Who does the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center serve?

DCAC serves sexually and physically abused children who are generally under the age of 14 where the alleged perpetrator is 17 years of age or older, the offense occurred in Dallas County, and the case was referred to DCAC by law enforcement or Child Protective Services. DCAC typically serves the most severe or complex cases of child abuse and also provides services to child witnesses of violent crime. Since the agency’s inception in 1991, DCAC has served more than 20,000 children and families. More than 6,000 clients have received therapy services through the center's therapy program.

Professionals throughout the United States in the fields of law enforcement, prosecution, medical, mental health, and education, receive professional development and training. DCAC's Education Department serves local social service organizations, civic groups, and school districts who receive education about child abuse and protecting children.

The team's goals are to minimize each child’s trauma, provide immediate and ongoing treatment and services, and to ensure proper investigation of cases. DCAC has many unique and innovative features specialized to improve the treatment of child victims of sexual and physical abuse in Dallas County. These features include a child-oriented facility, multi-disciplinary team investigation, forensic interviews, therapy services, training/education, and research.

Measuring the effectiveness of DCAC programs is a very important part of fulfilling our mission. We use outcome measures to guide this process and improve our services. For a recent sampling of program outcomes click here.