Children's Advocacy Centers of North Carolina

An accredited state chapter of the National Children's Alliance helping local CAC's dealing with child abuse

CHILDREN WHO RECEIVED CASE MANAGEMENT THROUGH A CAC

17,900

NEW CHILD ABUSE CASES INVESTIGATED THROUGH A CAC

9,840

ALL PARTICIPANTS OF CAC CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS

95,086

THE CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTERS OF NORTH CAROLINA

Children's Advocacy Centers of North Carolina is an accredited state chapter of the National Children's Alliance, the national umbrella organization for children's advocacy centers dealing with child abuse.

The children's advocacy movement began in the 1980s. Each center is an independent agency, providing services for abused children, and relies on their local communities for support. By bringing together collaborative partners, such as local child protective services, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical and mental health providers, CAC's can make a positive difference in the lives of abused children by bringing professionals to the child instead of asking children and their families to access services through many different portals.

What does CACNC provide?

Technical support
Annual training through Reflections, a symposium on child abuse and neglect, along with other training that is pertinent to child abuse professionals throughout the year
Assistance with local center development
Networking and contacts with child abuse professionals across the state and nation

Download our FY 2018 Annual Report Here

MISSION STATEMENT

Develop, train and sustain high quality Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs).

CACNC believes that black lives matter. Many of the children and families we serve are people of color. We value their lives and desire that they grow up in a world where their lives are valued not in spite of their color, but because diversity makes our world a better place. We stand firmly against racism and police brutality in any form. While some of our most valuable partners in the fight against child abuse are our law enforcement partners, we understand that bad cops are a threat to the law enforcement who risk their lives every day to protect children and others in our state. We are committed to standing against racial injustice and police brutality both out of respect and appreciation for the lives of people of color and our law enforcement partners.

Thank you for visiting our website. Please make use of the numerous resources provided here, and if you see a need for information that we haven't included, please let us know. But, most of all, thank you for your passion to make a positive difference in the lives of children.

LOCATE A CENTER

STAFF & BOARD

“

You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.

JOHN BUNYAN

Executive Director

Deana Joy joined CACNC in January of 2014 and comes with a wealth of experience within the field, having spent the last 13 years at CrossRoads: Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center where she worked in direct services to victims and later was promoted to Executive Director. She will utilize her experience from working within a Child Advocacy Center to support and further develop the state’s Children’s Advocacy Centers extensive and remarkable service provision to child abuse victims.

Director of Standards

Suzan Evans joined CACNC in November 2015. Suzan comes to us from CrossRoads in Burlington where she was responsible for the creation of the local CAC and has 20+ years experience in direct service provision and MDT facilitation. The National Children's Alliance also sited Suzan's MDT model as a model to be replicated throughout the nation. Suzan will utilize her experience to support current centers in meeting the ten standards of accreditation as well as developing new centers to ensure that all of North Carolina's children have easy access to a Children's Advocacy Center.

Training & Compliance Director

Ken Wooten joined CACNC in September 2016 with the primary responsibility of coordinating state-wide training for child abuse professionals through the Reflections Symposium in Lake Junaluska held in September and the Kitty Hawk Symposium held in April of each year. Ken will draw upon his five years' experience as Executive Director of Dove House CAC in Statesville, NC to ensure that CAC employees and members of crucial multidisciplinary teams receive necessary state-coordinated training. As a CPA, Ken spent the bulk of his career in high level corporate positions, during which time he held active roles in numerous non-profit organizations.

Sub-Grantee Contracts & Special Projects Coordinator

Angie Brown joined CACNC in July 2006 with funding provided by the Governor's Crime Commission of NC. Angie is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and worked 10 years at Family Service of the Piedmont as the Employee Assistance Program Director and member of the Grants & Contract team. She served as Training Coordinator for CACNC for 10 years. In her current role, Angie is primarily responsible for ensuring the accurate management of all sub-grantee contracts and reporting, as well as special projects associated with the Chapter.

Staff Attorney

Audra Padget joined the CACNC staff in January of 2018. She comes to us from the District Attorney's Office in Concord, NC. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2008 and has spent most of her career serving victims as a prosecutor in the DA's office. There, Audra handled numerous cases involving child abuse with the help of her local CAC. Prior to becoming an prosecutor, Audra practiced Corporate and Securities law for a large firm in Charlotte. In her current role, she serves as a legal resource to CACNC and the centers throughout the state.

Training & Curriculum Coordinator

Julie Schroer joined the CACNC staff in January of 2019. She comes to us from KARE, the child advocacy center in Haywood County, NC where she spent 6+ years as the Executive Director. Julie graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin with a Bachelor's in Economics and Management. She also graduated from Blackwater Technical College with a degree in Mechanical Design. Before CAC work, Julie spent most of her career in manufacturing, small business and community development.

Medical Services Coordinator

Deb Flowers joined the CACNC staff in July of 2019 as the Medical Services Coordinator and is also a Child Medical Evaluation provider for Southmountain Children and Family Services Moore and Harnett County Child Advocacy Centers. She began these new roles after retiring from the UNC Department of Pediatrics - NC Child Maltreatment Program. Deb is also an adjunct clinical instructor with the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and participates as both a lecturer for the nurse practitioner programs and as a clinical preceptor for pediatric nurse practitioner students. Deb has over 30 years of experience in the field of nursing with trauma and child maltreatment being most of her nursing focus and expertise.

Finance Manager

Lori Stack joined the CACNC staff in November 2020. She comes to us with more than a decade of experience working in research administration and operational finance at UNC Healthcare and Duke University. Prior to her experience in academia, Lori worked in various finance and accounting roles in both for profit and non-profit organizations. Lori is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

Project Manager

Ashley Pritt joined the CACNC staff in November 2020 and comes to us from InReach, a non-profit organization supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has experience and knowledge of human resources, finance, advocacy and IT (includes software development). Ashley has a BS in Business Management with a minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Pfeiffer University.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President
JoAnn Lamm - Elm City, NC
Vice-President
Brandon Medina - Nashville, NC
Past President
Chris Jernigan - Morganton, NC
Treasurer
Harold Bost - Raleigh, NC
Secretary
Rhonda Morris - Elizabeth City, NC

Tripp Ake - Durham, NC
Cindy Brown - Asheville, NC
Kathleen Holbrook - Jacksonville, NC
Nancy Lamb - Tarboro, NC
Ashley Lantz - Monroe, NC
Andrew Oliver - Charlotte, NC
Clark Reimer - Raleigh, NC
Sherry Reinhardt - Lincolnton, NC
Amy Yow - Albemarle, NC

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