Children's Advocacy Center

2901 S. Eason Blvd., Tupelo, MS 38804

(662) 432-2995  CAC Office or contact (662) 844-0013 FRC Main Office

Snapshot overview of services Provided:

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• Multidisciplinary team coordination and sharing of information to ensure that the child is protected and the offender is held accurate.

• Forensic Interviews for children where there are allegations of abuse.

• Victim support and advocacy.

• Referral for specialized medical exams.

• Referral for counseling and therapy services for child victims

• Court preparation and advocacy for child victims.

• Child-Focused Setting.

• Case review and tracking.

• Community awareness and education.​

The Family Resource Center of North Mississippi Children's Advocacy Center is one of the 12 Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi.  We are also an accredited member of the National Children's Alliance. 

Child advocacy centers provide critical services to children that are the victims of the most severe felony abuse: all sexual abuse, severe physical abuse(ex: burns, choking, permanent injury, broken bones, etc.), drug endangered children, trafficking victims and children who have witnessed a homicide or similarly violent crime. The core foundation of the child advocacy center is to work collaboratively with law enforcement, medical personnel, child protective services, prosecutors and other key professionals during the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse cases. That collaboration begins with training programs for all members of the multidisciplinary teams that emphasize recognition, competency, and cooperation to manage their individual roles throughout a child abuse investigation.

Prior to the advent of children’s advocacy centers, abused children faced a maze of entities in reporting the abuse and getting appropriate therapeutic care. All too often the professionals involved with the case - no matter their profession- were not adequately prepared or trained to respond to child abuse and were, unfortunately, learning on the job how to respond to these child victims. Families often faced frustration with the system and withdrew from the process, resulting in no conviction for the perpetrator and no healing for the child.

The overriding benefit of the child advocacy center model is that the case investigations are coordinated from the onset. They begin more timely, fewer cases are missed, families receive appropriate referrals for the proper medical exams, children receive evidenced-based therapy sooner and the CAC collaborative model reduces duplication of resources.[i] The collaborative approach is instrumental in assuring that all services provided by the team are performed at the highest level and that the entire team works efficiently for the benefit of the child and their non-offending family members.

At the local child advocacy centers, a child can relate his or her experience one time, in one place. Rather than being shuffled between doctors, police, counselors, and child advocates, the model strives to bring these professionals together while minimizing trauma to the victim. We strive to provide a comfortable, child-friendly setting in which a child can feel safe telling what has happened to him or her .Our multidisciplinary teams are made up of trained professionals whose primary goal is to reduce the burden on children and help facilitate their recovery.

MANDATED REPORTER
There’s a misconception regarding child abuse and neglect, which is that it mainly occurs in lower-income areas and neighborhoods, but in reality, it could be happening in the house next door. Child abuse, neglect, and trafficking is a community issue, and although it’s a difficult subject to discuss, it’s mandatory in order to save the lives of children throughout the State of Mississippi.

In accordance with MS. Code 43-21-353, any individual with reasonable cause to suspect that a child is being neglected, abused or trafficked, is required by law to make a verbal report immediately by telephone or otherwise.

Call the MDCPS statewide intake line at 1.800.222.8000 to report all allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation anonymously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.