Bridgehaven CAC sees 30-40 children per month for Forensic Interviews. Our Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) will be involved in tracking, on average, 50 cases per month.

MDT members and Bridgehaven CAC staff are the only people allowed to watch the interview as it is taking place. Immediately following the interview, criminal and/or civil investigators will meet with the family to talk about what took place during the interview and what the next steps will be.

The interview process includes: Meeting between a Family Advocate and Non-Offending caretaker, the interview of the child, and a meeting between the investigative agency and the caretaker after the interview. An interview takes approximately 30-45 minutes for each child. The entire process can take up to an hour and a half or more.

A forensic interview is a fact-finding interview, which is conducted when there has been a report of abuse. The questions in a forensic interview are very closely monitored not to lead the child in any way. The child will have one forensic interview and then will be referred for counseling following the interview.

No. According to the Confrontation Clause in the U.S. Constitution, it is the defendant’s right to cross-examine their accuser. It can serve as a prior consistent statement in addition to the child’s testimony at the time of trial. The main advantage of videotaping an interview is to eliminate the need for the child to be interviewed multiple times by multiple agencies to include: Law Enforcement, DFPS, Prosecution, and the Defense. 

Bridgehaven is funded through a variety of sources. We receive funding from Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX) which is the parent organization that oversees all CACs in Texas. We also receive grant funding from the state of Texas through the Attorney General’s Office, funding from local Liberty and Chambers Counties, City of Cove, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Federal Grant, as well as private donations from businesses and individuals within the community.