FAQ - Child Advocacy Center

When you get to CHKD CAC, you will be greeted by a CAC staff member. That person will check you and your child in. In our waiting area, your child can play, read, or watch TV while you complete the intake paperwork. The interviewer and your case manager/family advocate will come out to meet you and your child. Then the interviewer will accompany your child to the interview room.

Your child will be interviewed in a safe and comfortable room. Members of the investigative team will observe the interview from a separate room. The length of the forensic interview is different for each child.

The case manager/family advocate will meet with you to learn more about you, your child, and your family. They will provide you with resource materials that you can review while your child is being interviewed.

After the interview, your child will return to the waiting area.

It is possible that you will: 

• Speak with our medical staff about your child receiving a head-to-toe exam. 
• Meet with an investigative team member about the next steps of the case and answer any questions. Your child can stay in the waiting area during this time.
• Meet with an assessment specialist to talk about how your child is doing. They will complete a mental health screening with you. Then they will talk to you about your child’s emotions and behaviors, and about how you can support your child.

Please plan for at least two hours for your appointment to meet with team members. If a medical exam is scheduled for that day, you should plan for an additional hour.

Please tell your child that she or he will meet with a person whose job it is to talk with children. You can let your child know that “it’s okay to talk about anything, and it’s important to tell the truth.” You can tell your child that they are safe and that they are not in trouble. You should not tell your child what to say.

Usually telling a child a day or two in advance is enough time for them to feel comfortable with this appointment. You will want to give your child enough notice so that they are not surprised. Some children may worry about the appointment, especially if they know about it more than a day or two in advance.  

All children are different, and their reactions after their interview can vary. Some children may feel relieved after being able to talk openly about their experiences. Others may have feelings of sadness or fear, or even experience a mixture of emotions. Other children may not show a reaction and may act like they usually do. Regardless of their reaction, it is important for you to be supportive and to validate how they are feeling. If you need guidance on how to support your child through this process, please reach out to us.

If your child seems to want to talk to you about their experiences, let them share what they are comfortable with while you are a supportive listener. Be careful to avoid questions or comments that might make your child feel guilty (for example, “Why did you do that?”) or make them feel ashamed (for example, “You should not have gone there.”). Let them share with you and thank them for their honesty.

When it is time for your child’s checkup, you will meet with a medical provider who will ask about your child’s medical history. Your child will then meet with a nurse who will show them the kid-friendly clinic room and talk to them about the checkup.

The medical checkup is not invasive and is different than an adult doctor’s appointment. Each child is different and unique and is provided with individualized care. Your child will receive a head-to-toe exam just like at their regular doctor’s office. Depending on why your child is at the CAC, the medical provider may also check your child’s private parts. Our providers care for both your child’s physical and emotional well-being. No part of the checkup will be completed without their permission and open participation. 

When it’s possible that your child has been hurt, an exam checks for any injuries, tests for possible infections, and may provide helpful information to investigators. Most importantly, our medical providers can address any worries you or your child may have about their body because of what happened. Sometimes children haven’t told anyone that they are worried about their bodies, and having our expert medical providers explain things is very helpful.

It is normal for children to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about their checkup. Our medical providers are specially trained in working with kids and are focused on making children feel at ease during the whole appointment. Children are allowed to refuse any part of the exam.

Sometimes abuse leaves permanent findings on a child’s body. But even if physical injuries are no longer visible, the exam can still be important for your child’s emotional well-being, answering any questions and addressing any worries they may have.  

Think of it like having to see an ENT doctor for frequent ear infections or a cardiologist for a heart murmur. Our providers are specialists in abuse and neglect and work every day with children and families to address these concerns.  

When a child experiences a sexual assault or sexual abuse within the past 5 days, a team of specially trained Pediatric Forensic Nurse Examiners are available to provide care in an age-appropriate way.

This specialized care, sometimes called a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE), includes a head-to-toe checkup to look for any injuries, test for sexually transmitted infections, provide preventative medications when necessary, and collect forensic evidence. These exams are not invasive and should not cause your child any pain. Even if your child has showered, bathed, or changed clothes since the assault, a medical forensic exam can still be done. These nurses are available 24/7 to provide your child with the attention and care they deserve, and to help reassure them that even though something bad may have happened, their body will be ok.

Children are referred to the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) by investigators working with Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services, Police Departments and Commonwealth Attorneys. We do not accept self-referrals. Often, children are referred in by investigators for a forensic interview and/or a medical exam. Children can also be referred to the CAC for mental health services by investigators. Children are screened for trauma related mental health concerns either at the time they come to the CAC for a forensic interview and/or a medical examination or they can be scheduled for a mental health screener appointment separate from other appointments.

The mental health screener at the CAC determines whether the child is experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress that indicate it would be beneficial to further assess their mental health needs at the CAC. The legal guardian then makes the choice to place their child on the CAC mental health waitlist for a mental health assessment or decline this service. When a CAC mental health therapist has availability in their schedule, that therapist contacts the legal guardian to schedule the mental health assessment. At the conclusion of the mental health assessment, the therapist may recommend treatment at the CAC, mental health services within the community, or no mental health treatment. If one of the treatments that the CAC offers is recommended, the legal guardian chooses whether to accept that recommendation or decline. If the legal guardian agrees with the recommendation, the first therapy session is scheduled, and weekly treatment begins.

The CHKD CAC provides evidence-based treatment for traumatic stress in children and adolescence, as well as for problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) in children. Thus, we are a specialty clinic with therapists who are specially trained to treat and assess childhood traumatic stress and PSB versus more general mental health concerns.