The National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC) provides training, technical assistance, and resources to state Chapter organizations, Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs), and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) within the southern federal census region through its Southern Regional Children's Advocacy Center (SRCAC) program. Based on recent research, data analysis, and a needs assessment process, the project focuses on the following five areas: Chapters, MDTs, CACs, communications, and RCAC and Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA) partner-focused collaborative work.
The goals of the project are:
- Chapters: To develop, strengthen, and sustain the organizational capacity of Chapter organizations, to strengthen Chapters' ability to deliver training and technical assistance to local CACs and MDTs, and to create equitable and consistent access to training and technical assistance across the CAC movement.
- MDTs: To enhance the capacity of MDTs to provide safety, justice, and healing for children and families impacted by abuse and trauma, and to support MDT Facilitators and develop the concept of MDT Leadership Teams in support of sustaining an effective MDT response.
- CACs: To support the foundational and ongoing professional development pathways for direct service personnel, to enhance resiliency in the face of natural disasters, and to ensure access to training, technical assistance, publications, and resources.
- Communications: To utilize strategic communications approaches to enhance access to resources.
- Collaboration: To enhance cross-regional CAC and VOCAA program collaboration for impact and efficiency.
NCAC considers the following values as a framework for developing objectives: scale, impact, need, and collaborative approach. NCAC selects project activities based on identified needs and coordinates with other Regional CACs and the Tribal CAC training and technical assistance (TTA) provider. The program's outcomes are improved functioning of MDTs, enhanced professional competencies of CAC personnel and Chapter staff, decreased isolation, and increased access to resources.