Understanding the Development and Impact of Child Advocacy Centres (CACs)

6. Effect of CACs on clients

“Before I came here I was stressed out. I didn’t know how to handle it. Here I can talk about it. I don’t keep it inside and walk around with it every day.” (victim)
“When I didn’t feel capable of telling someone, they helped me feel capable of talking.” (victim)

Reduced non-financial hardship

CACs reduce stress and re-victimization. Five sites provide a single, safe, and child-friendly place for victims and their families to obtain information and support, and a location for interivews. CACs also reduced the number of victim interviews (e.g., by videotaping), which was important since having to tell their stories was the most difficult part of the process for victims. The average number of interviews per victim was 1.3, as reported by caregivers. Nine of the 10 victims who remembered their number of interviews reported being interviewed once. In one instance where a child was re-interviewed, a child psychologist accompanied interviewers to prevent re-traumatization. These findings contrast with the Cross study, which found that American CACs do not reduce the number of victim interviews. However, since this study did not examine comparison communities unlike the Cross study, a definitive answer awaits future research.

Sites also reduced non-financial hardship by providing a single point of contact—the victim advocate—to offer emotional support, information, referrals to services, and/or assistance navigating intimidating systems. This reduced stress and saved time since families did not have to deal with multiple people. As one caregiver explained, “it was a life saver. I would have lost my mind without them.”

Reduced financial hardship

CACs alleviated some financial hardship either by themselves or through their partners. Having services at one location also reduced financial stress for clients. Some sites provided emergency cell phones, bus tickets, taxi slips, and/or food vouchers. Some staff also assisted clients with filling out applications for government support (e.g., victim compensation applications to help pay for counselling and applications for housing).

Increased access to victim services

CACs have addressed many gaps in the system, including access to medical examinations, access to child-friendly environments for forensic interviews, support for court appearances,and more coordinated responses to child abuse cases. CACs also provided assistance to families in making linkages with MDT partners and for ongoing information and supported them throughout the criminal justice process, through the role of the victim advocate.

Enhanced capacity to deliver appropriate and responsive victim services

FVS funding was crucial. Some sites would not have existed without the funding, which "fully enabled us to develop everything,” including establishing the victim advocate and coordinator positions, providing training and knowledge exchanges for MDT members developing protocols and MOUs, and purchasing and installing forensic interviewing equipment. Some sites also used funding to purchase computers, TVs, video game systems, toys, and movies for the child-friendly rooms, which the children and youth really appreciated.