Coordinated Investigations

The HCCAC supports and coordinates the efforts of the Child Protection Team (CPT) consisting of professionals from:

• Law Enforcement
• Prosecution
• Child Protective Services

In most communities, medical and mental health professionals as well as other local agency representatives serve on the CPT. In the neutral setting of the CAC, team members can collaborate on strategies that will aid investigators and prosecutors without causing further harm to the child. This innovative multidisciplinary approach significantly increases the likelihood of a successful outcome in court and long-term healing for the abused child, the most vulnerable of crime victims.

The Child Protection Teams collaborates to:

• Coordinate investigations
• Limit, when possible, the number of times each child is interviewed
• Provide comfortable, child-friendly settings for interviews
• Reduce the child victim’s travel to investigative agencies
• Coordinate medical and mental health services
• Increase public awareness about the incidence and impact of child abuse