Child Advocacy Center retains key mark

The Kane County Child Advocacy Center, which investigates crimes against children and provides therapy for victims, recently retained a five-year key accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance.

“We’re pretty proud,” CAC Executive Director Lori Chassee said. “It’s not an easy process to go through. It took a lot of work. It’s really a validation we’re using the best practices in Kane County.”

The center’s accreditation is the highest recognition in excellence of service from the alliance.

It will help the center land future grants and shows that the staff is adhering to the newest proven and best standards. Some new requirements enacted last year include more evidence-based practices and crisis treatment.

“It establishes a certain baseline for what our operations are,” said Chassee. “It says we’ve been here, we’re going to continue to be here, we’ve maintained our staff and a highly professional level.”

The center, established in 1994, averages about 400 investigations a year along more than 1,200 forensic interviews a year.

The Center also provides education, prevention and counseling for victims and their families.

“Our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high-quality services that result from professional collaboration,” said Teresa Huizar, the alliance’s executive director. “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.”