FNCAC IMPACT
As the State Chapter organization in Florida, the FNCAC is a member organization composed of Children's Advocacy Centers and with a similar structure to the NCA (National Children’s Alliance). The FNCAC serves as a resource within the state for Children’s Advocacy Centers and their multidisciplinary partners and facilitates a network dedicated to a trauma-informed, coordinated and comprehensive response to child abuse. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
One of the major duties of the Florida Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (FNCAC) as the State Chapter of CACs in Florida is to provide technical assistance/support to member children’s advocacy centers (CACs), community stakeholders and multidisciplinary team partners, and to communities seeking to establish a CAC. Technical Assistance (TA) may also be referred to as consulting, coaching, or mentoring. The FNCAC provides targeted support to organizations or individuals through one-on-one consultation or small group facilitation. To ensure the FNCAC can provide service to the entire state, TA may be provided in person, online, by phone or e-mail, or any other form of communication deemed appropriate by the provider and the recipient. TA seeks to build the capacity and efficiency of MDT partners in our state and may include training, coaching, educating, and/or problem-solving over a duration of time.
The Center for Disease Control states that in order for technical assistance to be effective, the provider should adhere to a set of core principles.
Effective TA should be:
Collaborative. Work jointly with the organization’s staff to identify underlying needs.
Systematic. Use an orderly approach.
Targeted. Determine where technical assistance will have the greatest impact.
Adaptive. Be flexible.
Customized. Respond to the unique needs of the organization.
Results-driven. Identify measures that indicate improvement.
In FY2021/2022 the FNCAC team provided over 1,350 TA services to developing and member CACs, statewide community partners, and developing MDTs/CACs throughout Florida.
The FNCAC provides evidence-based mental health therapist training, advocate training, prosecutor, law enforcement, and multidisciplinary team training.FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The FNCAC aims to build capacity to serve children at the state and local level by partnering with and procuring funding through state departments, the NCA, and the Florida Legislature. The FNCAC serves as a fiscal agent/pass-through agency for the following funding to members of the FNCAC.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
TRAINING
The professional development of our member organizations and their MDT partners is critical to the growth in capacity of our CACs. To that end, the FNCAC sponsors various training opportunities for members throughout the year. By way of the Statewide Training Coordinator, member organizations can also request assistance in identifying appropriate training opportunities and funding sources for their staff.
NETWORKING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Florida Network of CACs holds monthly “Chapter Calls with Membership” to provide members with status updates about FNCAC business, request information about the local centers, and get feedback from members regarding their needs and concerns.
The Board of Directors’ Membership Committee hosts several meetings with FNCAC’s members throughout the year. At these meetings, held in person and/or virtually depending on what fits best for the information to be shared, members receive training, opportunities to network with their peers, and an opportunity to share success stories or challenges for their organizations. The Membership Committee also serves as the liaison between members and the FNCAC BOD. Long time Board Member, David Acevedo of Polk County, FL chairs this committee.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION & OUTREACH
AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
The Chapter serves as a leading resource throughout the state by supporting efforts to increase awareness about child abuse and the Children’s Advocacy Center model in Florida; aiming to improve outcomes for child abuse victims. The FNCAC publishes quarterly newsletters sent to stakeholders, the Florida Legislature, statewide partners, and others, and highlights the diligent work of our member organizations across the state. The quarterly newsletters also provide education and resources for professionals in the field and serve as a way to educate the community on issues pertaining to child abuse and child trauma.
Did You Know? There is often co-occurrence between sexual and physical abuse, and between witnessing domestic violence and experiencing physical and sexual abuse.
Emotional residues from maltreatment can create a “victim schema” that communicates vulnerability to peers and can invite bullying and peer violence.
Inaugural Legislative Advocacy Day!
CAC MOVEMENT IN FLORIDA
ANNUAL SERVICE COUNTS
The Florida Network of Children's Advocacy Center's administered approximately $4.5mil (state appropriations) to 27 CACs in Fiscal Year 2021/2022 (FY21.22). The following data points reflect services provided to the 19,459 unduplicated children seen at Florida’s Children’s Advocacy Centers, where at least one core service of the CAC was funded by the state appropriation funds. It is important to note, the below figures capture only the services funded by the state appropriations and are not a depiction of the total services or total children served at the 27 CACs.
Children’s Advocacy Centers and their multi-disciplinary team partners leverage state funds with local grants, fundraising dollars, and federal funds (to name a few) to provide additional quality services in their communities. Data statistics provided by the National Children's Alliance, capture information for new & existing clients, regardless of the funding source.
For additional data from Florida’s CACs, please contact the FNCAC office.
Demographic Information of Children Served with State Funding in FY21.22
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CHILD ABUSE ON COMMUNITIES
According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, “The social and economic costs of child abuse and neglect are difficult to calculate. Some costs are straightforward and directly related to maltreatment, such as hospital costs for medical treatment of injuries sustained as a result of physical abuse and foster care costs resulting from the removal of children when they cannot remain safely with their families. Other costs, less directly tied to the incidence of abuse, include lower academic achievement, adult criminality, and lifelong mental health problems.”
While measuring the full social and economic impacts of child abuse may be challenging, there have been some research articles released which help us understand the great impact we all experience due to child maltreatment and abuse.
Additional resources may be found by visiting the Child Welfare Information Gateway’s website.
NATIONAL CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER STUDY
In 2005, the National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama conducted a national cost-benefit analysis of the Children's Advocacy Center model showing that Children's Advocacy Centers save approximately $1,000 per case in services to children and families during the course of a child abuse investigation. On a per-case basis, traditional investigations were 36% more expensive than a CAC investigation. The cost of a Children's Advocacy Center investigation averaged $2,902 compared to $3,949 for a traditional abuse investigation.
For more information, please read the Executive Summary of Findings from the NCAC Cost-Benefit Analysis of Community Responses to Child Maltreatment. The full article is also found below: