Your Child’s PCAC Visit
If a child reveals to you, remember:
- Be calm and steady in your demeanor
- Tell the child that you believe them and are glad they told you
- Let him/her know that it is not their fault
- Let the child know that you will need to contact someone to help both of you and that person may need to talk to him/her about what he/she has told you. Your response and action will help a child understand that he/she is NOT to blame!
- Your appropriate response can save a child from further abuse
If you have any reason to suspect that a child (your own or any other) has been sexually or physically abused or is being neglected, it is your legal responsibility (KRS 620.030) to report your suspicions. It is not your responsibility to investigate or to have proof—only to have reasonable cause for suspicion.
Role of the Children’s Advocacy Center
CAC’s are designed to help ease the traumatization that can often occur when children and families begin dealing with the various systems involved when a child has been sexually abused. In most cases, children who are given the opportunity to process their feelings can deal effectively with their abuse. All services offered are free of charge to the child and their families. If the CAC is unable to provide a service, referrals are made to agencies that can help meet the needs of the child and their non-offending family members. Services for victims include crisis counseling, therapy, victim/family advocacy, medical exams, multidisciplinary team facilitation, educational programs and information/referral.