About Us
Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas, Inc. is the statewide membership association representing all children’s advocacy centers (CACs) in the Sunflower State.To promote Excellence in child abuse response and prevention through Training, Program Development, Advocacy and Leadership.
Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas (CACKS) provides facilitation, support and collaborative leadership to the CACs in the state. Each CAC in Kansas is a nationally accredited independent entity, but all CACs share a common belief in our model: a coordinated, multidisciplinary response to child abuse is the most effective and most compassionate response to abused children. Accreditation Standards
CACs improve the protection response to abused children
Child abuse cases handled through a CAC are better coordinated between law enforcement and child protection services, compared to a traditional investigation. More children involved with a CAC receive specialized medical evaluations and are referred to appropriate mental health services. Parents and caregivers of children served by CACs are more satisfied with the investigation process.
CACs Save Money
CACs save approximately $1,000 per case in services to children and families during the course of a child abuse investigation. Traditional investigations are 36% more expensive than a CAC-coordinated response. In Kansas, that savings translates to $4.5 million for the number of children served.
Kansas CAC Outcomes
The majority of CACs in Kansas participate in a statewide, universal Outcomes Measurement System using valid, reliable survey instruments to measure multiple indicators related to two critical outcomes:
- The Children’s Advocacy Center facilitates healing for the child and the caregivers.
- The multidisciplinary (MDT) approach results in a more collaborative and efficient case investigations.
Training & Assistance
Multidisciplinary Team Training, Case Review, Protocol and Procedure Development
Legislative Representation
Advocacy for funding and bill monitoring
Outcomes Measurement
A common, reliable, valid evaluation system to measure and report client outcomes