The Center for Youth and Families is a Child Advocacy Center and professional mental health service that assists children, adolescents and their families with emotional, behavioral, developmental, and family difficulties.
The Center’s approach is wide-ranging, beginning with a thorough and sensitive evaluation of the “whole” child in the context of the family, school and the community. To further this understanding, the Center staff work closely with schools, guidance counselors, local area pediatricians and other community providers.
The Center’s interdisciplinary team includes professionals from the following disciplines:
- Licensed Therapists
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
- Advanced Practice Nurse
- Student interns from the above areas of study
The Center offers outpatient treatment in the areas of Individual, group, and family therapy and the use of evidence based models. These services include:
- S.A.F.E.: (Supportive Assessments Fast and Effective) The assessment of crisis and urgent levels of care. Referrals made to the appropriate level of care for follow-up.
- Charlotte’s Place: Services provide to the children and families who are victims of abuse. The Charlotte’s Place program provided victim services to approximately 210 children and families in 2010.
- Autism Connections: An innovative treatment program for Children and Families of children on the Autistic Spectrum.
- Foster Care Clinic: Medical and behavioral health screenings and recommendations for all children placed into foster care in Northwestern Connecticut.
- Child Abuse Investigation Team of Northwest Connecticut (C.A.I.T.): A multidisciplinary investigation team approach to the investigation of child abuse cases in NW CT. The Child Abuse Investigation Team of Northwest Connecticut tracks approximately 75 cases annually and conducts approximately 60 forensic interviews a year.
- Bridges Extended Day Treatment: A 5 day a week intensive group therapy program for children ages 6-12 experiencing behavioral, and or emotional challenges at home, school, and in the community.
What is a Child Advocacy Center?
Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) are child-focused, facility-based programs in which representatives from many disciplines work together to conduct interviews at our center for youth and families and make team decisions on cases of child abuse. CAC models for child abuse intervention are proven and effective, bringing together trained professionals to investigate and provide medical and mental healthcare as well as support to child victims of abuse.
More than 700 CACs are located across the country with services that generally include:
- Forensic Interviewing Services
- Forensic Medical Evaluations
- Victim Advocacy and Support
- Specialized Mental Health Services
- Community Education and Outreach
What are the benefits of a CAC?
Benefits of a CAC include improved investigation and prosecution of serious physical and sexual abuse cases by coordination of all agencies involved and the use of a joint forensic interview. We also work to minimized trauma to the child victim by reduction of the number of contacts the child must have with the system. Additionally the CAC offers trauma- based mental health services to children and families.