Our Vision & Mission
We Help Abused Children Get The Best Care Possible
OUR VISION
“We can end child abuse. Together.”
In the Commonwealth, we continue to see tremendous progress in the statewide response to child abuse. Each year we move closer to an environment where children are free from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect and receive the best possible care when abuse does occur.
We believe that with the right interventions, the right training, an informed community, and committed legislative partners, this future is achievable.
OUR MISSION
The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance pioneers the most promising, leading-edge ways that help victims of child abuse receive the best possible care and serves as a local, state, and national go-to resource for proven interventions, effective educational programs, and informed legislative support. We are the closed coalition of the state’s 12 Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs).
OUR FOUR PILLARS
We pursue our mission through four interconnected areas of work:
Promoting Interventions That Work
We champion the multidisciplinary CAC model and promote proven, trauma-informed therapies to our member CACs. Through coordination, resources, and training in evidence-based interventions, we ensure children and families have access to the most effective care available. Wherever possible, we reduce a child’s need to retell their story by fostering collaboration across law enforcement, medical providers, mental health professionals, victim advocates, and child welfare agencies.
Trainings and Education
From our statewide annual conference to local training sessions that address specific challenges, we ensure that the professionals directly helping abused children are always up to date on the approaches that work best. We host our annual conference, Healing, Hope, and Justice: An Advanced Conversation, where we’ve trained thousands of multidisciplinary professionals from around the country to learn the most innovative responses to child abuse and exploitation.
We also train clinicians statewide in evidence-based mental health modalities, increasing access to care so that traumatized children can begin the process of healing. This work helps reduce waitlists for children and adolescents and connects CACs with local agencies and trained clinicians across Massachusetts.
Community Education
We mobilize communities to have tough but necessary conversations about child abuse. Our member organizations distribute life-saving curricula to our communities so more people are equipped to recognize and respond to child abuse. MACA helps organizations and community members learn about the types of child abuse, how to recognize the warning signs, and steps to take if they suspect a child is being abused.
Legislative Advocacy
We work with our members, partner organizations, and engaged community members to secure the funding and legislation that child victims need. From state budget advocacy to federal Victims of Child Abuse Act funding, we ensure our Senators and Members of Congress preserve the resources that make CAC services possible.
What You Can Do
Protecting children takes all of us. Whether you want to be part of the work or donate, your support helps ensure children and families across Massachusetts have access to safety, healing, and justice.
