A Coordinated Path to Healing: How Collier CAC Supports Children and Families After Abuse

After a child experiences abuse, nonoffending caregivers can suddenly find themselves navigating an unfamiliar and overwhelming process involving multiple agencies, difficult questions and repeated conversations about what happened. There may be law enforcement involvement, medical concerns, emotional trauma to address and uncertainty about what comes next.

In Collier County, the Collier Children’s Advocacy Center (Collier CAC) serves as the first point of care for children when abuse is suspected, bringing together the professionals and specialized services they need through one coordinated, trauma-informed response.

Collier CAC is an independent nonprofit that works alongside law enforcement, child protection investigators and other community partners to provide compassionate, specialized care while reducing the potential for additional trauma during an already difficult time. Each year, Collier CAC provides specialized services to more than 1,400 children and families in Collier County.

That coordination is what makes the children’s advocacy center model different.

Rather than requiring a child and family to navigate multiple agencies and repeatedly recount what happened, Collier CAC brings forensic interviews, medical evaluations, therapy, family advocacy and parent education together within one organization. Collier CAC reduces what could be up to six separate agency visits to a single coordinated response. All services are provided free of charge, removing financial barriers for families seeking help.

For many children, that process begins with the Child Protection Team. This specially trained team conducts forensic interviews in a safe, child-friendly environment using developmentally appropriate techniques designed to gather accurate information while reducing the need for repeated questioning. Collier CAC also provides specialized medical evaluations when needed and is the only organization in Collier County legally authorized to perform forensic medical exams for children under age 12.

But determining what happened is only the beginning. After the initial stages of an investigation, children and families may need continued therapeutic support.

Trauma can affect children in different ways. Some may experience anxiety, difficulty sleeping, withdrawal or behavioral changes soon after abuse. Without appropriate support, the effects of trauma can also create longer-term challenges related to mental health, relationships and healthy development.

Collier CAC’s Therapy Program provides specialized, trauma-informed care to help children understand and process their experiences, develop healthy coping skills and rebuild a sense of safety and trust. Therapists also work with caregivers and family members, recognizing that a child’s healing is strengthened when the adults around them have the tools and support to help.

The Child, Family and Court Advocate Team helps families understand the systems they are navigating, connects them with resources and provides support throughout legal and court proceedings. Collier CAC’s Parenting Education Program helps caregivers strengthen parenting skills, better understand the effects of trauma and create safer, healthier environments for children at home.

Each service addresses a different need, but they share the same goal: ensuring children and their caregivers do not have to navigate the aftermath of abuse alone.

This coordinated approach matters because healing takes time. A child may need different types of support at different points in their journey, and the systems designed to help should make that path easier to navigate, not harder.

Since Hurricane Ian damaged the organization’s primary facility in 2022, services have been divided among temporary locations. This November, our new building will bring therapy, advocacy, child protection, medical and parenting services back together in one child-centered setting, strengthening the collaboration and continuity of care that are central to our work.

For children and families facing the aftermath of abuse, that means a more connected path forward, with the right professionals working together to provide safety, support and healing when they are needed most.

About the Author

Jackie Stephens is the CEO of Collier Children’s Advocacy Center, where she oversees five programs designed to provide specialized trauma-informed care to children and families affected by abuse.

The Collier Children’s Advocacy Center is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the first point of care for children in Collier County when abuse is suspected. Since 1986, Collier CAC has provided forensic interviews, medical evaluations, therapy, family advocacy and parent education in one child-centered setting, reducing what could be up to six separate agency visits to a single coordinated response.

Collier CAC is the only organization in Collier County legally authorized to perform forensic medical exams for children under 12 and to deliver medical, court advocacy and therapeutic services under one roof. All services are provided free of charge, removing financial barriers so families can access support regardless of circumstance.

Learn more at caccollier.org.