Safe Shores

What Safe Shores does

Safe Shores – The DC Children's Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as the only Children's Advocacy Center in the District of Columbia. Founded in January 1995 by Patricia A. Riley, Lavdena Orr, and Hon. Administrative Judge Arlene Robinson, the organization provides child-centered intervention, forensic interviewing, trauma-informed therapy, and prevention services for children and families affected by abuse, trauma, and violence in DC. Its service model rests on a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) framework, formalized by a 2002 DC Council mandate, under which child victims can access the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), US Attorney's Office (USAO), Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), Children's National Health System, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) within a single co-located facility at 429 O Street NW, allowing a child to give one forensic interview observed by all partners via closed-circuit television.

The organization delivers its core programs through five service lines: Client Advocacy (first-contact family crisis support and referrals), Youth Advocacy (specialized services for adolescents aged 13-17), Forensic Services (neutral, fact-finding, developmentally sensitive interviews), Clinical Services (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy delivered via talk, play, art, and sand-tray modalities), and Prevention and Outreach (curricula including Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children, Prevent Child Abuse Vermont's Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development, NetSmartz, and From Bystander to Upstander training). All services are provided free of charge to clients and are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Safe Shores is funded exclusively through donations, grants, and in-kind contributions rather than fees for service. Revenue streams include individual donations, the LifeSavers Giving Society monthly recurring giving program, corporate matching gifts (EIN 52-1888617), foundation grants (including a 2025 Champions for Children grant), and annual seasonal campaigns (Holiday Giving Drive, Pack2School Drive). In the past year the organization served 1,018 children and adolescents, delivered 946 therapy sessions, provided emergency crisis funds to 116 families, distributed 270 take-care bags, and served 205 meals through its Kids' Café program.

Name

Safe Shores

Legal name

Safe Shores – The DC Children's Advocacy Center

Website

https://safeshores.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Safe Shores is the only Children's Advocacy Center in Washington DC, providing free forensic interviews, trauma-focused therapy, advocacy, and prevention training for child abuse victims and their families through a co-located multi-agency model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Advocacy Center / Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAG

Child Protection & Child Rights

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

SECONDARYBPADAGAG

Child Rights & Protection

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Child advocacy services
• Forensic interviewing
• Trauma therapy
• Abuse prevention training
• Victim crisis support

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors. Monthly giving program through LifeSavers Giving Society. One-time donation options available on website.
2. Monthly Giving (LifeSavers Giving Society): Recurring monthly contributions from donors, providing sustainable income for round-the-clock services. Donors receive annual summary for tax purposes.
3. Matching Gifts: Corporate matching gift program where employers match employee donations to amplify impact. EIN: 52-1888617.
4. Grants and Foundation Funding: Grants from organizations such as Champions for Children (2025 grantee), Nonprofit Village Impact Awards, and other foundation support.
5. In-Kind Donations: Wish list donations of goods and supplies needed for services, including items for the Clothing Closet and Kids' Café.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Safe Shores is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Children's Advocacy Center that delivers coordinated, child-centered intervention, therapy, forensic interviews, and abuse prevention services to child victims of abuse and their families in Washington, DC. Its core offerings include Client Advocacy, Youth Advocacy, Forensic Services (neutral fact-finding interviews observed via closed-circuit television by partner agencies), and Clinical Services (trauma-focused mental health using TF-CBT modalities), all delivered through a co-located Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) model.

Product overview

Safe Shores – The DC Children's Advocacy Center is a direct-service nonprofit that provides a unified suite of child-centered intervention, healing, and prevention services from a single, co-located facility. Its core services include Client Advocacy (first-contact family support and crisis assistance), Youth Advocacy (for adolescents 13–17), Forensic Services (neutral forensic interviews observed via closed-circuit television), and Clinical Services (trauma-informed mental health using TF-CBT through talk, play, art, and sand-tray therapy). These are delivered through a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) coordination model that brings together the Office of the Attorney General, US Attorney's Office, Child and Family Services Agency, Children's National, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The organization also operates Prevention and Outreach — including the Stewards of Children® curriculum from Darkness to Light, NetSmartz internet safety training, Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development©, and From Bystander to Upstander supplemental trainings — alongside community programs such as Coffee for Kids facility tours, the LifeSavers monthly giving society, and seasonal campaigns (Holiday Giving Drive, Pack2School Drive). All services are provided free to clients and are available around the clock.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LifeSavers Giving Society: A monthly donor program supporting child survivors of abuse year-round. Monthly contributors help provide trauma-informed therapy, emergency funds, and child-friendly services free for clients.
• Coffee for Kids
• Stewards of Children®

Products and services

• Client Advocacy Program Family's first point of contact at Safe Shores; provides crisis support, advocacy, follow-up, community referrals, and crime victim rights information. Also provides transitional clothing, meals, and financial assistance.
• Youth Advocacy Services Specialized advocacy for adolescents aged 13-17 who have been sexually assaulted, helping teens understand their DC law rights and providing referrals to medical, mental health, and legal support. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Forensic Services Coordinates and conducts neutral, fact-finding, developmentally sensitive interviews with children affected by abuse and witnesses to violence. Team members observe via closed-circuit television while forensic interviewers conduct one-on-one interviews.
• Clinical Services Program Provides trauma-informed mental health services using Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) through talk therapy, play therapy, art therapy, sand-tray therapy, and other modalities for child victims, non-offending caregivers, and siblings.
• Prevention and Outreach Program Provides adults with evidence-informed child abuse prevention curricula including Stewards of Children, helping equip adults to recognize, respond to, and prevent abuse. Also hosts a Caregiver Support Group.
• Stewards of Children® Training Evidence-informed training developed by Darkness to Light that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Offered both virtually and in person to the community and organizations.
• Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development© Training Training developed by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont that helps participants understand children's sexual development and how to respond to sexual behaviors and questions in ways that promote healthy development.
• NetSmartz: Internet Safety Training Training that helps adults — parents, caregivers, and teachers — protect children's online safety by offering best practices for managing internet safety issues and providing resources.
• From Bystander to Upstander Training Supplemental training that prepares participants to make interventions that reinforce boundaries and protect children by being active bystanders in child sexual abuse prevention and response.
• Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Coordination Safe Shores coordinates a multi-disciplinary team of partner agencies (Office of the Attorney General, US Attorney's Office, Child and Family Services Agency, Children's National, Metropolitan Police Department) co-located in one building to investigate abuse, conduct forensic interviews, and provide services without requiring children to tell their story multiple times.
• Coffee for Kids Facility Tours Virtual and in-person facility tours held every other Thursday, offering an opportunity to tour the child-friendly, victim-focused center, meet the team, and learn about Safe Shores' mission.
• LifeSavers Giving Society Safe Shores' monthly giving program; donors contribute recurring monthly gifts to support round-the-clock services (available 24/7, 365 days a year) for child survivors of abuse.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,018 children and adolescents served in the past year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOAG's Child Protection Section, Juvenile Section and Neighborhood Victim Services participate as part of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) at Safe Shores, providing legal prosecution and victim services coordination from the co-located facility.
• United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSAO's Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit and Victim/Witness Assistance Unit participate in the MDT at Safe Shores, coordinating federal prosecution responses and victim advocacy.
• Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDC's Child Protective Services agency participates in the MDT, providing child welfare investigations and family services coordination through co-location at Safe Shores.
• Children's National Health Systems (The Freddie Mac Child and Adolescent Protection Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's National Medical Center provides medical expertise and the Freddie Mac Child and Adolescent Protection Center as part of the MDT, offering specialized pediatric care for abuse cases.
• Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPD's Youth Investigations Branch and Special Victims Unit participate in the MDT, providing law enforcement investigation coordination through co-location at Safe Shores.
• Darkness to LightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of the Stewards of Children training curriculum, which serves as the foundation for Safe Shores' Prevention Education program. Safe Shores is an Authorized Facilitator for the training.
• Prevent Child Abuse VermontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of the Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development curriculum used in Safe Shores' supplemental prevention training programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Prevent Child Abuse America:
• National Children's Alliance: National accrediting body and membership association for Children's Advocacy Centers in the U.S. Safe Shores is an accredited member; comparable as the umbrella organization for the CAC model that Safe Shores operates.
• Childhelp: Large national nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment, operating a hotline, residential programs, and advocacy. Comparable in mission and overlapping scope with Safe Shores' prevention and advocacy work, though operating at national scale.

Emerging players

• Darkness to Light: Developer of the Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention training — the same curriculum Safe Shores delivers as an Authorized Facilitator. Comparable as a prevention-training peer and ecosystem partner.

Direct peers

• Dallas Children's Advocacy Center: One of the largest and oldest Children's Advocacy Centers in the U.S., offering a co-located MDT model of forensic interviews, therapy, and family advocacy very similar to Safe Shores' service stack. Direct operational peer serving a single metro area.
• National Child Advocacy Center (Huntsville, AL): Pioneering Children's Advocacy Center founded in 1985 that helped originate the CAC model, providing forensic interviews, therapy, MDT coordination, and prevention training — directly comparable to Safe Shores' integrated service offering.
• Children's Advocacy Centers of Virginia: Statewide network of Children's Advocacy Centers; comparable as a peer organization focused on the same MDT-based child abuse response model that Safe Shores delivers in DC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safeshoresdc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SafeShoresDC?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/SafeShoresDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safe-shores
• Instagraminstagram.com/safeshoresdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safe Shores