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Children's Alliance

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History

Since 1999, Native American and Alaskan communities have been participating in NACA sponsored regional and national trainings to improve their response to the needs of children who have been victims of child sexual abuse. NACA’s work helps to inspire and support the development, growth, and maintenance of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) and Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) in Indian Country.

NACA was formed in April of 1999 and held its first formal meeting on September 26, 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It received its non-exempt tax status is June, 2001 and shortly there after became a chapter of the National Children’s Alliance. It has a

board members

close partnership with National Indian Child Welfare Association. The Native American Children’s Alliance was formed in response to the need for tribal Child Advocacy Center development. Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) bring together a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) that includes prosecutors, law enforcement and child protection

investigators, mental health and medical professionals, victim advocates and more to coordinate response and service to victims of child abuse. Many professionals did not believe it was possible to develop CAC’s in Indian Country given the challenges involved in multi-jurisdictional coordination, lack of sustainability of current child abuse program initiatives, facility–based programming, and lack of community resources to sponsor the “mainstream” funding model for CAC’s. NACA was formed to support existing tribal CAC programs and to promote the development of CAC’s and MDT’s in tribal communities.

  Mission

NACA is committed to protecting Native children and eliminating children's physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse by providing awareness, training, building partnerships in a respectful way which honors tribal sovereignty, empowers communities, and develops tribal readiness for Seven Generations.

NACA was established to enhance the safety and well-being of all Native/Alaskan Native children and is well known for providing annual trainings to develop CACs for Indian Country. NACA can assess a community’s abilities to provide services regarding:  

"This mission means that
we must listen to the
voices of our children, their families, and their communities in order to create programs and services which will serve the needs of child abuse victims."

  • Development of multidisciplinary teams
  • Development of interagency agreements and protocols
  • Increasing community understanding of
    child abuse
  • Increasing prevention and intervention services
  • Identifying valuable resources for maintaining programs
  • Preparation for accreditation by the National
    Children’s Alliance

NACA has been expanding outreach to urban Indian populations and has developed Native-specific guides/materials to support development of CACs.

girl

 

The Child Advocacy Center Model

The Child Advocacy Center model promotes a focus on the child and family. Multiple agencies come together to provide a coordinated response to child maltreatment, most often child physical and sexual abuse. While each agency involved in investigating these cases has their own legislative mandate to investigate various aspects; the CAC is viewed as a neutral facility which provides a warm, child centered, non-threatening environment. Children who, in the past had to be interviewed often up to 10 or more times; now can be interviewed far fewer times using this coordinated approach. The CAC is uniquely situated to provide services and coordinate efforts that no single agency can provide alone.

  The CAC can also be the focal point for all services in addition to the interview e.g., medical exams, treatment, therapy for both child and non-offending parents and other family members and follow-up support. Child Advocacy Centers in tribal communities emphasize a holistic approach to child abuse and domestic violence. Many tribes promote the traditional value that all things are connected within the natural world and that child abuse in interconnected with other challenges that tribal people have experienced. Tribal CAC’s and MDT’s often view health and healing as important as prosecution in child maltreatment cases. In providing healing tribal communities often use both traditional and western modalities.

To Report Suspected Abuse Please Call: 800-422-4453
Native American Children's Alliance
101 West Broadway, Muskogee, OK 74401
Copyright 2009 Native American Children's Alliance