CACI Launches Statewide Awareness Campaign
In FY19, 14,291 children walked through the door of an
Illinois CAC where their voices were heard.   

On Monday, August 26, a new statewide billboard campaign was launched. The “Children Start To Heal The Moment They Are Heard” campaign is aimed at child abuse response and prevention.  

We understand that effective advocacy requires both information and action, therefore 14 billboards were placed throughout Illinois.  The billboard campaign includes the CACI website that provides comprehensive information regarding contact information for local CACs, signs of abuse, Illinois statistics, training opportunities and more. 
CHILDFIRST REGISTRATION CLOSES 9/2
ChildFirst is an intensive five-day course in which students learn the necessary skills to conduct a forensic interview of an alleged child abuse victim.

ChildFirst is designed for investigative teams of law enforcement officers, social workers, prosecutors, and forensic interviewers.

ChildFirst is designed for investigative teams of law enforcement officers, social workers, prosecutors, and forensic interviewers. Students receive training on the ChildFirst Forensic Interview Protocol, memory, and suggestibility, child development, testifying in court, legal issues and preparing children for court.

ChildFirst is rigorous and interactive. Each participant completes homework assignments, a critiqued mock forensic interview, and a written examination. Successful participants will receive a certificate of completion.  

ChildFirst is an ideal course for investigators and prosecutors seeking to enhance their ability to speak to and for abused children.  

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS AN INTENSIVE COURSE . ChildFirst Illinois will send you a mandatory reading assignment prior to the training sessions. Homework is assigned in the evening to supplement each training session. Each student will be given a written examination at the end of the course. Students who fail to attend all the workshops, to complete homework, or to pass the exam will not receive the certificate of completion.
CACI Welcomes 3 New Board Members
Jeffrey G. Brown
Assistant State's Attorney, Sex Crimes Unit
Animal Cruelty Prosecutor, Facility Dog Handler
Office of Will County State's Attorney
"I grew up in Grundy County, Illinois in both Morris and Minooka. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008 then took a job at a Fortune 500 company (ArcelorMittal) as a business analyst before getting my law degree at Northern Illinois University College of Law. While at law school, I interned at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in the misdemeanor division, Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office in its sex crimes division, and at the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic in the domestic violence division in Rockford, IL. I was also a research assistant to a law professor researching emotional intelligence, a graduate assistant in Military Student Services, and a graduate assistant in the Office of Support and Advocacy, which was a unit formed to work with the students involved in the NIU shooting. I am currently employed with the Will County State’s Attorney James W. Glasgow’s Office as an assistant state’s attorney in the sex crimes unit; I couple those duties with heading the animal cruelty unit; I top that off with my role as a facility dog handler to a beautiful 5 year old English Black Labrador Retriever, Kiwi, who is used in the court process for abused children. I have dedicated my life to protecting the most vulnerable members of society and am excited to bring that passion to the CACI Board!"  
L. Kaye DeSelms Dent
Attorney at Law
Dent Law Offices, Ltd.
" Kaye is a proud mother of two boys who understands the importance, as well as the complexities, of today’s families. She considers herself lucky to practice in an area of law that allows her to help families plan for the future and gain peace of mind. Kaye attended law school with plans to practice disability law. Having worked her way through college at the University of Illinois in Urbana assisting students with disabilities, she graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in 1996. She initially worked with a non-profit providing legal services
exclusively to persons with disabilities, and, after years of practice as both a State’s Attorney and Public Defender, she now partners with her husband at Dent Law Offices, Ltd., where she provides an array of Elder Law and estate planning services, focusing on Nursing Home Planning and Special Needs Planning.

When not working, Kaye enjoys gardening and fishing with her family, as well as traveling. Seeing the world through her teenagers’ eyes is proving very rewarding and has provided them with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities, including eagerly attending a Royal Shakespeare Company performance starring the family’s favorite Doctor. (It’s an exciting day for an English major when the kids show an honest interest in the Bard.) They have traveled the entire width of the country via automobile, visiting many Civil War battlefields and other National Parks sites, for a total of 29 states and 15 foreign countries visited together. Kaye believes that the security and peace of mind a good plan offers allows people to enjoy life more fully- and her family agrees. "
The Honorable Casey E. A. Bloodworth
First Judicial Circuit
Associate Judge
Mr. Bloodworth received his undergraduate degree in 2003 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL and his Juris Doctor in 2006 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL. Mr. Bloodworth was with the Jackson County State's Attorney's Office in Murphysboro, IL before this appointment.

Perry-Jackson CAC Executive Director Betti Mucha shared: "Casey served on the PJCAC Advisory Board and Jackson County Protocol Board from 2012 until early 2019 when he was appointed as a judge. He prosecuted most of the CAC’s criminal cases for a number of years and then supervised those that did until he left the State's Attorneys Office. Casey routinely attended the CAC’s monthly MDT meetings in Jackson County. He served as Vice-Chair of our Advisory Board for the last four years. Casey is very familiar with the CAC movement and has been instrumental in the success of the satellite office that this CAC opened in Jackson County. He understands the importance of CAC and he is very willing to help in any way that he can."
At the most recent CACI board meeting, the importance of bringing on additional board members was discussed. If you are interested or there is someone that you feel would be interested in serving on our statewide CACI board, please download the CACI Board Member Recommendation Form and return to Kim Mangiaracino
Great news from the Governor's office! Two very important bills were signed into law last week.

  • SB1778 Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act that will require mandated reporters to receive regular and proper training.

  • SB456 Establishes new policies to address and prevent sexual abuse in schools by improving the school code to better prevent sexual misconduct by school staff and reduce the number of times student victims are interviewed after abuse.

