DALLAS CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER

The mission of Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC) is to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County and to provide national leadership on child abuse issues.

Since opening its doors in 1991, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC) has provided critical, evidence-based services to more than 100,000 of the most severely abused children and their non-offending family members in Dallas County. DCAC was created to coordinate the investigation of child abuse cases that rise to the criminal level in a seamless, collaborative process. We facilitate a comprehensive, coordinated approach to these cases that not only results in more successful investigation and prosecution outcomes, but also provides a better and less traumatic experience to child victims and their families. DCAC partners with 39 organizations to form a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) that includes medical, legal, and law enforcement professionals, and is designed to ensure child clients receive the appropriate services necessary for healing and safety.

In 2015 DCAC launched the Multidisciplinary Enhancement Program (MEP) in conjunction with a state-wide effort to ensure every child who needs services from a children’s advocacy center (CAC) gets them. A child arrives at DCAC through a referral from CPS or law enforcement. The MEP program enlists nine (9) full-time DCAC employees whose sole focus is to review child abuse reports. This process ensures cases rising to the criminal level are identified and addressed by the MDT.

Through our Education Program, we partner with, among others, Region 10 School Districts, Dallas, Garland and Mesquite ISDs, The Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Southern Methodist University, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National White Collar Crime Center, National Child Protection Training Center, National District Attorney's Association, and the United States Marshal Service. Additionally, the Education Program provides Recognizing and Reporting Curriculum to an additional 108 child-serving agencies across the county and country.

DCAC is the only agency of its kind in Dallas County. Since 1991, we have provided hope, healing and justice to more than 100,000 of the most severely abused children and their non-offending family members in our community.

At DCAC, we know children who have experienced child abuse are predisposed to a variety of negative life outcomes. Without intervention, child abuse survivors are more likely to experience chronic health conditions, substance abuse, engage in risky or criminal behaviors, and ironically, go on to perpetrate the same abuse against their own children. \n\nThe long-term effects of child abuse impact not only the victim but our entire society. The Centers for Disease Control estimates the total lifetime economic burden resulting from cases of fatal and nonfatal child abuse in the US is approximately $124 billion dollars annually. That’s more than the annual cost related to public health problems like stroke and Type 2 diabetes.\n\nEvidence-based programming offered at DCAC is instrumental in creating positive long-term impacts for clients. DCAC's therapy team measures outcomes by administering evidence-based assessment tools at therapy intake, during treatment, and at completion to collect pre-, mid-, and post-treatment information on children's symptoms of anxiety, depression, sexual behaviors, and posttraumatic stress. Additionally, Long-Term Case Managers follow up with clients after therapy graduation to ensure emotional health is continued. By making a profound impact on clients at the time of trauma and throughout their journey to healing, we can radically shift their response to abuse—decreasing symptoms and improving resiliency now and for years to come.