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2019 Annual Report to Congress: Victims of Child Abuse Reauthorization Act

NCJ Number
254571
Date Published
September 2020
Length
10 pages
Annotation

The Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Senate and House Committees on the Judiciary that provides an overview of OJJDP's five VOCA interconnected funding initiatives.

Abstract

The Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Senate and House Committees on the Judiciary. The report provides an overview of OJJDP's five VOCA interconnected funding initiatives: children's advocacy centers (CACs) membership and accreditation; regional CACs; subgrants to local CACs, state chapters of CACs, and multidisciplinary teams; training and technical assistance (TTA) for child abuse professionals; and TTA for child abuse prosecutors. The overarching goal of these programs is to improve communities' response to child abuse through strategic leadership, collaboration, and capacity building. VOCA funding supports programs and TTA that provide children and families access to strong multidisciplinary teams of highly qualified professionals who respond to and help heal victims of child abuse. OJJDP supports four regional CACs and 720 CACs across the United States, with most new CACs being established in rural areas as most urban areas are already served by advocacy centers.

Date Published: September 1, 2020