This toolkit can serve as a starting point in helping Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) set up a medical program to serve child victims of abuse. The toolkit is divided into several sections with embedded documents to help CACs develop medical programming.
CACs play a key role in making available and/or providing medical services to their clients. This toolkit helps CACs evaluate where their existing services fall on a spectrum and how to establish and improve medical services accordingly. The sections span a variety of topics, including initial foundational logistics and considerations, professional development of CAC staff, meeting accreditation requirements, and continuous quality improvement of CAC programs. Overall, this toolkit helps support CACs as they work to provide medical evaluations that are competent, child-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed to best meet the needs of the children and families they serve.