Children’s Advocacy Center Model

In 1985, Former Congressman Robert E. “Bud” Cramer (AL), a District Attorney in Madison County, Alabama, recognized the need to create a better system to help abused children. Before this time, child services agencies, law enforcement, attorneys, and other professionals that investigate child abuse allegations did not communicate or work together on these cases. This resulted in children telling their traumatic stories repeatedly, further traumatizing and creating an environment that was not supportive of healing. Thus, Mr. Cramer brought the community professionals together to create the Children’s Advocacy Center model. The purpose of Child Advocacy Centers is to create a child-friendly environment where children can come to tell their stories to professionals with specialized and trauma-informed training in child forensic interviewing.