Because the Stakes are High, We Go All In
December 18, 2024
This month, Children’s Cove: the Cape and Islands Child Advocacy Center is pleased to announce we have been awarded re-accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.
As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective, efficient, and which put the needs of child victims of abuse first.
With more than 950 CACs in the United States, national accreditation is the highest level of membership with the National Children’s Alliance and denotes an excellence in service provision. This is the fourth consecutive period of national accreditation received by Children’s Cove.
In addition, The National Children’s Alliance offers three additional optional standards which exceed the national mandate, of which Children’s Cove was recognized for meeting two: Prevention of Sexual Abuse, as well as the Standard for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Because of the critical role CACs play in the investigation and response to crimes against children, NCA standards exist to ensure all children served receive consistent, evidence-based services that help them heal from abuse. Approximately every five years standards are updated to reflect the latest evidence and practices. CACs must readjust, realign, and train multidisciplinary partners to ensure all standards are met.
The National Children’s Alliance accredited membership is based on a Child Advocacy Center’s compliance with ten evidence and research-based national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims. According to these standards, accredited members must utilize a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment.
Accreditation requires more than just the efforts of our own team, but a community of professionals working collaboratively. Together, we create a community free from abuse, supporting children and families in a trauma-informed and evidence-based way.”
The National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child focused setting. These standards are analyzed by a team of professionals from NCA through a review of all standards of practice, in-depth site visit, and comprehensive interviews with staff, multidisciplinary partners, and referral partners.
This rigorous process allows our team to analyze, evaluate, discuss, and modify all of our practices on a regular basis to ensure we are meeting the needs of children and families in a timely and relevant manner. The evaluation allows us to think critically about the child-focused work we do to ensure we do not remain stagnant or leave critical issues behind. The stakes are high. We cannot afford to perform short of our very best when working with children who need our support the most. It is our responsibility to go ‘all-in’ for kids.
However, we cannot do this alone. Accreditation requires more than just the efforts of our own team, but a community of professionals working collaboratively. Together, we create a community free from abuse, supporting children and families in a trauma-informed and evidence-based way.
The following organizations have helped us in this achievement, either as an investigative partner, a referral source, a silent supporter, or even in managing the details of the day of the accreditation process:
Aquinnah Police Department, Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe, Barnstable Police Department, Bourne Police Department, Brewster Police Department, Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, Cape Cod Children’s Place, Chatham Police Department, Chilmark Police Department, Child and Family Services, Dennis Police Department, Department of Children and Families Cape and Islands, The Department of Public Health, Eastham Police Department, Edgartown Police Department, Falmouth Police Department, Family Table Collaborative, Harwich Police Department, Mashpee Police Department, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, Nantucket Police Department, Oak Bluffs Police Department, Orleans Police Department, Pierce-Cote Advertising, Provincetown Police Department, Sandwich Police Department, Tisbury Police Department, Truro Police Department, Wellfleet Police Department, West Tisbury Police Department, Yarmouth Police Department, VNA Services of Cape Cod.
Thank you all for your dedication and hard work for children. Together we are working toward a community free from abuse, where children’s voices are heard and where they can live healthy and empowered lives.
