Neighbor News
EAC Network Earns Re-Accreditation from Nat'l Children’s Alliance
National Children's Alliance recognizes EAC Network for its ongoing delivery of high quality and effective services to child abuse victims.
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EAC Network’s Suffolk County Child Advocacy Center at the Pat & Mary Bagnato Place for Kids has been awarded re-accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process. As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.
Accredited CACs must undergo a re-accreditation process every five years to ensure that best practices are continually being applied. With accreditation standards being updated in 2010, re-accreditation this year reflects EAC Network’s commitment to providing evidence-based methods practice.
This is EAC Network’s third accreditation, making this its CAC’s 15th year as an accredited Child Advocacy Center. To date in 2017, EAC Network has provided services to 379 child victims of sexual abuse in Suffolk County; approximately 75% of whom are female. Furthermore, 311 forensic interviews were conducted, 26 child workshops were offered within the community, and 485 individuals received victim support services.
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“As an organization/team of individuals dedicated to responding to child abuse, we recognize the importance of maintaining Accredited status from National Children’s Alliance. Re-accreditation not only validates EAC Network’s dedication to proven effective approaches of child abuse intervention and prevention, but also contributes to consistency across the child advocacy center movement as a whole,” said Andrea Ramos-Topper, Division Director of Children & Youth Services at EAC Network.
National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membership based on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient, and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims. Accredited Members must utilize a functioning and effective Multidisciplinary Team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment. National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.
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“EAC Network is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse. As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration. By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo re-Accreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided,” remarked Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children’s Alliance.
For more information about EAC Network’s Child Advocacy Center, visit www.eac-network.org/suffolk-county-child-advocacy or call (631) 439-0480.
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About EAC Network
EAC Network is a not-for-profit human service agency that empowers, assists, and cares for over 70,000 children, families, and seniors in crisis across Long Island and New York City. Among those we assist are children who have been abused or who are in foster care, people struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues, vulnerable seniors needing support, individuals seeking gainful employment, and more. For more information, visit EAC Network at www.eac-network.org, call (516) 539-0150, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @EACNet.
About National Children’s Alliance
National Children’s Alliance is the national association and accrediting body for the over 750 children’s advocacy centers serving each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first, National Children’s Alliance provides support and advocacy to its accredited membership, as well as numerous developing centers, multidisciplinary teams and child abuse professionals around the country, and the world. As the national authority on multidisciplinary approaches to supporting child victims of abuse, the purpose of National Children’s Alliance is to empower local communities to provide comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse. Founded in 1998, National Children’s Alliance provides accreditation opportunities, financial assistance, training, technical assistance, research and education to communities, child abuse professionals and children’s advocacy centers throughout the United States in support of child abuse intervention, advocacy and prevention. www.nationalchildrensalliance.org