Children's Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis (CASGSL) is affiliated with the Psychological Sciences Department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and are accredited by the National Children's Alliance (NCA). We work with children from ages 2 through 18 who have experienced any kind of trauma and provide an array of services including forensic interviews, counseling and training.
Our vision: Every child is safe, supported, and surrounded by a trauma-informed community.
Our mission: We transform lives by breaking the cycle of childhood trauma through service, research, and workforce development
What are child advocacy centers?
Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) developed in the late 1980s to help coordinate communities’ responses to child sexual abuse victims. The National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama was the first center that operated under this model. Child advocacy centers coordinate services to the victim in one child-friendly location, working with a multidisciplinary team that is usually comprised of representatives from child protection, law enforcement, prosecution, medical and mental health professionals and the juvenile/family court. This coordination expedites the investigation and when appropriate, prosecution of abuse cases while ensuring that victims receive effective, sensitive and immediate support in a setting that puts their needs first. The collaboration dramatically reduces the number of times a child is questioned about the abuse.
Why are child advocacy centers needed?
Discovering that a child has been the victim of abuse, neglect or another form of trauma can be very destabilizing to a child and their family. Telling someone about the abuse, especially when it is committed by a family member or someone close to the child can also be a frightening, difficult experience. Often, when there is an investigation by child protective or law enforcement agencies this can be confusing and frightening. Prior to the rise of CACs, a child sexual abuse victim had to repeat the experience of the abuse to multiple people, some of whom interviewed the child several times. Before CACs were available the child would be taken to the professional, whereas now the child is brought to the CAC and all the professional come to the child. Centers provide the children with a friendly and welcoming place where they are able to get the support they need through the forensic interview, advocacy services and therapy.
Where are child advocacy centers located?
There are now more than 800 CACs across the country, with 22 centers in the state of Missouri. They vary in size and format, but they all share a common goal: to provide a safe haven for child abuse victims. A list of accredited centers by state can be found on NCA's website or on the Missouri KidsFirst website.
