Texarkana Children's Advocacy Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit under the umbrella of Northeast Texas CASA, Inc. Our sister organization is CASA for Children.

The Texarkana Children's Advocacy Center serves Bowie, Cass and Morris counties in Texas and Miller, Little River, and Hempstead counties in Arkansas.

No, TCAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit under the umbrella of Northeast Texas CASA, Inc.

No, all TCAC services are provided at no cost to children and families.

Children are referred to our Center through local law enforcement and child protective services. If you suspect a child is being abused, please make a report to one of these agencies by calling 9-1-1, the Texas Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-482-5964.

Click here for more information on how you can get involved with our organization.

The goal of a forensic interview is to gather detailed, factual information regarding allegations of abuse while reducing the number of people the child has to talk to about their experience in order to help minimize trauma.

A trained forensic interviewer will talk to your child. Investigators who are assigned to the case will observe from a separate room through a close-circuit television.

Forensic interviews are conducted in a child-friendly room at TCAC. Each room is equipped with two cameras and a mounted microphone so that investigators can observe the live interview from a separate room through a closed circuit television.

Stay calm and reassure your child that they are okay. Listen and support your child if they want to talk about it, but do not attempt to interview your child yourself. Let them know that they will be coming to talk to a trained professional about their experience.

Never tell your child what they should or shouldn't say during a forensic interview, and never blame your child for speaking up.

The video recording is the property of the District Attorney's office and only the DA, assigned investigators, or other professionals involved in the case will have access to the recording.

Parents and caregivers are not able to view the forensic interview. Only investigators who are assigned to the case, the District Attorney, or other professional involved in the case will be able to view the forensic interview. Investigators may meet with the parent(s)and/or caregiver(s) about the interview and what to expect next.

Every forensic interview is different. On average, a forensic interview may last about an hour. However, the actual length of the forensic interview will depend on the child's age, developmental level, specific allegations, special needs, and more.

If there is a reason to believe that your child may have been sexually abused, a medical evaluation is an important step in making sure that he or she is healthy, both physically and mentally.

Medical evaluations for suspected victims of child sexual abuse can be different depending on what may have happened to your child. In most child sexual abuse medical evaluations, the nurse will usually: talk to you and your child in order to make sure you both feel comfortable, ask questions about your child’s medical history and about why your child is receiving a medical evaluation, conduct a head-to-toe physical evaluation of your child to make sure your child is healthy, conduct a visual evaluation of your child’s genital area, and determine whether your child has any injuries or illnesses that need to be cared for. In some cases, the nurse may need to: use a forensic evidence collection kit to gather evidence, take photographs of your child’s body, draw blood or take swabs of your child’s bodily fluids in order to screen for infections.

The child’s well-being is the first priority in a child sexual abuse medical evaluation, and in most cases, the exam will not hurt. It some cases, however, a blood draw may be necessary to ensure that your child is healthy.

No. In medical evaluations of young children, the nurse will only conduct a visual evaluation of the child’s genital area, and nothing will be placed inside of the child.

In most cases, no. Doctors and nurses who conduct child abuse medical evaluations receive special training on how to conduct the evaluation in a child-sensitive manner that minimizes discomfort to the child.

Whether a child has been abused within the last day or if the abuse occurred weeks, months or years ago, a medical evaluation is always of benefit to the child and can often be relevant to the case. For the child, it is a matter of being reassured that their bodies are healthy and that there are no conditions that need further treatment (i.e., pregnancy, sexually-transmitted infections, injuries, etc.). It is vitally important for them to know that they are normal and that no one can tell they have been abused.

Forensic evidence is found in less than 10% of child sexual abuse cases; however, the lack of forensic evidence does not mean that abuse did not occur. Consider the fact that most pregnant teenagers and females with sexually-transmitted infections have normal examinations. Further, a child’s genital tissue heals faster than an adult’s and any forensic evidence that may have existed can disintegrate in a very short period of time. The abuse may have also been the kind that does not typically cause injury.

It is critical that medical evaluations for children who are suspected victims of child abuse be conducted by a medical professional with pediatric and child abuse experience. Our medical provider is a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) with 20 years of experience in child sexual abuse medical evaluations.

Our center provides evidence-supported, trauma-based therapies, so if your child is showing any symptoms of trauma, they might qualify for services. Visit our contact page to get in touch, and someone can speak with you to guide you through if our therapy is appropriate for your child.

Our therapists are trained in a variety of trauma-based therapies. We strive to choose a therapy modality that will best fit the needs of your child and what they are experiencing.

If therapy is offered, paperwork will be sent to you electronically by one of our therapists, and an intake appointment will be scheduled. Consistency and caregiver involvement is very important. If you are unable to bring your child to therapy, someone can speak with you about what that will look like.

When appropriate, we offer therapy services to caregivers, siblings, and adult who were victims as children. These are decided on a case-by-case basis by the clinical director.

Therapy is a way to express thoughts and emotions as they relate to experiences from our past that could be keeping us stuck from moving forward. Processing experiences with a professional in a safe environment can help your child move forward in a healthy and productive way. Skills can be taught to both your child and you to help them thrive and not have to continue carrying the weight of their trauma.

Because we are a non-profit, all of our services are free to the families we serve.

Yes, you can, depending on what you are needing. These cases are discussed with a therapist and can help you decide if we are still the best fit, or if a referral is needed.

Yes. Children's Advocacy Centers refer to each other all the time. Visit our contact page to get in touch and someone can speak to you regarding your therapeutic needs.