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VOCA Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals - Child Abuse Response Enhancement (CARE) Program

Award Information

Award #
2017-CI-FX-K001
Funding Category
Competitive Discretionary
Location
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2017
Total funding (to date)
$4,800,000

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2017, $900,000)

The purpose of the Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) Act Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals program is to further the Department of Justice's mission by providing funding for the development and implementation of a model training and technical assistance program to improve the judicial system's handling of child abuse and neglect cases and enhance the expertise of child abuse professionals. The program will provide training opportunities and technical assistance for multidisciplinary teams of child abuse professionals at the state and local levels, and will develop resources and publications designed to enhance the coordinated multidisciplinary response to child abuse.

With OJJDP funding, the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) will enhance the coordinated multidisciplinary investigation and prosecution of child abuse by providing 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 VOCA funded programs. The NCAC will provide training to include Forensic Interviews at Trial: Preparation and Presentation Training; Building Forensic Interviewing Skills Training; Conducting Child Abuse Investigations for Child Protective Services (CPS) and Law Enforcement Training for CPS Investigators and Law Enforcement Investigators; scholarships for child abuse professionals to the International Symposium on Child Abuse; offer new, recorded online child abuse response training sessions; provide new webinars on high-priority child abuse response topics; and continue to provide archived webinars and online trainings. Through its technical assistance efforts, the NCAC will provide technical assistance via online Mentoring and Consultation Groups for Forensic Interviewers and online Consultation and Support Groups for Supervisors of Child Forensic Interviewers. NCAC will also create and disseminate a Guidebook for CACs to respond to cases related to human trafficking/sexual exploitation of children, create an extended forensic interview model and training for use with trafficked children, and create a victim advocacy training specifically for use with trafficked children. In addition, the NCAC will provide information resources to include fact sheets and services through the Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO). CA/NCF

Date Created: September 30, 2017