Caren Harp, Administrator 

Children’s Advocacy Centers 

Child maltreatment is a serious national problem. In fiscal year 2018 alone,

approximately 678,000 children in the United States experienced abuse and

neglect, and 1,770 died as a result.1

Child abuse can have grave, lifelong consequences but these outcomes may

be mitigated if children receive timely, evidence-based care. The Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) supports the important

work of children’s advocacy centers and their multidisciplinary teams of child

abuse prevention and intervention professionals. In 2019, 900 local children’s

advocacy centers served more than 371,000 children across the country.

Programs 

The Children’s Advocacy Centers National Subgrant program funds

children’s advocacy centers—local child-friendly facilities where professionals

from victim advocacy and child protective services, law enforcement and

prosecution, and the medical and mental health fields work together to

investigate, prosecute, and treat child abuse. The team approach improves

interagency communication, increases the effectiveness of the investigation and

prosecution, and results in fewer interviews with and less trauma for the child.

OJJDP also supports a subgrant program specific to Victims of Child 

Pornography and a Military Partnership Pilot Project that explores how the 

children’s advocacy center model can help address child abuse cases on U.S. 

military installations.

Through the Children’s Advocacy Centers Membership and Accreditation 

program, OJJDP’s grantee maintains and enhances national standards for 

accreditation and offers training and technical assistance to help the centers

obtain or maintain accreditation. The standards ensure that all victims served by

the children’s advocacy centers receive consistent, evidence-based interventions.

Training and Technical Assistance 

Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers Program 

The Northeast Regional, Southern Regional, Midwest Regional, and Western 

Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers help develop and strengthen local 

children’s advocacy centers within each geographic area. Each center tailors 

its training and technical assistance to the specific needs of the region and 

helps the local centers develop comprehensive, multidisciplinary responses 

to meet the needs of child victims and their families. 

For More Information 

Access more information about the OJJDP-supported children’s advocacy 

centers at https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/childrens-advocacy-centers. 

1 Children’s Bureau. 2020. Child Maltreatment 2018. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

July 2020 

Funding 

Between fscal years 2017 and 

2019, OJJDP awarded more 

than $56 million to help the 

centers provide victims with 

the care, treatment, and justice 

they deserve. 

` Fiscal Year 2019—$19.3 million 

` Fiscal Year 2018—$19.1 million 

` Fiscal Year 2017—$17.9 million 

From the Field 

As a teenager, Melanie Sachs was 

plagued by fear and shame from

having been abused—until she

walked into a children’s advocacy 

center. 

“I was greeted by a friendly face,

a smile, and for the first time in a 

long time, I felt safe. I could sense

immediately...that...my forensic

interviewer understood and that 

she believed me,” recalls Melanie. 

“Shame left the room for the first time 

that day in a truly impactful way.” 

Now an adult, Melanie works as 

a family advocate at a children’s 

advocacy center in Massachusetts,

helping to heal children and families

who have experienced abuse. 

Describing it as her ‘dream job,’

Melanie shares that advocating

for survivors and helping them find

their voice is her calling. 

Office of Juvenile Justice and 

Delinquency Prevention 

ojjdp.ojp.gov

NCJ 254817