When a report of child sexual abuse is made in Chicago, the report is directed to the Chicago Police Department detectives or Illinois Department of Children & Family Services child protection specialists located at Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center.
Our intake team coordinates the investigation with the multidisciplinary team and arranges a family’s visit to the center.
The intake team is the first contact families will make with ChicagoCAC. Our family service coordinators schedule a family’s visit to the center, note any concerns prior to the visit, and help provide a calming, welcome sense of the agency and its partners. The coordinator provides initial information about what a visit to the center will entail, including family advocacy services, the forensic interview, and possibly a medical exam. During this initial call, the coordinator learns more about the child’s unique needs, ensuring the team is prepared to provide the best experience possible for the child.
The coordinator works closely with a detective, child protection specialist, assistant state’s attorney, and doctor to ensure that each team member is available to provide comprehensive services to the child and family during their visit to the center.
Once the family and team are scheduled, intake staff work with ChicagoCAC’s transportation team to get families to and from the center. If families do not have their own vehicle, ChicagoCAC’s drivers are available to pick them up and return them home in our minivans or we arrange Lyft rides. By taking care of the logistics of a trip, we make it easier for families to engage in the healing services they need.