The Children's Advocacy Center of Family & Youth is a multi-disciplinary program responding to reports of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse. At the Children's Advocacy Center, criminal justice, medical and mental health services are coordinated from a single location. Prosecutors, law enforcement, social service workers, therapists, victim advocates and medical professionals work together to investigate allegations and to reduce the trauma for children reported as victims of sexual or severe physical abuse by:

• providing a comfortable, child friendly environment for interviews and other services

• reducing the number of interviews

• arranging medical, mental health and victim advocacy services.

Physical and sexual abuse of children is a problem that touches every community, including Southwest Louisiana. The Children's Advocacy Center of Family & Youth is a single child-friendly facility designed to coordinate services for children who have been reported as sexually or severely physically abused.