CAFY provides the child with a "Victim Advocate" who will help make the criminal and juvenile justice systems more understandable and less stressful for the child and family.

• Advocates explain the legal process step by step, define confusing legal terms, and help the child understand their role in the process.
• Advocates also help parents/guardians understand typical trauma responses that their child may be experiencing and ways to help their child cope and heal.

Advocates can…

Assist children and parents/guardians during criminal justice process to understand their rights, identify services, access agencies and obtain counseling.

• Accompany and assist the child and family during court proceedings.
• Provide age appropriate books, coloring books, brochures, videos and other tools to explain legal system procedures and trauma reactions.
• Assist children at preliminary hearings (first hearing in a criminal case)
• Accompany and assist the child and family at trial, sentencing and juvenile justice system adjudication and disposition hearings.
• Keep the child's family informed of important court dates and case updates.
• Debrief the child following the court case in order to help the child and family understand the outcome and the importance of the child's role.
• Provide follow-up to ascertain additional needs following the case conclusion.

Children's Books

• Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teens Safe, by Gavin DeBecker
• When Your Child Is Afraid, by Dr. Robert Schachter and Carolee Spearin McCauley
• A Volcano in My Tummy, Helping Children To Handle Anger, by Elaine Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney
• Children Changed by Trauma, A Healing Guide, by Debra Whitney Alexander, Ph.D.
• Bereaved Children and Teens, by Earl A. Grollman
• When Someone Very Special Dies, by Marge Heegaard
• Goodbye Mousie, by R.H. Harris
• Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss, by Michaelane Mundy
• When Someone Very Special Dies, by Marge Heegaard
• 35 Ways to Help a Grieving Child, by Dougy Center for Grieving Children

Produced by Community Advocates for Family & Youth.  The hosting of this website was made possible by the support by Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.  Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice.