Child Sexual Trauma Response (CSTR) Partnership
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County (CAC) relies on strong partnerships with community-based agencies to ensure CAC-referred families have access to the specialized mental health resources they need. In addition to Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) services offered at the CAC, families are also provided information about mental health resources in the community. Suffolk County is fortunate to have numerous agencies providing evidence-based trauma treatments.
CSTR partners convene monthly at the CAC to focus on defining, strengthening and disseminating best practices in providing specialized services to children who have been sexually abused and their families.
CSTR VISION
The vision of CSTR is that all victims of child sexual abuse and their families have timely access to specialized mental health treatment in order to heal from the effects of abuse.
CSTR MISSION
CSTR unites community mental health agencies to identify the unique mental health service needs of child sexual abuse victims and their families and enhances a service delivery system to meet those needs.
CSTR GOALS
CSTR will significantly improve the Suffolk County mental health community’s response to child victims of sexual abuse and their families by:
- Identifying and promulgating best practices in the intervention, assessment, evaluation and treatment of this population;
- Increasing Partnership members’ knowledge of existing trauma-informed providers with sexual abuse intervention and treatment expertise;
- Strengthening collaboration among Partnership members while supporting and enhancing their clinical expertise and
- Improving the referral process and effective engagement of families in specialized services.
In addition to their participation in CSTR, the following agencies have signed CAC Linkage Agreements which outline our mutual collaboration to strengthen mental health services for children and families:
Boston Children's Hospital Child Protection Program
Boston Medical Center Child Witness to Violence Project
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
North Suffolk Mental Health Association
The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute
CSTR Contact: Catalina Perez, LICSW, Director of Mental Health & Advocacy Services
857-334-4522 or Catalina.Perez@state.ma.us