MRCAC VOCA Regional Children's Advocacy Centers Training & Technical Assistance Grant

The mission of Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (MRCAC) is to improve the community response to child abuse through strategic leadership, collaboration, and capacity building with the vision that all children and families will have access to a strong team of highly qualified professionals to respond to and heal from child abuse. The target populations MRCAC serves are the multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), children’s advocacy centers, and state chapter organizations located in the 12-state Midwest region. MRCAC has a strong record of developing and disseminating innovative programming for these populations – within the region, as well as nationally and internationally – since first earning Victims of Child Abuse Act Regional Children’s Advocacy Center Program funding in 1999. 

In the next project year, MRCAC will direct efforts in the following areas: 1) increasing the skills, knowledge, and peer support network of MDT members and CAC staff, with special emphasis on employing MRCAC’s expertise in medical training to improve access to and quality of medical providers; 2) working for and alongside state chapter organizations to increase and engage their capacity to create change in their respective states; and 3) maximizing the potential of state, regional, and national partnerships and collaborative structures to enhance the multidisciplinary response to child abuse in America. 

MRCAC is committed to providing affordable, accessible, and cost-effective training for MDTs by utilizing the latest technology and research to deliver timely, relevant, and high-impact programs. MRCAC’s staff is highly experienced in developing, coordinating, and disseminating training and technical assistance to MDT professionals, and has consistently and efficiently utilized federal awards within budget and within the desired grant period. MRCAC collects and maintains data on project activities, participant engagement, and program evaluation, ensuring full and accurate compliance with scheduled and ad hoc OJJDP data requirements. Evaluations are reviewed on an ongoing basis to troubleshoot technical issues, identify program strengths, pinpoint possible areas of program improvement, and capture themes related to future training and technical assistance needs.

To ensure the greatest impact and non-duplicative service delivery, MRCAC will coordinate and collaborate with the robust network of local, regional, and national entities working to improve the national response to child abuse.