NCA Census Resources

NCA provides the CAC movement with comprehensive snapshots of CAC services, funding, and growth through its Member and Chapter Censuses.  Done every two years, these surveys and corresponding reports provide information about strengths and trends in the field over time.  Please see immediately below for our most recent Chapter Census - the State of State Chapters Report.  Results from the 2016, 2018, and 2020 CAC Censuses are also available below, along with special reports about CACs' work with the military, to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children (SCEC) and to address the mental health care needs of children.  Questions about the NCA Member CAC Census or State Chapter Census can be directed to omscoordinator@nca-online.org.

Members and partners, please be sure to log in to see all the resources.  Only select reports are visible for the public without a login.

State of State Chapters Report (2023)

The purpose of this report is to present an overview of State Chapters based on existing available data, including the Chapter Census and Needs Assessment conducted in 2022 and other data sources. The report examines organizational capacity, membership, growth and development, training and technical assistance. 

Free to NCA members. Access the report.

Ready to Serve: When CACs and Military Agencies Team Up, Kids Are Better Off

Overall, our field is still in the relatively early stages of building partnerships between CACs and military installations. But every CAC can take action to ensure military families have access to the services they deserve. 

In Ready to Serve, we use 2020 CAC Census data to explore how centers across the country are building relationships with their partners in the military, where we’re succeeding, and where we have additional opportunities to ensure every child in our community who needs it can benefit from trauma-informed, child-focused CAC services.

Access the report

A Light on the Unseen: CACs Stand Ready to Help Even When Communities Don’t See Exploited Kids and Youth in Their Midst

When it comes to delivering services to victims of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) or child sex trafficking, willingness and capacity among CACs is nearly universal, the number of victims we’re serving is up compared to several years ago, and barriers to service have declined overall. In fact, every barrier we asked about in 2020 showed an improvement. 

In A Light on the Unseen, released in October 2021, we consider what 2020 CAC Census data suggest about the way we and our partners must work to identify these cases, ensure they are being tracked, and effectively meet the unique needs of this population.

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Lighting the Way: The Broadening Path of Mental Health Services in CACs

As the trauma experts, CACs are well-positioned to help kids heal using evidence-based mental health treatments. NCA supports and encourages centers to expand treatment menus, use evidence-based assessments, persuade families to participate in and complete mental health treatments as needed, and provide services to youth with problematic sexual behaviors. And CACs have risen to the challenge, offering more on-site mental health services than ever before. 

In Lighting the Way, released in August 2021 and based on 2020 CAC Census data, we look at how CACs are helping ensure kids get the care they need.

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Outlasting the Storm: Teleservices, the Pandemic, and Lasting Opportunities and Challenges

In response to the pandemic, many CACs switched at least some of their services to teleservices, using technology to keep children and families safe while still providing them with the help they need to recover. Four core services were candidates: forensic interviews, victim advocacy, medical services, and mental health care. 

In Outlasting the Storm, released in August 2021 and based on 2020 CAC Census data, we dive into the rapid and lightning-fast shift CACs made toward offering many virtual services to kids and families.

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Thriving Kids 2019: Mental Health Initiative

Our Thriving Kids 2019 report synthesized data from multiple NCA sources, including CAC Census data, and research partnerships to look at how CACs have expanded mental health services over the past decade. NCA won the Office for Victims of Crime 2020 Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services because of our work strengthening mental health care within CACs through the Thriving Kids Initiative. We accepted the award in partnership with our CAC and Chapter members, who worked with us to make this system transformation possible.

Status of CAC-Military Partnerships 2019

Children’s Advocacy Centers and the Military: Where We Are, and Where We’re Going Together

While some 900 Children’s Advocacy Centers in the United States coordinate the critical multidisciplinary services that child abuse victims need to heal, many children from military families experience barriers to receiving those services. Yet early successes in partnerships between CACs and military installation leadership can serve as a model to improve coordination and serve military families better.

The Status of CAC-Military Partnerships 2019 report to Congress combined CAC Census data with feedback from military partners to look at the current scope of this work and opportunities to strengthen these connections as we look toward the future. 

Snapshot 2017

Snapshot 2017 incorporated our 2016 CAC Census results to provide data and primary information on how Children’s Advocacy Centers  are organized and funded, and identify key characteristics and attributes of high-performing CACs. The report was commissioned by the Ben and Lucy Ana Fund of the Walton Family Foundation and prepared by National Children’s Alliance.