FAMILY/VICTIM ADVOCACY

Child abuse is traumatic and impacts the entire family.

Guilt, anger, and blame may alter family dynamics. Financial difficulties may also negatively impact familial relationships. Fortunately, Valley CAC considers the survivorship and strength of the family unit a high priority. This value placed on “family” is the driving force behind providing our clients with professionally trained Family Advocates.

Family Advocates listen and provide child victims and their families with support throughout the process. One important role of an advocate is to wade through all available information and resources to provide appropriate service referrals and crisis intervention.

The single most important factor affecting the child’s recovery is the level of support from the non-offending caregiver(s).

Specifically, Family Advocates provide:

Immediate support and crisis intervention through the initial assessment process
Education about the child welfare and legal systems involved in child abuse cases
Information on how sexual abuse impacts children and families and the importance of obtaining mental health treatment for children
Referrals to community resources
Information on how to best support their children
Psychoeducation for non-offending caregiver(s) regarding their child’s trauma and how best to respond
Ongoing support and advocacy

Continued funding for the Valley CAC Family Advocate program allows our client families to:

Support one another, re-build, and strengthen relationships after surviving child abuse
Access information and integral resources for economic hurdles
Maneuver through the fields of the criminal justice process

“All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” — Samantha Power

“Thank you so much for all your help. You guys went above and beyond. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but you all made me feel the most at ease that I possibly can be during all of this.” — Parent, Augusta County