Accreditation Standards

The Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes meets accreditation standards set by the National Children’s Alliance/NYS Office of Children and Family Services.

The Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes, hereinafter referred to as CACFL, is a National Children’s  Alliance (NCA) accredited child advocacy center, and is also recognized as an official NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) child advocacy center.   As defined by NCA, the purpose of children’s advocacy centers is to provide a comprehensive, culturally competent, multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse in a dedicated, child-friendly setting.  A child appropriate/child-friendly setting and a multidisciplinary team are essential components for the status of an accredited membership in the National Children’s  Alliance as well as with OCFS.    NCA and OCFS provide CACFL with program standards for the team response to allegations of child abuse.  All ten (10) standards must be achieved to be recognized as an NCA accredited child advocacy center.  The same holds true for OCFS regarding achievement of the standards to be given approval as an official Child Advocacy Center, as per Social Services Law section  423-a(1).   

These standards include:

 1. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)

 2. Cultural Competency and Diversity

 3. Forensic interviews

 4. Victim Support and Advocacy

 5. Medical Evaluation

 6. Mental Health

 7. Case Review

 8. Case Tracking

 9. Organizational Capacity

10. Child-Focused Setting 

These components are provided by the MDT to promote a sense of safety and consistency to the child and family. 

Accredited: 2012

Re-accredited: 2017, 2022