About Us
The CAC of Norfolk County is a public and private partnership with a list of over 50 member agencies. At the initiative of Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, an Advisory Board was created in November 2000 to bring a wide range of agencies together to discuss the creation, development and implementation of a child-focused program to address the needs of child abuse victims and their families. These participating agencies contribute many resources, services and consultation to ensure that the CAC reaches its goals.

Currently, the CAC's member agencies include community social service agencies, local hospitals, several state agencies, court departments, private mental health and medical professionals, as well as all 27 police departments in Norfolk County and the Norfolk County District Attorney.

Across the United States Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) are in the forefront of child abuse intervention. CACs are distinguished by their multidisciplinary, team-orientated, and "victim-friendly" response to child abuse cases. Since the inception of the first CAC in 1985 in Huntsville, Alabama, the number of Children's Advocacy Centers has grown to over 400 nationally.

A variety of program models exist in the United States today. Many operate as nonprofit organizations, while others operate under the sponsoring umbrella of a particular agency or organization such as a prosecutor's office, hospital, or mental health agency. Services range from multidisciplinary investigation teams to a wide variety of additional services including medical examinations, mental health evaluations, victim advocacy, training, and research. CACs function as a community resource on child abuse and family violence.

After research in Massachusetts and across the country, District Attorney Keating initiated the effort to establish the Children's Advocacy Center of Norfolk County. The CAC of Norfolk County is a collaboration of community agencies to ensure that comprehensive services are available to meet the needs of child abuse victims and their families in Norfolk County. The goal of the CAC is to foster collaboration and communication among agencies, minimize the number of times that children are interviewed, and provide a swift and sensitive coordinated response to child victims and witnesses. The components of a Children's Advocacy Center include: Joint Interviews and Prosecution, Medical Evaluation & Referral, Mental Health Treatment & Referral, as well as an opportunity for Education & Training and Case Review & Tracking. Currently we are Associate Members of the National Children's Alliance with the hope to apply for Full Membership within the next year, which will provide some automatic funding.

Interagency Agreement
On December 5, 2001, over 50 agencies came together at the Endicott Estate in Dedham for the "Signing of the Interagency Agreement." This morning meeting was a celebration of the work of the Advisory Board over the past year. Each agency was called to the podium one-by-one to sign the Interagency Agreement pledging to "support the multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse investigation, prosecution and follow up medical and mental health services." Below is a list of agencies that have signed on to the concept and development of the Children's Advocacy Center.