Abstract
Abstract
Objective
The Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) model of child abuse investigation is designed to be more child and family-friendly than traditional methods, but there have been no rigorous studies of their effect on children's and caregivers’ experience. Data collected as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Children's Advocacy Centers were used to examine whether CACs improve caregivers’ and children's satisfaction with investigations.
Methods
Nonoffending caregiver and child satisfaction were assessed during research interviews, including the administration of a 14-item Investigation Satisfaction Scale (ISS) for caregivers. Two hundred and twenty-nine sexual abuse cases investigated through a CAC were compared to 55 cases investigated in communities with no CAC.
Results
Hierarchical linear regression results indicated that caregivers in CAC cases were more satisfied with the investigation than those from comparison sites, even after controlling for a number of relevant variables. There were few differences between CAC and comparison samples on children's satisfaction. Children described moderate to high satisfaction with the investigation, while a minority expressed concerns about their experience.
Conclusions
The CAC model shows promise for improving families’ experiences, but to build upon this promise, agencies will need to systematize procedures for refining and adapting the model as new research becomes available.
Department
Psychology
Publication Date
10-2007
Journal Title
Child Abuse & Neglect
Publisher
Elsevier
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.07.003
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Lisa M. Jones, Theodore P. Cross, Wendy A. Walsh, Monique Simone, Do Children's Advocacy Centers improve families’ experiences of child sexual abuse investigations?, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 31, Issue 10, October 2007, Pages 1069-1085, ISSN 0145-2134, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.07.003. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213407002463)
Rights
© 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.