Our Center History
The Children’s Advocacy Center is a safe child-sensitive place where child victims of abuse undergo the initial steps of an investigation and begin to heal.
Approximately 1,000 children from throughout southern Arizona receive investigative services from the Center each year.
These children have suffered maltreatment such as sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect, trafficking, kidnapping, or other traumatic events. They tell their story of abuse to specially trained Forensic Interviewers in a comfortable setting and receive medical attention from a Medical Forensic Examiner. The Children’s Advocacy Center works closely with law enforcement, the Department of Child Safety, prosecuting attorneys, and community agencies to ensure these child victims are treated with respect and dignity and receive the services they need, while assuring offenders are held accountable for their crimes.
The Children’s Advocacy Center is where abuse ends and healing begins.
Protocols that Created the Children's Advocacy Center
The Pima County Task Force on Child Abuse Prosecution was formed in 1989 to address issues of investigation and prosecution of child abuse. In 1992 the Pima County Attorney’s Office was the recipient of grant funds from the Governor’s Office for Children to establish multi-disciplinary, interagency cooperation for the investigation and management of child abuse cases. READ MORE:
The Pima County Task Force on Child Abuse Prosecution was formed in 1989 to address issues of investigation and prosecution of child abuse. In 1992 the Pima County Attorney’s Office was the recipient of grant funds from the Governor’s Office for Children to establish multi-disciplinary, interagency cooperation for the investigation and management of child abuse cases.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office took the lead in utilizing the Task Force to develop a set of protocols which contained a comprehensive array of policies and procedures representing all applicable disciplines. The Pima County Task Force’s Protocol for the Interagency Investigation of Child Abuse in Pima County came into existence in 1993. Over the succeeding years effective and meaningful partnerships were forged and strengthened among law enforcement agencies, Child Protective Services (CPS – since replaced by the Department of Child Safety, DCS), medical providers and the County Attorney’s Office which enhanced the overall abilities of each agency to respond to cases of child abuse. Representatives of the partner agencies meet twice monthly in a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) setting which allows for the review, and continued improvement in the system’s response to the needs of children. The MDT supplanted the Task Force.
In 1999 the Protocol was revised to reflect the utilization by the partner agencies of the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. The Children’s Advocacy Center provides forensic interview and medical services at a single facility. Crisis intervention, domestic violence support, and counseling referrals for victims and their non-offending family members are offered. Law enforcement and DCS are located in the Center’s building, and are therefore immediately involved in the process. Case staffing and briefings occur there as well.
In 2003 representatives of the Pima County Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, Child Protective Services, non-profit organizations, legislators and the Governor’s Office participated in a six month process to address issues relating to child protection and possible reform of the system which responds to crimes against children and issues of child welfare. The resulting House Bill redefined the mission of Child Protective Services and required that law enforcement and Child Protective Services jointly investigate all allegations of Criminal Conduct.
In March of 2004, the Pima County Attorney’s Office reconvened the Pima County Task Force on Child Abuse Prosecution to revise the existing Protocol. Original members of the Task Force, as well as new members, collaborated on its complete and extensive revision. In August 2006 the procedures in the 2004 protocol were reviewed and updated to produce the January 2007 Protocol.
In 2008 the legislature addressed issues of child abuse and joint investigations amending the statutes. A statewide summit including law enforcement, Child Protective Services and County Attorneys was held in Phoenix to review those changes and recommend common elements for protocols and reporting statewide.
Pima County is committed to the use of child and family advocacy centers, and in co- location of relevant agencies in the investigation and prosecution of cases of child maltreatment. Agencies in Pima County joined in a collaborative effort to develop an advocacy center that serves the needs of children and also addresses the needs of adult victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse.
Our History
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona was established in 1996 to create a coordinated, child-focused response to reports of abuse in Southern Arizona. The Center was developed through the Pima County Protocols for the Multidisciplinary Investigation of Child Abuse, a collaborative effort among law enforcement, child protection agencies, prosecutors, medical professionals, and community partners to improve how child abuse cases are investigated and addressed.
The foundation for this collaborative model began earlier. In 1989, the Pima County Task Force on Child Abuse Prosecution was formed to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. By 1992, the Pima County Attorney’s Office secured grant funding to strengthen interagency cooperation, bringing together partners including law enforcement, child protective services, medical providers, and prosecutors. These partners developed protocols that established a coordinated multidisciplinary response to child abuse in Pima County.
When the Center opened its doors in 1996, it provided a safe, child-focused environment where children could share their experiences with specially trained forensic interviewers and receive medical and advocacy services in one location. The goal was to reduce trauma for children by limiting the number of times they must tell their story and ensuring professionals work together to support both the child and the investigation.
The Center’s first offices were located at what was then Kino Community Hospital, now Banner – University Medical Center South in Tucson. As the program grew, the organization relocated to a small office on Broadway Boulevard. In 2008, with support from a Pima County bond election, the Center moved into its current facility on Ajo Way, creating a dedicated space designed to meet the needs of children and families navigating the aftermath of abuse.
Today, the Center continues to lead the multidisciplinary response to child abuse in Southern Arizona, partnering with agencies including the Arizona Department of Child Safety, regional law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, medical providers, and mental health professionals. Since opening in 1996, the organization has served more than 30,000 children, providing forensic interviews, medical services, victim advocacy, and connections to healing resources for children and their families.
For 30 years, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona has worked to ensure that children who have experienced abuse are treated with dignity, believed, and supported—so they can begin their path toward healing and justice.
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