In 1995, an ethnographic study determined that Cherokee and Crawford counties were numbers one and two in reports per capita of child sexual abuse.  This resulted in the formation of the Crawford County Sexual Abuse Task Force in 1997.

 

Members of the task force ultimately formed the CAC Advisory Board of Directors under the umbrella of Community Mental Health of Crawford County, with the CAC opening its doors at its first location in what was the Family Resource Center in 1999.

 

In 2001, a capital campaign was launched to purchase an independent facility for the Children's Advocacy Center, which is where the CAC is currently located.

 

Officially serving Crawford and Cherokee Counties, but also offering services to other Southeast Kansas counties, the CAC provides forensic interviews, support and advocacy, and community education and prevention.

 

Having been an Associate Member of the National Children's Alliance since 2000, the CAC became fully accredited in 2012.  Accreditation is the highest level of membership with the National Children's Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.