Child Advocacy Center Of Oswego County Earns Reaccreditation From National Children’s Alliance

FULTON – The Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County has been awarded reaccreditation by the National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.

As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with the National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.

Accredited CACs must undergo a reaccreditation process every five years to ensure that best practices are continually being applied. With accreditation standards being updated in 2017, reaccreditation this year reflects the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County’s commitment to providing evidence-based methods and practice.

Founded in 2001, the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County recently commemorated more than 20 years of service to the children and families of Oswego County. As an Accredited Member of the National Children’s Alliance, the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County is dedicated to providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.

“We recognize the importance of maintaining Accredited status from the National Children’s Alliance and we sincerely thank all of our staff, Multi-Disciplinary Team partners and board members for their dedication which allowed us to secure our Accredited Member status. A special thank you to our CAC Deputy Director, Carol Gazitano, who serves as our Accreditation Manager and who helped to lead us through the reaccreditation process. Reaccreditation not only validates our organization’s dedication to proven effective approaches of child abuse intervention and prevention but also contributes to consistency across the Children’s Advocacy Center movement as a whole,” said Tory L. DeCaire, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County.

The National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membership based on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims.

Accredited Members must utilize a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution and treatment. National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.

“The Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse. As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration. By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo reaccreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided,” said Teresa Huizar, executive director of National Children’s Alliance.

For more information about the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County or to learn how you can help, visit www.oswegocac.org.

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