The Foundations of CAC Family Advocacy, formerly known as The Advocate's Role in the Multidisciplinary Response to Child Abuse, is intended to fulfill the 24.0 hours of core training for victim advocates required in the National Standards of Accreditation for Children’s Advocacy Centers. This training covers the twelve competencies set forth in those standards and will include evaluation of an increase in skills and knowledge in those attending the training. There is no cost to participate in this training.
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If you have previously met the nine components of the 2017 training standards for victim advocacy, you will only need additional training documentation for the following three new components along with the 2017 documentation to meet the 2023 standards:
- Cultural responsiveness and addressing the implicit bias in service delivery
- Caregiver resilience
- Domestic violence/family violence/children’s exposure to domestic violence and poly-victimization
* If you have not previously met the nine components of the 2017 standard, you will need training documentation for all 12 components of the 2023 standard.
**If you have already completed The Advocate’s Role in the Multidisciplinary Response to Child Abuse - this is the same training with a new updated name.
Moving Beyond: A Recorded Series of Special Topics in Victim Advocacy provides advocates an opportunity for online learning with experts in the child abuse field on these four special topics. The recording trainings are 60-90 minutes that you can watch at your own pace, review the included resources, and download a certificate upon completion of the evaluation.
Building Caregiver Resilience using the Strengthening Families Protective Framework and the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children and Families served at CACs will meet two of the new training requirements for victim advocates as outlined in the 2023 National Children's Alliance Standards for Accredited Members.
Moving Beyond: A Recorded Series of Special Topics in Victim Advocacy Here
This training is appropriate for advocates who take part in providing the constellation of services to children served by a Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) across the country. This includes victim advocates employed by the CAC, working at a partnering District Attorney's office, and/or staff of a community-based organization.
Applicants should be advocates with less than five (5) years of experience AND who have not yet completed the 24 hours of training required to meet NCA Standards.
Sara Lee, MS, Program Manager - Midwest Regional CAC
Jennifer Aglialoro, Training Specialist - Northeast Regional CAC
Christina Rouse, Program Manager, CAC Development - Southern Regional CAC
Salli Kerr, Training Specialist - Western Regional CAC
This training will enable participants to:
- Demonstrate an increased knowledge of the unique role of victim advocates in responding to the needs of children and families.
- Understand strategies to engage and empower supportive caregivers in their own healing and support of child maltreatment/abuse victims.
- Increase understanding of multi-disciplinary team dynamics and implications for victim advocates as integral and active team members.
This course comprises 4, 6-hour live Zoom sessions each day (including a 1-hour meal break) and approximately 4 hours of independent pre-work, totaling 24 hours of training credit. The 2025 training schedule is listed below. The application will go live 6 weeks before the training begins and remain open for 10 days.
Important! Please note the specific start and end times for your time zone.
March 2025 Training | Applications now closed
Training dates: Tuesday, March 4; Thursday, March 6; Tuesday, March 11; and Thursday, March 13, 2025
The times below are for March 4 and March 6:
- 5:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. HST (Hawaii)
- 6:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. AKST (Alaska)
- 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. PST (Pacific)
- 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. MST (Mountain)
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST (Central)
- 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST (Eastern)
The times below are for March 11 and March 13:
- 4:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. HST (Hawaii)
- 6:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. AKDT (Alaska)
- 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. PDT/MST (Pacific/Mountain Standard)
- 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. MDT (Mountain)
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CDT (Central)
- 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT (Eastern)
Applications will close end of day, January 31, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by February 11, 2025.
June 2025 Training | Applications will open May 6, 2025
Training dates: Tuesday, June 17; Wednesday, June 18; Tuesday, June 24; and Wednesday, June 25, 2025
- 6:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. HST (Hawaii)
- 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. AKDT (Alaska)
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. PDT/MST (Pacific/Mountain Standard)
- 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. MDT (Mountain)
- 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT (Central)
- 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EDT (Eastern)
Applications will close end of day, May 16, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by May 27, 2025.
September 2025 Training | Applications will open August 4, 2025
Training dates: Monday, September 15; Wednesday, September 17; Monday, September 22; and Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
- 4:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. HST (Hawaii)
- 6:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. AKDT (Alaska)
- 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. PDT/MST (Pacific/Mountain Standard)
- 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. MDT (Mountain)
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CDT (Central)
- 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT (Eastern)
Applications will close end of day, August 14, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by August 25, 2025.
Accepted applicants must complete the following items as part of their required pre-work in order to participate in the training:
- *Download & Sign: You and your supervisor will need to review and sign the Course Syllabus; if you are the Executive Director and are accepted into this training, you will sign as both the “Participant” and “Supervisor” (Participants will be enrolled in an UMU course where this document will be available.)
- Complete the Child Abuse and Neglect lesson to receive a certificate from: OVC Training (Please note that you will have to scroll down to find the lesson on OVC's website.)
- Read: Vincent Felitti's article: The Relation Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Health
- Watch: NCAC's webinar: Nurturing a Hope Centered Trauma-Informed Response
- Watch: NRCAC's Building a Better Case Review Together
- Read: NRCAC's Guidelines for Case Review
- Read: Resources for Meeting the Victim Support and Advocacy Standard
- Read: Children's Advocacy Centers of Mississippi and West Virginia Child Advocacy Network's Field Guide to Family Advocacy
We invite you to embrace this virtual 4-day training with the same enthusiasm and commitment as you would an in-person session. We understand that dedicating 4 days, with sessions lasting 6 hours each, might feel like a significant commitment. We also acknowledge that many participants balance multiple responsibilities. Nevertheless, we firmly believe in the value and effectiveness of this training. Our goal is for you to fully achieve the outlined learning objectives and derive maximum benefit from the experience.
To make the most of your training experience, we kindly ask that you:
- Reserve this time exclusively for the training sessions.
- Find a quiet and private space to ensure confidentiality.
- Ensure your video camera and microphone are functional.
- Engage actively through chat or microphone participation.
- Minimize distractions by refraining from taking calls and responding to emails during sessions.
- Ensure a stable Wi-Fi connection for uninterrupted participation.
- Prioritize safety by refraining from participating while driving.
Please note that if a participant misses more than 3 hours of the training, they will not receive a certificate of completion. Participants who miss up to 3 hours will get a modified certificate.
Your commitment to these guidelines will help create a positive and productive learning environment for everyone involved. Thank you for your cooperation and enthusiasm!
Access the resources below by clicking on the title.
Sign up for your Regional CAC's mailing list to be notified when applications open:
Contact your Regional CAC representative:
- Midwest Regional CAC: Sara Lee
- Northeast Regional CAC: Jennifer Aglialoro
- Southern Regional CAC: Christina Rouse
- Western Regional CAC: Salli Kerr