A Child Advocacy Center Committed to the Entire Family
Since 1998, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Portage County (CAC) has provided critical, evidence-based services to children, youth, and families navigating the trauma of child sexual abuse, child sexual abuse material (child pornography), and minor human trafficking.
We recently expanded services to include family violence, dating violence, witness to violence, and child physical abuse due to community needs. All services are provided free of charge and are provided throughout the investigation, prosecution, and beyond.
The program is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA).
Our Unique Approach
The CAC is located at the University Hospitals Portage Medical Center in a donated space. When families join our program, they are served by a collaborative Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT coordinates the services a family may need, including investigation and intervention services. A trauma-informed approach is integrated every step of the process, from law enforcement to children’s services, counseling, prosecution, medical, and victim advocacy.
Expanding and Upgrading Our Community Services
In recent years we have greatly expanded our prevention, education, and outreach programming with community training and professional, evidence-based presentations. Every endeavor we spearhead remains rooted in research, evidence-based practices, and measurable outcomes. We founded, and continue to facilitate, the first Portage County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition. We have recently updated our child advocacy center website and listed resources and have expanded our outreach efforts with helpful and timely social media updates to better serve our community.
If you or a family member is looking for help but doesn’t know where to start, consider reaching out to our team for more information. Likewise, if your school or organization is considering a presentation or ongoing education, find out the ways we can help.
