Children's Advocacy Center

The Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) of Franklin County and North Quabbin Inc. is based upon the fundamental premise that children have the right to be safe and protected from harm. The CAC is dedicated to minimizing secondary trauma to child victims by streamlining the handling of cases of child sexual abuse, serious child physical abuse, and child exploitation.

ALL SERVICES ARE FREE

Children's Advocacy Centers are designed to reduce the stress experienced by child victims of abuse and their non-offending family members throughout the investigation and intervention process. By focusing first on the needs of the children and their families, the CAC’s ensure that important services are provided, while improving the quality of the investigations. CAC’s reduce the need for children to tell their story repeatedly by coordinating a single forensic (fact finding) interview to gather the information needed by each member of the team to successfully investigate allegations of abuse.

Through the CAC, children and families are linked to medical, mental health, victim advocacy and other services determined on a case-by-case basis.

This 51A online training was designed by the Middlesex Children’s Advocacy Center in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to help mandated reporters:

• Understand their legal obligations as mandated reporters
• Recognize possible signs and symptoms of maltreatment
• Know how to respond to a child who discloses abuse
• Know how to file a 51A Report
• Understand what happens after a 51A Report is filed