An accredited chapter of the National Children’s Alliance, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi is a membership organization consisting of local child advocacy centers throughout the state. Our goal is to put the needs of the child first by bringing together all services under one umbrella. Our multidisciplinary teams include law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental and/or medical health, victim advocacy and child advocacy. They work together to streamline the process of child abuse situations and make team decisions about investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases.
Our story
Child Advocacy Centers of Mississippi was developed by a group of child advocacy center directors who recognized the need to provide consistent and quality services to the entire state.
In 1990, the state’s first children’s advocacy center, “Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center,” was established in Jackson. As the years passed, more and more child advocacy centers were formed in our state, and in 2001, the Mississippi Children’s Alliance was formed as a state chapter of the National Children’s Alliance with all Mississippi child advocacy centers as member centers.
In 2002, Senate Bill 2413 passed, recognizing child advocacy centers as members of the multidisciplinary team and endorsing the team approach to investigating and prosecuting child abuse in Mississippi.
In 2005, Mississippi Children’s Alliance became Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi. Five years later, the organization received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS, along with its charity registration with the Secretary of State’s Office.
Child Advocacy Centers of Mississippi received National Children’s Alliance Chapter Accreditation in 2011. In 2012, the organization received support from the State of Mississippi for training of multidisciplinary team members and the expansion of child advocacy center services.
Our mission
We are revolutionizing Mississippi’s response to child abuse through leadership, innovation, and education.
Our purpose
To support the development, growth and continuation of child advocacy centers in Mississippi
To promote system improvements for abused and neglected children utilizing education and advocacy campaigns and partnerships to improve government relations
To initiate and maintain statewide public education programs on benefits of collaborative approaches to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect
To provide information and materials relevant to child advocacy center development, management, quality assurance, standards, best practices and policies, training curriculum, resource development and program sustainability
To support the education of the public, the legislature and the courts in Mississippi regarding the status and needs of abused children
To identify and coordinate funding opportunities for child advocacy centers
To promote the growth and continuation of the multidisciplinary team approach to intervention in child abuse cases