Child Advocacy Center Facts
Providing safety, justice and healing for
Rutherford and Cannon County children and families
Our Mission, Impact and Basic Facts
• The Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County (CAC) is a 501c3, non-profit organization that was founded in 2000 to provide safety, justice and healing for victims of child abuse and child sexual abuse, drug-endangered children, and their non-offending family members.
• Over the last 25 years, the CAC has served almost 50,000 people. This number includes approximately 21,000 children and approximately 16,500 people who have participated in the CAC’s Darkness to Light child sexual abuse prevention training.
• During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the CAC served 2,926 people — including 1,099 children.
• The CAC has a staff of 13 and an annual operating budget of $1.28 million.
• The Child Advocacy Center is accredited by the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C.
The Problem *
• One out of 10 children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday. Child sexual abuse victimization crosses all races, cultures, economic status, religions, sex, sexual orientation, gender, and immigration status.
• Only 38% of child victims disclose the fact that they have been sexually abused. Of these children, 40% tell a close friend rather than an adult or authority figure, which does not always result in a formal report.
• More than 80% of child abuse cases never come to the attention of Child Protective Services, such as Department of Children’s Services, or law enforcement, which means that many children in the community are silently bearing the burden of child sexual abuse.
A Unique Collaboration
• The CAC provides a child-friendly environment for the Child Protective Investigative Team to respond to child abuse and child sexual abuse cases. In addition to members of the CAC staff, the team also includes staff from the Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s Office.
• The CAC’s highly trained staff conducts legally defensible forensic interviews of child victims. They also support potential victims and non-offending family members by providing crisis intervention counseling, case management and referrals to community resources. This team approach helps children heal from the trauma and helps families rebuild their shattered lives.
• The Department of Children’s Services receives reports of child abuse and uses CAC’s forensic interview to determine if a child is safe to go home.
• The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department investigates the crimes using the CAC’s forensic interviews of child victims.
• The District Attorney’s Office chairs the team and aggressively prosecutes offenders using the CAC forensic interviews and court testimony of the interviewers.
Additional CAC Programs
• In addition to the services described above, the CAC also provides Darkness to Light sexual abuse prevention training to adults how to protect children from child sexual abuse and what to do if a child reports abuse to them.
• Nationwide, school personnel identify approximately half of all identified child abuse cases. Therefore, the CAC offers this training to all Rutherford County schools and Murfreesboro City Schools.
• As part of the CAC’s Drug Endangered Children Program, members of the CAC staff also teach children and families how to cope with addiction issues. The CAC provides intensive in-home services, crisis intervention counseling, alcohol and drug education, and case management. They also educate parents and other family members about relapse prevention, anger management, stress management, and parenting.
The Critical Need for More Space
• The Child Advocacy Center has far outgrown its current space and does not have enough space to serve the number of families who need help. The staff of 13 worksin a facility that is approximately 1,600 square feet. The CAC has four forensic interviewers, but only one interview room.
• The CAC needs a space that is big enough for law enforcement detectives, the Department of Children’s Services case managers, investigators, and the CAC staff to discuss cases and work collaboratively.
• Currently, maintaining confidentiality is challenging because the CAC does not have a private waiting room for families. Frequently, a family must wait in the car when another family is receiving services.
• The need for a new facility is even more urgent because of the explosive growth of Rutherford County, which is Tennessee’s 4th largest county. The population is expected to double in the next twenty years.
*Statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children Bureau, www.childwelfare.gov, and the Tennessee Joint Task Force on Children’s Justice and Child Sexual Abuse.
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