Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA

What Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA does

Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) is a private nonprofit founded in 1998 and headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that provides multidisciplinary assessment and treatment services for child victims of abuse and neglect. The organization operates three physical facilities in Scranton: the main Children's Advocacy Center at 1710 Mulberry Street (open 24/7), the Teen Advocacy Center at 316 Wheeler Avenue (the first of its kind in the nation, opened November 2013), and the Mulberry Center, which delivers evidence-based trauma therapy including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for children ages 3–21. A Healing Garden was added in 2016 as an outdoor therapeutic space. Core services include video-recorded forensic interviews, forensic medical assessments, trauma therapy, case review and tracking, expert witness testimony, and child advocacy support — all delivered free of charge to victims.

CAC/NEPA coordinates services through a Multidisciplinary Investigative Team (MDIT) model that co-locates law enforcement, child protective services, the County District Attorney's Office, and mental health professionals at a single site, reducing the number of times a child must recount traumatic experiences. The center serves as the preferred Child Abuse Intervention Center for Lackawanna County and accepts referrals from seven surrounding counties (Monroe, Wayne, Carbon, Susquehanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wyoming). Since 1998, the organization has helped more than 12,000 children and adolescents. In 2016 alone, it delivered 1,448 intervention services and provided prevention education to 3,226 adults and children. Its prevention portfolio includes the Safe Touches puppet-based workshop for second graders and Smarter Parents, Safer Kids adult workshops, deployed across multiple school districts.

CAC/NEPA generates revenue through a mix of individual donations, foundation grants (e.g., a $34,000 grant from the Hawk Family Foundation in November 2023), corporate and bank sponsorships (Fidelity Bank, FNCB Bank, PNC Bank, Geisinger, Scranton Area Community Foundation), and county/government pass-through funding as the designated Lackawanna County CAC. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Judge Michael J. Barrasse, and Meghan Lennox Gagorik has served as Executive Director since November 2023, following her tenure as Division Director for the American Heart Association overseeing Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. The organization has 11–50 employees and operates exclusively within the United States, with no parent company or private equity ownership.

Name

Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA

Legal name

Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Website

https://cacnepa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania is a Scranton-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that delivers free forensic interviews, medical assessments, and evidence-based trauma therapy to child abuse victims across nine counties, operating the nation's first Teen Advocacy Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAM

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGABAG

Child Protection & Child Rights

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPAIAFAF

Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

Keywords

• Child abuse assessment
• Forensic interviewing
• Trauma therapy services
• Child advocacy support
• Abuse prevention education

Headquarters

HQ city

Scranton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts monetary donations from individuals, community members, and supporters through its website and donation portals.
2. Foundation Grants: CAC/NEPA receives grant funding from foundations such as the Hawk Family Foundation ($34,000 grant announced November 2023) to promote agency services and expand awareness of child abuse programs.
3. Government and Community Funding: As a preferred Child Abuse Intervention Center for Lackawanna County, the organization receives funding through county and potentially state government channels to support its operations and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) provides free medical assessments, child forensic interviews, and trauma therapy for child and teen victims of abuse and neglect. The organization coordinates a Multidisciplinary Investigative Team (MDIT) approach that brings together law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, and mental health professionals at one location to assess and treat child abuse cases in Lackawanna and surrounding counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania. CAC/NEPA also operates the nation's first Teen Advocacy Center and delivers child abuse prevention education programs to schools, professionals, and the community.

Product overview

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) is a private, non-profit organization providing a comprehensive suite of child abuse intervention and prevention services. The organization operates multiple facilities including the main Children’s Advocacy Center (blue house with pink door) and the nation’s first Teen Advocacy Center, along with the Mulberry Center for trauma therapy. Core services include forensic interviews, medical exams and assessments, and evidence-based trauma therapy (TF-CBT and PCIT). The center also provides community education programs including the Safe Touches puppet-based workshop for children and the Smarter Parents, Safer Kids workshop for adults. Services are delivered through a coordinated multidisciplinary team (MDIT) approach involving law enforcement, child protective services, and mental health professionals, all designed to prevent re-traumatization of child victims.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Teen Advocacy Center: A children's advocacy center with a teen-focused setting, the first of its kind in the nation, offering teenage victims a cozy reception area and a library filled with books fitting for teenagers.

Products and services

• Medical Exams and Assessments

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ children helped since 1998
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GeisingerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner supporting CAC/NEPA through community sponsorship. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is also a partner.
• WNEP News StationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal news station providing media coverage and visibility for CAC/NEPA events and community initiatives.
• Dunbar's Evergreen Landscaping, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape company that helped transform vacant land into the Healing Garden for CAC/NEPA, providing design and installation services for the healing space for child victims.
• Leadership LackawannaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership program whose 2016 Core Program Class created the Planting-A-Promise community project to establish the Healing Garden.
• County District Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore MDIT partner providing prosecutorial support and coordination for child abuse cases through the multidisciplinary team approach.
• County Child Protective Services AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore MDIT partner providing child protection services and case referrals for children in Lackawanna and surrounding counties.
• State/Local Law Enforcement AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore MDIT partner providing investigative support for child abuse cases referred to CAC/NEPA.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Childhelp: National nonprofit operating the child abuse hotline, advocacy, prevention education, and residential treatment programs. Comparable mission scope (prevention + intervention + advocacy) and serves as a benchmark for national-scale child welfare nonprofit operations.
• National Children's Alliance: National membership and accreditation body for over 900 Children's Advocacy Centers across the U.S. CAC/NEPA is a member of this network and follows its standards, making it the closest umbrella peer for benchmarking, accreditation, and network-level replication strategy.
• Prevent Child Abuse America: National nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention through education, advocacy, and state chapter network. Comparable to CAC/NEPA's prevention education programming (Safe Touches, Smarter Parents Safer Kids) and a potential upstream prevention partner.

Direct peers

• Houston Children's Advocacy Center: Provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, trauma therapy, and MDIT coordination for child abuse victims in the greater Houston area. Operates the same CAC model as CAC/NEPA with comparable service lines and team-based investigative approach.
• Dallas Children's Advocacy Center: One of the largest standalone Children's Advocacy Centers in the U.S., offering forensic interviews, medical exams, trauma therapy, and MDIT coordination in Dallas County. Directly comparable in service mix and MDIT model, though at significantly larger scale than CAC/NEPA.
• Chadwick Center for Children & Families (Rady Children's Hospital): Hospital-affiliated child advocacy and trauma treatment center offering forensic interviews, medical evaluations, and trauma therapy. Comparable in clinical service mix to CAC/NEPA's Mulberry Center, but with a hospital-anchored operating model.
• National Child Advocacy Center (Huntsville, AL): Operates as both a working Children's Advocacy Center and a national training/consulting center for the CAC model. Directly comparable for service delivery and for CAC/NEPA's potential trajectory into training, replication, and best-practice dissemination.

Regional players

• Children's Advocacy Centers of Mississippi: Statewide network supporting Children's Advocacy Centers throughout Mississippi. Comparable as a regional/state-level CAC support structure for understanding how CAC/NEPA might evolve into a multi-county coordinating body across Pennsylvania.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cacnepa
• Facebookfacebook.com/CACofNEPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cacnepa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA