History
About Children's Advocacy Centers in Idaho
In 1983 a multidisciplinary task force commissioned by then Governor Cecil Andrus was asked to examine Idaho's current system for receiving and evaluating referrals of child abuse. The focus was to make Idaho's system "...more sensitive and responsive to the child victim."
The task force concluded that in many instances these children were being further victimized, "...by the very procedures involved in protecting them..." In response to this concern:
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center established the Boise Children At Risk Evaluation Services (CARES) program in June, 1989, and became a member of the National Children's Alliance in 1995. The CARES program recently became part of its Children's Hospital Services.
CARES at St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center (formerly The Magic Valley Regional Medical Center) established its CARES program in 1995 and less than one year after opening, in September of 1996, met the standards and became a full member of the National Children's Alliance.
About the INCAC
In 2000 the National Children's Alliance approved Idaho's application to become a state chapter. Additional centers throughout the state are in the process of developing their programs and teams to work on behalf of child victims in Idaho.
See Robin's story to find out how the system used to work and how the team approach can improve the process for the victim
