Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8a - 5p | Friday close at Noon
(308) 385-5238
Why Choose First Light
When it comes to protecting and assisting child victims of abuse, neglect, and traumatic experiences, First Light Child and Family Advocacy Center (CAC) stands as a beacon of hope and comprehensive care.
Benefits of First Light
A limited number of times a child is interviewed.
Interviewed by certified trained forensic interviewers.
Quality support and advocacy.
Referral to licensed therapists who are trained to address traumatic issues.
Trained medical personnel to complete forensic medical exams.
Hair and nail follicle tests to determine if a child has been exposed to drugs.
MDT coordination to ensure each child receives appropriate services.
Assist and prepare children and families for upcoming court hearings.
Case management and case coordination.
Our Provided Services
Forensic Interviews
A fact-finding video and audio recorded interview of children generally aged 3 – 18 years of age who are alleging physical abuse, sexual assault, witness to a violent crime, placed in a drug-endangered environment, and/or recovered from a kidnapping.
Advocacy
Providing support to child victims and non-offending family members through the investigation, court process, and receiving appropriate resources for addressing the trauma.
Case Management
The First Light CAC Child and Family Services Advocate is available to provide on-going advocacy, case tracking, and monitoring throughout the case.
Referral
First Light CAC has established linkage agreements with licensed therapists who have completed the necessary trauma training and can provide timely and quality services to the child-victims and non-offending family members served at the Center.
Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT)
The Center’s MDT Coordinator is responsible for coordinating meetings within each county that includes law enforcement, county attorney, Health and Human Services, school staff, mental health providers, medical personnel, and a variety of other community providers who can actively respond to investigations and address appropriate treatment measures within a confidential setting.
Medical
Trained medical personnel are available to provide forensic sexual assault examinations, forensic medical examinations and wellness checks for child victims 3-18 years of age seen at the Center where a need is evident to assist with ensuring their health is cared for and for investigative purposes.
Hair Testing
At the request of Health and Human Services, law enforcement, and county attorneys; trained First Light CAC personnel to provide hair or nail follicle testing on child victims to determine if they are placed in a drug-endangered environment.
Training
A variety of trainings are offered by First Light CAC personnel, which include: CAC 101, Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) 101, Introduction to Reporting, Darkness to Light and our annual training that includes bringing a national speaker to Central Nebraska.
Outreach
The Center welcomes opportunities to come and speak at your business, agency, and/or community group about the services provided at First Light CAC and the value of reporting; at no cost to you.
3535 W 13th Street, Ste 121 Grand Island, NE 68803
