Best Practices: Efficacy of the Children's Advocacy Center Model of Multidisciplinary Response to Child Abuse

Chris Newlin

National Children's Advocacy Center

Chris Newlin, MS LPC, is the Executive Director of the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) where he is responsible for providing leadership and management of the NCAC and participating in national and international training and leadership activities regarding the protection of children. The NCAC was the world's first Child Advocacy Center, and continues to provide prevention and intervention services for child abuse in Huntsville, AL; and, also houses the NCAC Training Center, the Southern Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, the NCAC Virtual Training Center, and the Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO). Chris has provided training in more than 25 countries at numerous international conferences and invited trainings, and also regularly provides technical assistance to professionals working to develop Children’s Advocacy Centers worldwide. He has worked in both urban and rural Children’s Advocacy Centers; and currently serves on numerous national and international boards and workgroups related to the protection of children. Chris was the 2010 recipient of the Hendrix College Odyssey Medal for Service to the World and the 2010 recipient of the International Impact Award from the International Services Council of Alabama. He graduated from Hendrix College, the University of Central Arkansas, and the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program.

Abstract

Child abuse is not a positive event, and the impact of child maltreatment is exacerbated if the systems which are intended to help protect children and promote their healing are producing quality outcomes and experiences. We now have scientific evidence regarding the significant financial and human suffering costs to society related to child maltreatment, and this further challenges us to identify best practices in responding to child maltreatment. The past thirty years have seen dramatic changes in the response to child abuse throughout the world, and the Children's Advocacy Center/Barnahus model has been part of this change. The rapid development of these multidisciplinary programs has revolutionized the response to child maltreatment in many countries as there are currently more than 1,000 CACs operating in more than 28 countries throughout the world. This workshop will review the rationale underlying the Children's Advocacy Center/Multidisciplinary Team response to child abuse and specifically highlight the outcome research which has overwhelmingly found this model to be effective on numerous outcome variables. Many policymakers express concern that this model, while philosophically sound and very effective, is just too costly to implement. This workshop will review the Cost Benefit Analysis research for the Children's Advocacy Center model which has found these programs to not only be more effective, but also less expensive than the traditional response systems. It is not often in our field where we can achieve both better outcomes and also save money. This is a valuable model of intervention which will only expand in the coming decade.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will identify the significant costs to society associated with child maltreatment
Participants will review the foundational philosophy which underlies the CAC/MDT response to child abuse
Participants will review the existing research regarding the CAC/MDT response to child abuse

Authors

Chris Newlin (National Children's Advocacy Center)
Lou Ann Holland (U.S. Department of Justice)

Topic Area

Multi-disciplinary Interagency Approaches (MDIA) and Child Protection Units [Micromanageme

Session

Oral4 » Session1-Multidisciplinary Interagency Approaches (11:00 - Monday, 2nd October, Europe 1 Room)

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