We are excited to announce the newly elected leadership to the CACI Board of Directors. And ask that you join us in congratulating them, as well as saying THANK YOU to Mike Williams, the outgoing CACI Interim President and Treasurer. Mike will be staying on the Board. JOAN PERNECKE is the former Chief of the Child Protection Division of the Juvenile Justice Bureau, within the Cook County State's Attorneys Office. She has served long-term as Faculty for the DePaul University College of Law Trial Advocacy courses, as well as for the National College of District Attorneys in South Carolina, and the American Prosecutors Research Institute. J EFFREY G. BROWN is an Assistant State's Attorney, Sex Crimes Unit for the Will County State's Attorney's Office. Jeff couples those duties with heading the animal cruelty unit; and tops that off with 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 at the  Will County Children's Advocacy Center . L. KAYE DESELMS DENT 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. She is also a member of her local bar associations, the Board of Directors for Heartland Human Services in Effingham, Illinois, serves on the boards of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation Advisory Board for Effingham County, the Effingham Child Development Center, Effingham Noon Rotary Chairs the Fifth Circuit Pro Bono Committee of the Public Interest Law Initiative. The CACI board is made up of a diverse and talented group of individuals who are critical leaders and passionate of our mission to support and sustain Illinois' Children Advocacy Centers through leadership in Resource Development, Education and, Collaboration.

2020 CACMI Child Abuse Webinar Series The Children's Advocacy Centers of Michigan is hosting our first online webinar series! The Child Abuse Online Webinar Series contains 13 90-minute webinars that will be available both live and recorded for participants. Details about the... Read more cacmi.org

Avoiding Negativity in Social Media and TV These days, it's almost impossible to avoid distressing news, but there are ways to at least control your media diet and cut down on trolls, abusers, scam artists, and negativity on social media. Controlling media is simple. Step away from your... Read more www.connectsafely.org

Someday Soon Jar Project! How to Make Your Someday Soon Jar: 1. Find any jar, basket or container around your home. 2. Decorate the jar with a “Someday Soon” label. 3. Every time your family wishes you “could do something, go somewhere, treat yourselves, see someone you love, visit a new place or invite people to visit you,” write it down on a piece of paper and put it in your jar. 4. When COVID-19’s stay-at-home order is lifted and when it is safe to resume regular functions, begin enjoying the activities listed inside your jar. Your SOMEDAY SOON has arrived! Resource: Kids For Peace

 CACI met the needs and requests of the CAC’s for trainings to be offered digitally in May. Let’s look back at everything offered in the last month. -Forensic Interviewers  had an opportunity to ask Homeland Security Expert Ale Levi questions about presenting evidence in the forensic interview, CACI Forensic Interviewer Mentors hosted a round table for interviewers to discuss adapting to changes due to COVID-19, and National Children’s Advocacy Center Forensic Interviewer, Kim Madden led a research discussion surrounding how kids talk about events. CACI has continued to host regional peer review for the entire state digitally. -Child and Family Advocates  had an opportunity to learn about the Illinois Victim Bill of Rights with Experts from the Attorney General’s Office, and Janet Fine national trainer on victim advocacy taught two training sessions: “Identity Achievement for Victim Advocates” and “A Holistic Approach to Victim Advocacy.” -MDT Coordinators  were offered two opportunities to have round table discussions with their peers about how to best facilitate and lead their teams. Additionally, a training was offered by CACI on the subject of leadership in a digital world for MDT Coordinators. CACI has been able to train  411 attendees in May , and will continue to adapt to the needs of the CACs. Next month, we look forward to providing digitally Excelling as a Supervisor, Peer Review Facilitator Training, ChildFirst Faculty Training, and Interviewing Beyond Sexual Abuse. We will be also adding two new trainings for attorneys not previously on the training calendar titled: “When the Child Stands Alone: The Search for Corroborating Evidence” and “When the Smoke Clears: Cross Examining the Defense Experts Attack on the Forensic Interview” both presented by Victor Vieth with MCLE credits available. If you or your team members need more information on any of the above training opportunities, please contact your local CAC director. We look forward to spending more time together in June digitally to further our education next month.  Cara

Prominent Utah child abuse survivors launch campaign to... WEST JORDAN - Deondra Brown is a classical pianist. Rabbi Avremi Zippel is the program director at Chabad Lubavitch of Utah. Aaron Osmond is a businessman and former state senator. All three were abused as children. And all three haven't let that ... Read more www.ksl.com

Child Interviewing 2020: Update on Research and Practice ... To determine a webinar's continuing education credit eligibility and approval, please review the agenda associated with each webinar. Professionals outside of Minnesota are responsible for determining whether activities meet requirements for... Read more www.mrcac.org

CACI is happy to announce 2 separate virtual trainings for Prosecutors in June. The trainings are provided by the Zero Abuse Project . The first training is on June 5th from 10:00 - 11:30 AM and is titled "When the Child Stands Alone: The Search for Corroborative Evidence" The second training is June 22nd from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The training is titled "When the Smoke Clears: Cross Examining the Defense Expert's Attack on a Forensic Interview" MCLEs are $3.00 and will be provided pending approval. The link for Attorneys seeking MCLEs that attend will be given during the training.

Kindness Resources We need to distance ourselves, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other. During difficult times, we often see the most beautiful acts of kindness. If you're home and looking for things to do to keep busy, scroll down for a list of resources ... Read more www.randomactsofkindness.org

Dean Furness: To overcome challenges, stop comparing... When you stop comparing yourself to others, you can accomplish great things, says wheelchair athlete Dean Furness. He shares how, after losing the use of his legs in an accident, he discovered a powerful new mindset focused on redefining his... Read more www.ted.com

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to meet with us for their FY20 Site Visit. I know virtual site visits aren't ideal, but everyone was extremely welcoming so thank you! We will be finishing up site visits next week. If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to reach out. I am looking forward to visiting all CACs during the next round of site visit! -- Michael

Illinois CACs in the News!

Child welfare workers document the struggles of their... Child abuse intervention experts are sounding an alarm over a spike in abuse cases during coronavirus lockdowns. CBS News' Jericka Duncan shares the accounts of some child welfare workers who recorded video diaries of the lengths they must go to... Read more www.cbsnews.com Community Support Ensures Children And Families Are... WOOD RIVER - The Madison County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) wants to ensure the public that abused children and their families are taken care of during this time of uncertainty. "In times of crisis and instability child abuse and neglect rates... Read more m.riverbender.com

Call reports down, but child abuse cases likely up due... Due to the coronavirus, children are staying home for their safety: school is now via e-learning, sports and extracurricular activities are not being held and social gathering places, such as pools, libraries and playgrounds are closed. But for... Read more www.daily-chronicle.com Champions for Children VIRTUAL 5K The Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County's (CAC) annual Champions for Children 5K has gone virtual! While we'll miss the camaraderie of seeing you in person, a virtual 5K means you can run anytime, anywhere, on a... Read more runsignup.com

More Info

More Info

Keep up to date with CACI on social media

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

DONATE HERE