Children's Assessment Center Defined.

The Children's Assessment Center of Berrien County (CAC) is a program whose purpose is to facilitate and coordinate the work of organizations responsible for the investigation of child sexual abuse. We seek to reduce the trauma of these investigations and to compassionately meet the needs of sexually abused children. Our program serves Berrien County children between the ages of 2 and 18.

The CAC offers a child-oriented, neutral facility where victims of sexual abuse can tell their story to a specially trained interviewer in a child-friendly environment. The interview is observed by investigators from law enforcement, human services, and the prosecuting attorney's office. The Center offers crisis counseling and on-going counseling to child victims and their non-offending family members, as well as information and referrals to other services for family members impacted by the abuse. The CAC coordinates regular case reviews of each child seen at the Center, and each case is tracked throughout the investigation and prosecution until a final disposition is reached.

The Children's Assessment Center of Berrien County is part of a nationwide effort to reduce the trauma of child sexual abuse so that children are not re-victimized by the systems designed to protect them.