Do you know a child or teenager in crisis or one who may be experiencing abuse or neglect?
For mental health crisis call: 877-210-8513 or 800-950-6264
National number to text for suicide and crisis hotline: 988
To report suspected child abuse or neglect call:
In Mississippi: 800-222-8000.
In Louisiana: 1-855-4LA-KIDS (855-452-5437)
Call your local Police or Sheriff’s Department to report any crime against a child or teenager.
Or, report child abuse through MDCPS secure website.
For Parents
Our center is a safe place where children who are witnesses to crime or possible victims of sexual or physical abuse can come to talk about what happened to them.
For MDT-Multidisciplinary Teams
Natchez Children’s Services-Children’s Advocacy Center supports teams of professionals who serve children in Adams, Claiborne, Jefferson, Franklin, Wilkinson counties. We facilitate monthly case review meetings and provide education and resources for team members in addition to the services offered at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
It is the mission of Natchez Children’s Services Children’s Advocacy Center to participate in the lives of children and families in crisis by providing them with justice, hope, and healing in a supportive environment.
At Natchez Children’s Services CAC we have staff members who are Family Advocates, Forensic Interviewers, Community Outreach Specialists, Multi-Disciplinary Team Facilitators and Trauma Therapists. Our team members all have specialized training and participate often in continuing education so they may continue to provide exceptional service to children and families.
Advocates:
Provide support, information and resources to caregivers and professionals who are helping the child and family. They also prepare and accompany children and caregivers for testimony in court as needed.
Child protection Specialists:
Care about children and families. Their goal is to protect children and their families by keeping kids safe while they help parents and families get the support and resources they need.
Law Enforcement:
Police and Sheriff’s officers, deputies and investigators work to stop anyone from harming a child. In every county we serve, these men and women investigate crimes against children and work with Prosecutors to bring abusers to justice.
Medical Professionals:
Children who have been harmed need specialized medical care. The state of Mississippi has a superb team of specially trained doctors and nurses who evaluate and treat the children we see at the Center.
Trauma Therapists:
Trauma can hurt a child emotionally, psychologically and physically. Therapists with training and certification in trauma techniques provide therapy so that children and their caregivers may heal.
Adverse childhood experiences influence us for a lifetime.
Think back to an accident, a time when you did not feel safe or an experience of humiliation. Remember how it affected your sleep, your sense of confidence or your ability to trust others. Did thinking about it or remembering what happened get in the way of work, school or feeling happy? Now imagine how the children we serve feel when they experience trauma repeatedly and sometimes daily.
For more information visit:
MAKING YOU AND YOUR CHILD FEEL WELCOME, COMFORTABLE AND SAFE IS A PRIORITY FOR EACH OF US WHO SPEND TIME WITH YOU AT THE CAC.
The staff who assist you with checking in and the adults who listen to you and your child at your visit are all highly trained professionals who work at a CAC because they love helping children and families.
At our center we have Advocates who listen to caregivers and help with paperwork, assist with making appointments for therapy or other services and who stay in touch with families until the issue that brought them to the center is resolved.
We also have trained Listeners whose job it is to give your child a chance to tell their story without judgement or any pressure.
There are several Therapists on our staff who are specially trained to assist children and caregivers in healing after something happens to a child or family.
We welcome you to our CAC!
