HLS 18RS-2857 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 119
BY REPRESENTATIVE STEVE CARTER
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Designates April 26, 2018, as Children's Advocacy
Centers Day
1 A RESOLUTION
2To designate Thursday, April 26, 2018, as Children's Advocacy Centers Day at the state
3 capitol.
4 WHEREAS, April has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month;
5and
6 WHEREAS, one in ten children will be sexually abused by the age of eighteen, and
7in 2017, twenty-five children in Louisiana died as a result of abuse or neglect; and
8 WHEREAS, Louisiana's Children's Advocacy Centers, or CACs, have helped to
9make Louisiana a safer place for children and families since 1991; and
10 WHEREAS, CACs are community-based agencies designed to meet the unique needs
11of the communities they serve; and
12 WHEREAS, all of Louisiana's parishes are served by the state's sixteen CACs, and
13thousands of Louisiana's children and their families benefit because of their advocacy,
14education, and awareness efforts; and
15 WHEREAS, the purpose of Louisiana's CACs is to provide every child victim a
16comfortable and child-friendly environment; and
17 WHEREAS, Louisiana's CACs help abused or neglected children by providing
18developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive forensic interviews, coordinated case
19planning, and other services to prevent further trauma to the child and promote healing for
20the child and family; and
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HR NO. 119
1 WHEREAS, CACs use evidence-based practices to support the well-being of
2children, and such practices have been shown to improve outcomes for children, reduce
3trauma for families, and save taxpayers money; and
4 WHEREAS, child abuse disproportionately affects communities where resources are
5not readily available for victims in stressful situations; and
6 WHEREAS, the prevention of child abuse through the strengthening of families is
7better for children and more cost effective for Louisiana taxpayers; and
8 WHEREAS, CACs work with local communities to educate individuals to prevent,
9recognize, and respond to child abuse; and
10 WHEREAS, CACs work as part of multidisciplinary teams of professionals; teams
11include members of law enforcement agencies, child protection services, legal services, the
12medical profession, the mental health profession, and victim's advocates organizations; and
13 WHEREAS, Louisiana's CACs are well equipped to serve the needs of Louisiana's
14abused children and are well suited to helping children by coordinating investigations and
15delivering services.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
17Legislature of Louisiana does hereby designate Thursday, April 26, 2018, as Children's
18Advocacy Centers Day at the state capitol and does hereby commend the dedication and
19excellent work of the staffs of Louisiana's Children's Advocacy Centers on behalf of the
20citizens of Louisiana.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
22to the Louisiana Alliance of Children's Advocacy Centers board president, Stacie LeBlanc,
23and executive director, Tyler M. Bosworth.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 119 Original 2018 Regular Session Steve Carter
Designates April 26, 2018, as Children's Advocacy Centers Day at the state capitol.
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