Frequently Asked Questions

The Children's Assessment Center (The CAC) provides services to sexually abused children and their families. We employ an effective multidisciplinary team approach in the prevention, assessment, and treatment of child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking victims.

All services are FREE to children and their families.

We are able to provide translation services for a number of languages. Please let us know if you require a translator when you arrive.

To report abuse, call the toll-free 24/7 Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-5400) or report through this secure website (txabusehotline.org).

Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency if you have an emergency or life-threatening situation.

Law enforcement investigators and DFPS caseworkers refer children and families to The CAC after receiving a report of alleged child abuse. A member of those agencies will contact you to schedule services for your child.

Please call law enforcement or DFPS to report sexual abuse. Only these two sources can refer children to The CAC.

All adults entering The CAC will need a photo ID to check-in at the security desk.

If your child had a medical examination at The CAC or another medical facility, please bring any paperwork you were provided from that visit.

After checking in with Security, children and families will continue to Central Intake to complete their check-in process. Central Intake will then notify the person you are meeting and you may wait in the waiting area to be escorted.  If this is your first visit to The CAC, a Family Advocate will be available to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

The CAC maintains records regarding health information that are protected by law.  Please keep in mind all requests are subject to limitations in compliance with HIPPA, the Texas Family Code and/or Texas Rules of Evidence/Criminal Procedure.

Subpoenas

Please email subpoenas directly to your requested witness if you have their email address.  The CAC does not accept subpoenas on behalf of current or former staff members.  The requestor of staff testimony will be responsible for paying any out of county travel and travel related expenses for the staff member.

For subpoenas regarding testimony related to our medical team, please contact Victoria Ford at publichealthpedi@texaschildrens.org

Court Orders

Please email signed court orders to Raevann.Washington@cac.hctx.net

The CAC may only disclose information specifically described in the signed court order.  In certain cases, a motion to quash may be filed.

Records

Please email your requests for business records to Raevann.Washington@cac.hctx.net

We offer a child-friendly environment where specialized forensic interviewers obtain information in a non-leading, non-threatening manner. The forensic interviewer will be the only one in the room with your child, and the room has been set up as a therapeutic environment.

Your child may be referred for a medical examination. Specialized medical professionals will discuss this with you and will determine the extent of the medical examination for your child if one is needed.

The CAC offers services to children and families who have experienced sexual abuse.  The services we offer include therapy, psychological evaluations, and psychiatric evaluations and medication follow ups.  We offer these services to the child victim, siblings, and non-offending caregivers in both English and Spanish.  Our focus is the delivery of trauma informed and evidence based treatments which can effectively address trauma symptoms and help clients heal from their experience of child sexual abuse.

Law enforcement, DFPS caseworkers, or our CAC family advocates will assess the need for services and complete a referral.  Self-referrals from the community are not accepted due to our working protocols.