, fact-finding nature and coordinated to avoid duplicative interviewing. The interview is conducted in an environment in which the child feels safe telling the facts of any incident which may or may not have occurred. Interviews are conducted by trained CAC staff and are generally observed by a detective and a child protective services worker. This service provides thorough incident disclosure by the child in one to two interviews, thereby eliminating the need for the child to undergo multiple interviews. Our forensic interviewers also serve as “expert witnesses” in court proceedings, and interviews are recorded for accurate documentation.
Medical Examinations
Because physical evidence of abuse, particularly sexual abuse, must be obtained quickly, delays in examining a child may result in lost evidence. The CAC provides a quality, child friendly medical room used strictly for child abuse examinations. A physician and a family life specialist, with specialized training and expertise in child abuse, examines victims on site, thereby, eliminating long waits in a stressful emergency room. Examinations are arranged at the request of the Sullivan County Child Protective Investigative Team.
Counseling
CAC Therapists are licensed mental health service providers who have very specialized training in working with child abuse victims. They provide direct assessment, individual and group counseling and support services. Clinicians are specially trained to deal with the intricate problems relating to child victimization. Children who are referred for counseling may continue in counseling as long as necessary.
Family Advocacy
The CAC Family Advocate assists the non-offending parent or care-taker with services needed to maintain a safe and stable environment for their children. In addition, the Family Advocate provides emotional support to the caregiver as well as parenting information helpful to caregivers in meeting the needs of an abused child.
Victim Services Coordinator
The Victim Services Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the Child Protective Investigative Team meetings, tracking case data, providing court liaison services and court education/support to child victims. The Victims Services Coordinator also assists caregivers in filing for Victim’s Compensation funds for the child victim.
Community Education
At the CAC, we believe that education is prevention. Currently we provide educational programs for both children and adults. We teach personal safety and awareness programs to pre-school and kindergarten students throughout Sullivan County with Happy Bear. Happy Bear teaches children the difference between welcome touches and unwelcome touches. We also present “Kids on The Block” to 3rd graders in Sullivan County, Kingsport and Bristol City schools through the use of hand puppets. The puppets share safety techniques, which they have learned through their personal experiences. We offer two hour training classes to the community on identifying and reporting child abuse. Information includes behavioral indicators of abuse, handling disclosures and appropriate ongoing response to abuse. This class is for teachers, pre-school teachers, day care providers and anyone else who deals with children.