A Grand Opening (2008)
The Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes (CACFL) opened its doors to provide a location for coordinated, child-friendly investigations of child abuse allegations and related services to children and families in Ontario County. The CACFL operated a Phelps location and was a program of the Partnership of Ontario County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Accreditation (2012)
The CACFL became a fully accredited Child Advocacy Center by the National Children’s Alliance, the national accrediting agency that sets rigorous standards that ensure high-quality services for children and families with regards to child abuse investigations and services.
The CACFL also is accredited through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. OCFS is the state agency that provides funding and technical support to Child Advocacy Centers; OCFS oversees that New York State CACs meet the state standards set forth for all CACs.
The CACFL works hand-in-hand with OCFS and NCA to follow the standards set forth by both expert agencies and to create the best possible services for children and families.
A New Location (2015)
The Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes moved its physical location from Phelps to 482 N. Main St., Canandaigua, designing a Center to meet the growing needs of child abuse investigations.
The site has private family meeting spaces, a medical room and space for co-locating services such as mental health counseling, family advocacy and forensic interviewing.
Seneca County Satellite Location (2017)
The CACFL opened a satellite location at 17 W. Main St., Waterloo, to better serve Seneca County children and families.
The site has private family meeting spaces and space for co-locating services such as family advocacy and forensic interviewing.
Yates County Satellite Location (2018)
The CACFL opened a satellite office at 238 Lake St., Penn Yan, and began serving Yates County children and families.
Since its opening in 2008, the CACFL has coordinated more than 2,200 cases and helped save the community more than $2.2 million in the cost of investigating child abuse allegations.
Independent status (2019)
Originally formed as a program under the Partnership for Ontario County Inc, the CACFL received its independent 501(c)(3) status. The agency has expanded its capacity to provide mental health services for children with complex trauma and continues to focus on providing the services to get the best possible outcome for each child.
15 years serving children and families (2023)
In 2023, the CACFL marks 15 years offering hope and support to children and their families. Since our inception, we have served more than 3,800 children.