In an ideal world, no child would be abused. Every child would be loved, cared for, nurtured and supported, and positively guided into a healthy adulthood.

In the real world, however, far too many children experience abuse.

When abuse is disclosed, there can be multiple systems to navigate and often confusing avenues to pursue. There may be a law enforcement investigation, an assessment by Child Protective Services, medical evaluations, developmental and mental health assessments, court proceedings, etc.

For many children and families, it may feel as if their world has been blown apart.

Caring for these children demands that we figure out the best possible, least intrusive, most effective and helpful way to respond to them.

Since 1985, more than 600 communities in the United States have implemented investigative and treatment programs based on the Child Advocacy Center model developed in Huntsville, Ala., to respond to cases of child abuse.

At a CAC, child abuse professionals are brought together in one location to discuss and make decisions about the investigation and prosecution of child-abuse cases and to assess and secure services needed by the child and family.

This multi-disciplinary approach allows for a more effective, comprehensive review and enables agencies to provide a network of collaborative and coordinated services.

A Child Advocacy Center puts the child first. Children who have been sexually/physically abused or who have witnessed violence can be interviewed by a specially trained interviewer in a child-friendly environment.

Other people who need the information revealed by the child can observe the interview via closed-circuit television in another room (or via a two-way mirror), and can feed questions to the interviewer so that they get all the needed information. This helps to reduce the number of interviews the child must have, and provides more comprehensive information for the assessment of the child and the investigation of the case.

In 2005, after several years of collaborative community work, the Androscoggin Children’s Advocacy Center opened its doors. The ACAC is currently the only Child Advocacy Center in Maine, although there is CAC development happening in at least one other area.

The ACAC is a community initiative through which 17 Androscoggin County agencies collaborate, utilizing a multi-disciplinary team approach to the investigation of child-abuse cases and the recovery of child-abuse victims and their families.

The Androscoggin Children’s Advocacy Center provides a coordinator/forensic interviewer whose responsibility is to run the center, convene and chair the multi-disciplinary team and conduct interviews of children.

The ACAC is also available for adults with developmental disabilities whose cognitive functioning might be similar to that of a younger person.

In addition, the ACAC employs a family advocate whose responsibility is to work with the families of children who have been abused.

The family advocate meets with the family during the interview of the child, providing information, addressing the concerns of the family, and making referrals.

The family advocate can also stay connected with the family after the initial ACAC involvement, providing ongoing support in their efforts to support the child and deal with the impact of the abuse. The family advocate can also support the family if the case moves forward within the judicial system.

The Androscoggin Children’s Advocacy Center provides many benefits, both to children and their families and to the community as a whole. For victims and their families, the benefits of the ACAC are readily apparent — consistent and prompt follow-up to abuse reports, quality and consistent forensic interviews, compassionate support for the child and family, referrals to professionals with expertise in specialized fields, dramatically fewer victim interviews and increased successful prosecutions.

For the community, the ACAC helps to contain costs. Research suggests that traditional investigations are 36 percent more expensive than CAC-based investigations and that more CAC-based interviews result in a successful outcome in criminal cases.

In addition, the ACAC helps to foster collaboration among systems in addressing the issues of child abuse.

The ACAC is co-located with, and under the fiscal sponsorship of, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center. This relationship not only ensures the fiscal and organizational support of the ACAC, but also allows for immediate cross-referrals for SACC services. That allows a more seamless provision of services for the child and family.

In addition to being Sexual Assault Awareness month, April is also Child Abuse Awareness month.

Right here in Androscoggin County, the ACAC is a place where these two things come together and where the community can come together to better support child victims.

Keri Myrick is coordinator of the Androscoggin Children’s Advocacy Center.