Case Study of a Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) in a Canadian City

Abstract

This project involves an exploratory, qualitative case study of one Canadian Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC). The purpose of the research was to examine how Child Advocacy Centres (CACs) and CYACs respond to the needs of victims and their families and what frameworks guide their responses. Since this research is exploratory, no hypotheses were developed. Method: Sixteen in-person semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed and analyzed using QSR NVivo 11 Pro. Results: Several themes were drawn from the interviews illustrating the diverse dynamics that CACs and CYACs face including collaborative tensions, mental health and the criminal justice system.