Testimony: Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification Amendment Act of 2025

Children’s Law Center Behavioral Health Policy Analyst Chris Gamble testified before the DC Council’s Committee on Youth Affairs in support of the Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification Amendment Act of 2025. The proposed legislation mandates that an accredited Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) be a member of DC’s Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). Our testimony emphasizes the importance of CAC neutrality in order to protect the integrity of child forensic interviews and to effectively coordinate the joint activities of the members of the MDT without feeling beholden to any specific agency priorities. Our testimony also argues that the District must address the longstanding issue of CAC funding, urging the Committee to work with the District’s CAC, Safe Shores, to identify consistent and sustainable government funding sources.