About Us – Maryland Children's Alliance, Inc

Our Vision

It is the vision of the Maryland Children’s Alliance to be a strong, stable chapter that will translate into high-functioning and vital child advocacy centers throughout the State of Maryland.

Our Mission

The mission of MCA is to promote the well-being of children by supporting the development, growth, and continuation of children’s advocacy centers throughout the state of Maryland through advocacy, training, and technical assistance.

Our History

A private nonprofit organization, Maryland Children’s Alliance (MCA) is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) as a State Chapter to serve as a convener of Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) across Maryland.

Representing a collaborative effort among our membership, staff, and the Board of Directors, Maryland Children’s Alliance provides support services to existing and emerging children’s advocacy centers and serves as a leading resource on the CAC model within the state, promoting system-wide improvements for children who have experienced abuse and helping to make our communities safer.

The primary goal of Maryland Children’s Alliance is to ensure that every jurisdiction in Maryland is offering collaborative, evidence-based investigative and treatment services in response to allegations of child abuse. We work with local CACs, from Allegany to Worcester counties, to serve Maryland’s children.

The Maryland Children’s Alliance and our local Child Advocacy Centers believe that every child who experiences sexual violence or trauma needs a safe, supportive environment to share their experiences and begin their healing process. A child comes to a local child advocacy center and tells his or her story to a trained professional who works as part of a collaborative team, reducing the risk of re-traumatization from having to tell this story repeatedly. A circle of care, including victim and family advocates, mental health professionals, medical personnel, law enforcement, and other professionals surround the child and family. Together, this multidisciplinary team and the family make decisions about how best to help the child survive and thrive.

In Maryland, 24 local child advocacy centers respond to over 6,000 children each year for allegations of sexual abuse, sexual assault and other maltreatment of children. The majority (17) of the centers are accredited by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), having met rigorous standards to ensure best practice care of child victims. Associate NCA members have completed substantial planning and progress toward accreditation and are working toward full accreditation. To find out more about membership in the National Children’s Alliance, visit their website