… protecting the innocence and simplicity of children

Russell County Child Advocacy Center

For more information on any of the services listed below,  contact us at rccac@bellsouth.net.

Service List

The family advocate provides services for non-offending caregivers. Referral services are made to community agencies for individual needs of families.

       Advocacy and Referral Services

Individual and group counseling for child abuse victims, adult survivors and their families. If disclosure occurs, the child is referred for counseling with the CAC Therapist. All counseling services are provided at no cost to the family.

        Counseling

Children who disclose abuse are referred to the CAC to be interviewed by a trained forensic interviewer. Children are provided with a neutral, child friendly environment to be interviewed.  Law enforcement and DHR are available and if disclosure occurs during the interview, law enforcement, along with the District Attorney’s office, will determine if questioning of the offender needs to occur. Alleged offenders are not allowed on the premises at any time.

 If a child does not provide a full disclosure but enough information is provided that indicates abuse has occurred, a referral for an Extended Forensic Evaluation will be made. This is a six session assessment conducted by a trained therapist to determine the likelihood that abuse has/has not occurred.

While the interview is being conducted the Family Advocate educates the non-offending caretaker about the CAC interview, the services the center provides, and the role of all of the agencies involved.

 

        Forensic Interviews / Extended Forensic Evaluations

Support groups are provided for non-offending caregivers and victims of abuse. These are schedule once per quarter.

         Support Groups

        Prevention Education

The K.E.E.P. (Kids Engaged in Education and Prevention) program provides prevention and personal safety education to K-4 through high school students, parents, educators, counselors, PTA and administrative staff in a school setting.  In-service training is also available for law enforcement, social workers, foster parents, child care workers and other professionals

         Home Visitation and Court Accompaniment

Home visitation/Court Accompaniment is a vital part of the Russell County Child Advocacy Center. This allows the center to publicly advocate for the victims and their families  as well as support them in what can be a very traumatic time for the all involved.