Illinois Children's Advocacy Centers look forward to strengthening the partnership with our schools to best protect our kids!
What Parents Need to Know About Grooming and Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse is unfortunately common. According to Amy Pumo, the Director of Clinical Services at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the time they turn 18. ...

Read more
www.yahoo.com
August Trainings
NCA Accreditation Training (Downstate)
August 22, 2019 - Jan Lutz, Indiana Child Advocacy Centers Executive Director/CACI Mentoring Consultant along with CACI Coordinator of Education and Training, Cara Vock led this training which was geared for CAC directors preparing for  National Children's Alliance  Accreditation.

Former CACI Executive Director,  Billie Larkin  led the same training upstate on August 6th!
Building Resiliency 
in CACs & MDTs - Madison County CAC
August 21, 2019 - Statewide MDT Coordinator Mike Burns and Training Coordinator Cara Vock worked with the Madison County CAC and their team to develop an action plan to Build Resiliency on a daily basis as individuals and as a team.

Protecting and helping kids heal takes a Resilient team and individuals and Madison County is commitment to Building their Resilience to best serve kids!
Interviewing Beyond Sexual Abuse
August 14, 2019 - Trainers Lynn Aladeen and Traci Mueller taught the course, Interviewing Beyond Sexual Abuse to Forensic Interviewers from across Illinois.

The children and families of Illinois are so fortunate to have these 42 dedicated interviewers who attended this course to grow and specialize their skills even further. 
Building Resiliency in CACs & MDTs Training - Shining Star CAC
August 9, 2019 - Since the inception of this training in Illinois, we have received numerous requests from CAC Directors to bring it to their CAC.

The goal of this training is to discuss the impact of working in this field, identify the five core elements of resiliency, and explore how they can be implemented in the CAC and on the MDT through the organizational resiliency model using policies/practices, communication techniques, and competency-based training.
ChildFirst Expanded
July 31, 2019 - ChildFirst Expanded was held at the  Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield.

Participants attending this 2 1/2 day training was trained in a defensible process for conducting interviews with children who may not succeed in a single interview due to trauma, developmental, special needs or polyvictimization.
Upcoming Trainings
Tue, Oct 29, 2019 8:00 AM CST
How to Best Support Kids at Trial
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Elmhurst/Oakbrook Area, Elmhurst
Keep up to date with CACI on social media
Child Abuse Prosecution Newsletter
Summer 2019 Edition of Lex Enfants, APA's Child Abuse Prosecution Newsletter. In this issue we focus on methods to identify, investigate and prosecute physical abuse crimes against children. We are proud to be able to bring you the latest updates and information on how to successfully continue the fight against child abuse.

View the newsletter by clicking here.
The Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center has moved to a new location.
The new facility is located at 1101 East Monroe Street in Springfield, just a block away from their previous location. The agency had been in their previous location for 30 years. The new building is 5,897 square feet, which is enough space to allow our agency to grow. The staff at Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center are very proud of their new building and are excited to provide a bright cheery space for the victims they serve. When you walk into the lobby you are immediately exposed to a wall mural that was painted by Erin Svendsen from the Springfield Art Association. Erin donated her time to the project. The painting is titled Hope, which is what the staff would like to provide their victims with when they enter the building.
Champaign County Children's
Advocacy Center is hiring
Champaign County Children’s Advocacy Center is seeking a Family Advocate to join our dynamic team. The Children’s Advocacy Center promotes healing and justice for children who have been sexually abused. The Family Advocate coordinates and provides a comprehensive network of support to the child and non-offending parent, facilitates referrals to appropriate social service providers, and works closely with law enforcement, child protective services and the prosecutor’s office. 

The Family Advocate provides ongoing assistance and resource information regarding mental health, medical, and victim’s rights through referral services or direct contact with support agencies.  
 
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Social Services or Human Development required or bachelor’s degree in a related field with 2 years of Case Management experience
  • Must complete Illinois Victim Assistance Academy training within 18 months of employment
  • Must be at least 21 years of age with a valid driver’s license, car and insurance
  • Previous experience with working with children and families preferred
  • Experience working with diverse populations preferred
  • Knowledge of community-based resources preferred
  • Ability to lift children up to 40 pounds in an emergency
  • Must meet all requirements of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus

Status: Full-Time: 37.5 hours/week
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Pay Grade: G
Schedule: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (M-F)
Starting Hourly Wage: $17.59

MEN WHO COOK @ Chicagoland Speedway



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willcountycac.org
 








La Rabida CAC is seeking an on-call forensic interviewer in Park Forest, IL
  •  1-2 weeks per month, evening and weekend hours
  • On call pay for each week on call (approximately $70 per week paid regardless of whether you are called in)
  • $30/hour for any time spent on-site when called in
  • Must be able to respond within 2 hours of emergency FI request
  • Interviewer must be trained in NCA recognized FI model and have experience conducting forensic interview.
  • Contact Amy Apostal to apply
 
La Rabida CAC is hosting a Child Sex Trafficking Forensic Interviewer Training this October 28-30. It is a training put on by the National Criminal Justice Training Center. It is an advanced training .

Location: La Rabida CAC
200 Lakewood Boulevard, Park Forest, IL 60466 D
Dates: October 28-30
Cost: Free, no lodging or lunch provided (we can pre-order Panera boxed lunches for those interested at a cost of $11 per day).

Designed for interviewers who have done 250 or more interviews, or who have been interviewing for two or more years with at least 50 interviews each year.

Registration closes September 27 - Contact Amy Apostal  to register