Services
Providing A Path to Recovery
Children's Advocacy Center - Hope House is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of child abuse in our community by providing a path to recovery, a bridge to justice for victims of abuse, and education for the community.
The professionals who help families after reported child sexual or other severe abuse are from many different organizations—and they all work together as a team at Hope House.
Working Together within the Community
The St. Tammany and Washington Parish Multidisciplinary Teams are headquartered at Hope House. Our MDT is 12 agencies strong. When professionals work together, children and families receive the right resources for justice and healing. The MDT approach has been shown to reduce traumatization while holding offenders accountable.
The mission of MDT is “to work together through a collaborative, inter-agency approach to ensure the best possible outcomes for children who are victims of sexual abuse and other severe physical abuse.” MDT partners work under a shared protocol.
Partner Agencies
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office
22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office
Audrey Hepburn CARE Center
Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
Covington Police Department
Bogalusa Police Department
Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office
Pearl River Police Department
Slidell Police Department
Mandeville Police Department
Forensic Interviews
Forensic interviewing is at the heart of helping children at Hope House. It is performed by a professional who is trained in the complex dynamics of child abuse, the developmental issues of children, and the appropriate way to ask questions in a neutral, non-leading manner.
It is a fact-finding conversation to collect evidence of possible abuse. A forensic interview discovers the child’s reality about their experience.
How does an interview help children?
The interview is recorded in order to reduce the need for the child to relive the trauma by repeating the information to multiple agencies. These recorded interviews are one of the most effective and reliable ways to present the findings to the investigative team and to the court in order to provide justice for a child.
Familiy Advocacy
CAC Hope House's Family Advocacy Program ensures caregivers are equipped with the necessary tools and understanding to respond to each child's unique needs following abuse. We offer information and referral, and court accompaniment to ensure caregivers don't feel alone in navigating the court processes and acquisition of resources.
Counseling Services
We provide Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), an evidence-based model demonstrated to decrease the impact of childhood trauma. CAC Hope House's counseling staff has received extensive specialized training in the use of the TF-CBT model. Counseling services are provided free of charge to children who have received forensic interviews through Hope House.
Join the Fight Against Child Abuse
Make a difference in the lives of abused children by donating or volunteering.
