We exist to help our community become a better, safer place for each child of Harris County.
The goal of The CAC is to provide all of the services children and families need in one place. Within our building, we provide forensic interviewing, family advocacy, therapy and psychological services, medical services, and children’s court services free of charge to our clients. Our hope is that our process will provide children and families the tools necessary to help them on their journey to heal from abuse.
We collaborate by providing space in our building for dozens of other agencies that we collaborate with to meet the needs of children. We provide trainings in the community to children, families, schools, medical professionals, and other organizations who strive to protect children from abuse. We train the partners within our building on how to work together for the most effective, collaborate multidisciplinary approach to child abuse cases.
The mission of The CAC is to provide a professional, compassionate and coordinated approach to the treatment of sexually abused children and their families and to serve as an advocate for all children in our community.
Simply put, our organization exists to protect children, heal families, and prevent abuse.
There are over 900 child advocacy centers nationwide, including over 70 in Texas, that are dedicated to helping children and families who have been affected by child sexual abuse. The Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) was established in 1991 in Houston, Texas. The CAC is the only children’s advocacy center serving Harris County and one of the largest in the nation. Over the years, our staff increased to meet the needs of our community. In 2000 The CAC was accredited by the National Children’s Alliance, becoming one of the very first accredited advocacy centers in the nation.
Sadly, before the implementation of children’s advocacy centers, there was not a streamlined process for children. Children were often interviewed multiple times by various law enforcement agencies, medical professionals, and mental health professionals. Here at The CAC, we know that having to recount abuse several times can be retraumatizing and sought to find a solution to make this process as trauma-informed as possible.