Referrals to the McLean County Children’s Advocacy Center are made by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and law enforcement. The CAC provides case coordination, forensic interviews, advocacy, and mental health services.
Multidisciplinary Team Coordination (MDT) - Upon receiving a case, the CAC collaborates with our partner agencies to coordinate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse cases. Active Case Coordination by the MDT includes communicating with our partner agencies to document and update client cases, initiating and coordinating case investigation and movement, and conducting MDT collaboration meetings.
Forensic Interviews - A forensic interview is a structured, open-ended conversation that is child-centered and non-leading about a possible event(s) they may have experienced or witnessed. The goals of the forensic interview are to find facts, assess the child’s safety, assess the need for medical or mental health care, and minimize the number of times the child talks about the events or experiences.
Advocacy - Advocates play a crucial role in helping to support the child and their families throughout the whole process. As the case goes through the investigation, prosecution, and healing process, the Advocate is there to help the family understand the process and learn about their rights. They offer support and assistance with referrals for resources such as counseling and other community support. Families may have access to food, clothing, toiletries, and other financial assistance as needed.
Mental Health Services - The Children’s Advocacy Center provides a safe place for children and their families to begin healing after experiencing child abuse or witnessing a violent crime. Part of our multidisciplinary team response includes access to trauma assessment and specialized trauma-focused mental health services for child victims and non-offending family members.
When a family is experiencing crisis and becomes involved in the child welfare system, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer may be appointed by a judge to advocate for the best interests of the child. This highly trained volunteer is someone from the child’s community. Their responsibility is to get to know the child, their parents, their family and everyone else involved in the case. A volunteer will advocate for the child’s safety, permanency and well-being while in foster care.