The Arizona Child & Family Advocacy Network
ACFAN supports the establishment, sustainability, and improvement of advocacy centers that serve victims of sexual and family violence.
What Is ACFAN?
The Arizona Child and Family Advocacy Network provides support, training and guidance to all advocacy centers in Arizona and their professionals who coordinate services and respond to family violence and sexual assault. Efforts are made to accommodate special needs and multilingual populations.
The network was created to support communities seeking to establish and improve advocacy centers and current advocacy programs to better serve abused and neglected children and their families.
What Is an Advocacy Center?
An advocacy center is a comprehensive, victim focused program based in a facility that allows law enforcement, child protection professionals, prosecutors, victim advocates, forensic interviewers, medical professionals, and mental health providers to work together when intervening and investigating violent crimes against children and adults. A video below helps you see how a CAC can help a child. Arizona has chosen to apply this method for over 30 years to all victims of abuse in which created a "Family Advocacy Centers" model; where victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Elder Abuse, & Human Trafficking may also receive services in a safe trauma focused environment.
The overall goal of all advocacy centers is to ensure that the victims who are entrusted to the centers are not further victimized by the systems that are designed to protect them.
Advocacy centers were created more than a three decades ago, based on the premise, “together we are smarter” when responding to victims of violent crimes. Since that time, there are more than 900 centers nationwide supported by the National Children’s Alliance.
Our Purpose
Advocacy centers focus on five key goals:
- Minimize trauma: Ensuring that victims are supported and not further harmed by the response system.
- Comprehensive victim care: Offering all necessary services under one roof for ease and comfort.
- Thorough investigations: Collaborating across disciplines to provide a full, efficient investigation.
- Aggressive prosecution: Ensuring justice is pursued for every victim.
- Open communication: Keeping all professionals involved informed, and most importantly, keeping the victims' needs at the forefront.
- Accountability: Holding offenders responsible and providing consequences for their actions.
How ACFAN Supports Arizona's Advocacy Centers
We work hand-in-hand with advocacy centers across the state to provide:
- Expert Training – Empowering professionals with the skills and knowledge to offer top-tier trauma-informed care.
- Resource Development – Helping centers access the tools and funding they need to serve victims effectively.
- Collaborative Networking – Fostering connections among centers to share best practices and innovative ideas.
- Coordinated Services – Ensuring seamless cooperation among service providers for a unified response to abuse.
- Site Visits – Offering on-site consultations to improve center operations and ensure optimal service delivery.
A Holistic Approach to Supporting Survivors
Advocacy centers throughout Arizona are designed to provide a comprehensive array of services to children and adults who have experienced abuse. Whether the victim is a child suffering from physical or sexual abuse, an adult survivor of domestic violence, or a vulnerable elder, these centers offer an integrated, trauma-focused approach to healing.
Together, we are creating a future where victims of abuse can heal, find justice, and reclaim their lives. No one should have to face the aftermath of abuse alone—and at ACFAN, we ensure they don’t have to.
Advocacy centers located throughout Arizona are designed to provide onsite services to child victims of either physical or sexual abuse as well as neglect. Some centers provide services to adult victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, or vulnerable adult abuse.
