Child Advocacy Centers are run by non-profit contractors to CPS and often work closely with the local police departments. Before Child Advocacy Centers, in cases with allegations of severe abuse, CPS, law enforcement and the courts would all want to interview a child about allegations and telling a story like that once is traumatic enough; imagine having to tell it over and over again.
The Child Advocacy Centers were established to reduce the amount of times children and families had to go through such interviews. Child Advocacy Centers have specially trained forensic interviewers, child abuse medical specialists (either pediatricians or nurse practitioners with advanced training in identifying child abuse) and law enforcement (typically a unit specializing in child abuse cases). CPS typically requests examination by a Child Advocacy Center when law enforcement is also involved in a case and there are allegations of abuse. Less commonly, cases with allegations of neglect can also end up at a Child Advocacy Center.
When law enforcement is involved, CPS may request an interview be conducted at the local Child Advocacy Center. These facilities are often local to county, but large cities are also likely to have their own Child Advocacy Centers. Once the case is accepted by the Child Advocacy Center and an appointment is scheduled, CPS will inform the family and CPS may arrange for transportation for the family if needed. While the family may refuse to go to the Child Advocacy Center, CPS will seek a court order forcing the family to comply if they refuse and this petition is rarely rejected by the court.
Upon arriving at the Child Advocacy Center with the CPS investigator, both will sign in and wait until the staff are ready. The CPS investigator will typically meet with the team first. Then, the child(ren) will be brought into a room one by one with video and audio recording. A forensic interviewer will interview each of them individually about the allegations and any other information CPS and law enforcement have requested. While this is happening, the CPS investigator and law enforcement will typically watch the interview from a separate room that has monitors showing the audio and video from the interview room. These recorded interviews are evidence admissible in court (if your case is in court). At the same time, you will likely be interviewed by law enforcement (with or without the CPS investigator also present).
After the child(ren) are done with their forensic interviews, they may be examined by the child abuse medical specialist (pediatrician or nurse practitioner with special training in identifying child abuse). This is to look for evidence of physical or sexual abuse on the child(ren). If further examination is required that cannot be performed onsite, the child(ren) may be taken to the hospital. Once all of these interviews and examinations are complete, the appointment is over. If evidence that meets CPS’ criteria for removal is identified, CPS may remove your child(ren) onsite. If any criminal activity has been identified in the adults present by the police, they may be arrested onsite. If there is an unrelated law enforcement matter and a warrant has been issued, you may also be held by law enforcement. If neither occurs, you and your family will be allowed to go home. If CPS provided transportation for you, that same transportation will take you back home.
While Child Advocacy Centers do reduce the amount of times a child has to be interviewed, this often occurs after CPS does an initial interview in the home- therefore, the interview is done at least twice. In addition, a trip to a Child Advocacy Center can be terrifying for a parent- especially if the allegations arise from a malicious report (a report made in bad faith). If an appointment has been made for you and your family to report to a Child Advocacy Center, the case is serious and if you don’t have legal representation already, the time to get it would be at this point.
If CPS is asking for an appointment at the Child Advocacy Center, removal is being looked at as a serious possibility and the chances the allegations will be substantiated are high. In addition, you may be facing additional criminal charges to be independently addressed by law enforcement, so be prepared to deal with two independent investigations and courts: the criminal court and the family or juvenile court. While child abuse and neglect were decriminalized in the 1960s, some instances of child abuse and neglect, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse and some forms of neglect. It’s also important to note that if you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest (even if it’s irrelevant to why you’re at the Child Advocacy Center), law enforcement may have to arrest you for that on site, too. During a CPS investigation, it’s difficult to know how the case is going. The Child Advocacy Center, however, is a big hint the case may take a dark turn. Don’t ignore it.