National Childrens Advocacy Center Inc

In 1985, Former Congressman Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, then the District Attorney of Madison County, saw the need to create a better system to handle the increasing number of child sexual abuse cases that were coming across his desk. He established the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model and opened the first and only National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC).  The use of the MDT model means that all of the entities who are involved with a child sexual abuse case work in a co-located, collaborative effort to see the case from the disclosure of abuse through the hopeful prosection of the alleged perpetrator.  Before the NCAC was established, children were shuffled from the police station to the emergency room, the Department of Human Resources and the DA's office and forced to re-live the traumatice experience as they told their story over and over again.  Now, victims of child sexual abuse come to one child-friendly environment for interventions and therapeutic services and the MDT works together to hopefully prosecute the alleged offender. 

Prevention is the key to stopping the cycle of abuse and the NCAC is the home to 3 accredited Prevention programs that work with children and families on everything from personal safety to building a strong, positive bond with your child to ensure that they get the best possible start in life.