National Children's Alliance

✨These are the real words of a kid served by an NCA-accredited center. Through our Youth Feedback Survey, we're hearing from them in their own words. Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) listen to children. CACs also help them process what's happened to them and build a foundation for life after abuse so they can go back to being kids. 👉Learn more about what we do in our Healing, Justice, & Trust report: https://loom.ly/cytrzy8

For decades and across nearly 1,000 communities nationwide, Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) have provided evidence-based, child-centered care for children victimized by abuse and SUPPORT for their families. Unless Congress acts, CACs will be forced to cut down on services and even close their doors due to drastic funding cuts from the Crime Victims Fund. Reps. Ann Wagner, Nathaniel Moran, Debbie Dingell, Stephanie Bice, and Jim Costa introduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (CVFSA) in the House to protect CACs and provide access for victims to get the support they need. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Richard Durbin also introduced its companion bill in the Senate. The CVFSA is backed by 141 bipartisan co-sponsors and our goal is to reach 218 by the end of September. Help make a difference in our fight for stable and sustained funding for children in desperate need of victim services. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqJYHJG

Despite Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) serving many more victims of child sexual abuse than child physical abuse, federal data show the latter is far more common, potentially indicating CACs without a specialized response to physical abuse may be unequipped to serve a large population of child victims of abuse within their jurisdictions. Check out our guide to learn how CACs can better deliver evidence-based intervention designed to meet the specific needs of victims of physical abuse. Then, share with your networks: https://loom.ly/aieOktU

Why does belonging matter? In the latest episode of One in Ten podcast, NCA CEO Teresa Huizar speaks with Gaelin Elmore, former NFL player, youth advocate, speaker, and "belonging champion." We explore the significant impact of belonging on children who have faced adversities, and how child abuse professionals can incorporate belonging into their work to foster better outcomes. Listen now and subscribe to One in Ten: https://lnkd.in/d2izGwry Learn more about Gaelin: https://lnkd.in/gMehNKqz

#ICYMI: Our 2025 Leadership Conference call for abstracts is out. What can you teach the field next year? The Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) movement is gathering in Washington, D.C. at the 2025 Leadership Conference next summer, to hear and put into practice the latest ideas from experts. What have you learned in your career that other people in our field would benefit from knowing? Send us your workshop idea, a detailed description of it, and three to five learning objectives for your potential audience. Learn more and submit your abstract by September 20, 2024: https://lnkd.in/g43UXHZd We also begin selecting members of our 2025 Abstract Review Committee, who help us rate and select which abstracts are invited to present at Leadership Conference. Learn more and apply to volunteer for this year's Abstract Review Committee by September 13, and help make this the best conference ever: https://lnkd.in/gzs-MNSp Please also consider who else you know with the expertise to elevate practice in our field and share this with them!

On the latest episode of One in Ten podcast, Amanda Glouchkow, Research Assistant at University of Ottawa joined us to explore the complexities teachers face in identifying and reporting child abuse. Amanda shared surprising findings from her research and emphasized the importance of improving training and support for educators. Listen to the episode now and subscribe to One in Ten: https://lnkd.in/gGQJMtbX

Most post-secondary students going into our field are usually inadequately prepared for the complex realities of child protection. So, what can we do to help bring them more up to speed? Our partners at Zero Abuse Project have developed Child Advocacy Studies (CAST), an evidence-based academic major, minor, or certificate program designed to empower students to confidently recognize, react to, and effectively respond to child maltreatment. Learn more about CAST, and share this with your network: https://lnkd.in/eHgp3NkY Also, register for their free virtual seminar on October 30 where they'll showcase the newest CAST research and child maltreatment resources available for colleges and universities: https://lnkd.in/eXrQ98Za

❇️ CACs and MDT members can use the NCA Engage resource below with their communities to understand and explore the unique needs of child sexual exploitation victims. The toolkit features research, protocol examples, fact-sheets, and other information shared from CACs across the country. 👉Check it out and share with your network: https://lnkd.in/gKr53jin

Amanda Glouchkow, Research Assistant at the University of Ottawa joined the latest episode of One in Ten podcast to explore the complexities teachers face in identifying and reporting child abuse. Amanda shared surprising findings from her research and emphasized the importance of improving training and support for educators. Listen to the episode now and subscribe to One in Ten: https://lnkd.in/gGQJMtbX

NCA CEO Teresa Huizar and NCA Institute for Better Mental Health Outcomes Director Michelle Miller, Ph.D., LCSW were honored to be at the ISPCAN - Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Congress 2024 in Uppsala, Sweden this week! The Congress brings together the brightest minds in child protection from every sector, and this year's theme is Working Together in Times of Crisis which emphasizes the difficult realities, new challenges that children face, and the innovative solutions our global community is employing in research and practice. Michelle also presented a symposium: National Children's Alliance Mental Health Standards on Trauma: From Development to Implementation with University of Utah's Brooks Keshin, M.D. and Shannon Chaplo, Ph.D. The symposium went over how NCA standards in the U.S. support trauma screening and explore best practices for trauma identification and response at CACs.