Help CAC Plant Hope during Child Abuse Prevention Month

From your daughter’s classmate to your son’s soccer teammate to the high school girl next door, youth throughout our communities are impacted every day by abuse or other violence. In April, during Child Abuse Prevention Month, area residents can help Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County (CAC) plant hope and help raise awareness of CAC’s free services for young survivors of abuse.

Girls like Nidia* have come to CAC’s safe, child-friendly space to give their account as a survivor of child sexual abuse. Nidia and her mom also participated in CAC’s mental health counseling, which is available to young survivors and their non-offending family members. Both experienced healing and were able to improve their mental and emotional well-being.

“Children feel heard and empowered when they come to CAC and receive a continuum of services from the forensic interview to ongoing advocacy to specialized trauma therapy,” explained CAC’s Chief Executive Officer Melanie Pignotti. “The approach is intentionally designed to reduce the risk of additional trauma and to facilitate collaboration across CAC’s staff teams. When a child leaves the Center smiling and laughing because a burden has been lifted and they remember the toys and grownups who helped and listened, we have done our jobs well,” Pignotti shared.

In addition, CAC works with the child and non-offending family members to repair and strengthen emotional bonds that can be collateral damage from the actual incident of abuse. Dads like David* have been able to process their own childhood trauma and improve communication and family relationships through CAC’s Parenting Support Program. Today David reports feeling confident and is determined to be the best parent he can be.

Across the country this April, people will be displaying pinwheels, ribbons and signs to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month. CAC invites area residents to help CAC plant hope in their communities and display a yard sign in April. Signs can be reserved on the CAC website. CAC staff will arrange a pick-up time after the reservation is received.

*Name changed to protect client’s identity.

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ABOUT CAC

Since 1989, Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County (CAC) has worked to empower the voices of children who have experienced violence, inspire hope and help them overcome their trauma.

Before the existence of CACs, children who reported abuse would have to tell their stories multiple times to multiple people. Children would relive the most traumatic moments in their lives over and over again. CAC changed that.

• We coordinate a single interview for the child with our Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) made up of local police, DCFS, State's Attorneys and medical personnel, which limits additional trauma to the child.
• Our Advocates meet with the non-offending parents/caregivers and walk them through the forensic interview process and what they can expect.
• Our specially trained Forensic Interviewers ask the children trauma-informed, age-appropriate questions that get all the necessary information to continue with the investigation. These interviews are viewed live by our Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and recorded, reducing the number of times a child needs to give their account of the incident.
• Our Advocates continue to help the family navigate the legal process, connect with other supportive community resources and refer them to CAC's in-house trauma therapy.
• Our Trauma Therapists provide highly specialized mental health counseling to children and their non-offending family members to help them process the trauma and build resilience.

CAC’s primary service area covers 38 north and northwest Chicago suburbs. However, we also accept referrals from the collar counties and the City of Chicago. All services are offered free of charge and in English and Spanish. An interpreter bank is available for other language needs. More information is available at cachelps.org.