Child Advocacy Centres

Our Child Advocacy Centres are child-focused, facility-based programmes in which representatives from many disciplines including law enforcement, childcare and protection, prosecution, mental health, public health and victim advocacy work together (also known as the multidisciplinary team). The multidisciplinary team comes together to conduct interviews and make decisions about investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases.

Our centres are located in East Bank Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica, Linden, Kwakwani, Mabaruma and Port Kaituma and mobile services to Moruca.

Our CAC’s also provide services:

Forensic Interviewing
A structured conversation between the victim and interviewer to gather facts regarding their case. This is conducted within a child friendly and safe space with a multidisciplinary team such as a CPA officer, guardian/parent, health personnel, police, so that the child only has to tell their story once. This is done in order to prevent the child from having to continuously relive their trauma in continuously having to re-tell their story.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
Blossom Inc. has selected an evidence-based approach for supporting our clients who have experienced abuse/violence: Trauma-informed CBT, a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that directly addresses trauma and caters to persons’ individual differences. Mental Health services are also extended to the caregiver/guardian to provide the appropriate support necessary.

Victim Advocate Support
Inclusive of victim court support which prepares children and non-offending family members for the judiciary process from beginning to end. For cases that aren’t called to court, once a forensic interview has been done, blossom Inc. continues to track the case internally. Blossom also conducts case reviews with the MDT (multi-disciplinary team).