Child Abuse Response Enhancement (CARE) Program

The Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals Program provides funding to enhance the coordinated multidisciplinary investigation and prosecution of child abuse through training, technical assistance, and information resources that emphasize the implementation of developmentally-appropriate, trauma-informed, and evidence-based programs, policies and practices; and by coordinating with other Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) programs. This program is authorized under the Victims of Child Abuse Act, 42 U.S.C section 13001 et. seq.

Through this project, the National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC) will provide training, technical assistance and online resources to child abuse professionals, and coordination activities among VOCA programs. Specifically, NCAC will provide conference presentations for law enforcement, judicial personnel, and crime victim advocates and scholarships to the International Symposium on Child Abuse; new recorded online trainings; live webinars; archived webinars and online trainings. NCAC will also provide technical assistance, conduct online mentoring and consultation groups for forensic interviewers. In addition, NCAC will provide telephone and e-mail technical assistance by experts from various disciplines of the multidisciplinary team. NCAC will also provide information resources as follows: develop and disseminate research summaries and fact sheets to promote the use of evidence-based research on specific child abuse response topics; increase the number, types, and accessibility of Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO) resources, continue CALiO updates to an electronic newsletter; and provide information about CALiO resources through presentations at national conferences. Finally, NCAC will conduct a national assessment of community resources, needs, and issues related to child sex trafficking. This assessment will also provide the basis for developing an extended forensic interview model and training to inform victim advocacy. CA/NCF