Suzann Woodard, Director of Development at the Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas
At a recent Kiwanis Club of Robson Ranch meeting, the members heard an inspiring message from Suzann Woodard, Director of Development at the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) for North Texas.
Suzann presented a comprehensive review of the structure and operation of the Children’s Advocacy Center. As residents of Robson Ranch, a lot of us have grandchildren who could be exposed to abuse. We feel sharing Suzann’s message in this article with our Robson community is important.
“The Children’s Advocacy Center movement started in the 1980s to create a place where children and their families come for help, to tell their truth once, and to receive support towards justice and healing. By the 1990s, the movement became part of the Texas Family Code, which mandates that certain criminal cases of child abuse, including sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, child trafficking, or witness to death or severe violence, are investigated at a CAC. Since 1997, we have coordinated the investigation and prosecution of severe child abuse cases for law enforcement, the Department of Family and Protective Services, and prosecutorial offices in our service area through a multi-disciplinary team response for children aged 0-17, regardless of racial, gender, or sexual identity, family language, or socio-economic background.
“Children served by a CAC are surrounded by a team of caring professionals in an environment designed with kids in mind. Since 1997, we have coordinated more than 27,000 cases, ensuring stronger outcomes by offering six core services: Multi-disciplinary Team Coordination, Forensic Interviews, Mental Health Services, Family Advocacy Services, Forensic Medical Exams, and MDT Case Review. In 2020 our accrediting agency, CACTX, added Wise County, the largest county without its own CAC, to our service area. We expanded to Jack County in 2022, as child abuse does not stop at the county line, so neither can our response. As a multi-county advocacy center, we receive and read statewide intake reports of child abuse concurrently with investigators, ensuring that no child and no investigation ‘falls through the cracks’ or receives less than our best-in-class service. For 26 years, we have been the place where investigations are conducted and where healing and restoration happen.
“Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas and our 67 partner agencies across our three counties (Denton, Wise, and Jack) provide critical, no-cost victim services to child victims and their families to facilitate the healing process and reduce the trauma of abuse. We know that child victims of severe abuse are at high risk for continued trauma and deserve strong and proven interventions that promote resilience and allow victims to overcome the impact of abuse. That is why we exist: to eliminate the negative outcomes associated with child abuse and to restore the full potential of the child. We pledge to break the cycle of child abuse by educating families and our community to protect children.”
Please see the Children’s Advocacy Center website, cacnorthtexas.org, for more information.