14th Annual Children’s Advocacy Center Day Press Conference
Columbia, S.C. — April 22, 2025
In a moving and resolute show of bipartisan unity and community commitment, South Carolina officials, advocates, and lawmakers gathered at the Statehouse last week to mark the 14th Annual Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) Day, an event dedicated to highlighting the vital work of Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state. Governor Henry McMaster and the General Assembly formally declared April 15, 2025, as CAC Day through an official proclamation and a joint legislative resolution (H. 4213).
Tom Knapp, President and CEO of the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, opened the press conference by welcoming everyone and drew attention to the powerful role CACs play in helping abused and neglected children find safety, justice, and healing. Knapp praised the centers’ trauma-informed, multidisciplinary approach and emphasized the importance of continued funding and legislative support.
“Today really is ultimately not about the systems or the professionals — it’s about the children served in 2024,” said Knapp. “And the thousands more who will need our help in 2025 and beyond.”
During the event, Amanda Whittle, South Carolina’s State Child Advocate and Director of the Department of Children’s Advocacy, was presented with the #BeHeard4Kids Statewide Leadership Award for her impactful contributions to child protection policy, including her leadership on the South Carolina Child Abuse Response Protocol Act.
Whittle, in her speech, emphasized the importance of CACs in reducing trauma for child abuse victims and praising support given to families.
“Children’s advocacy centers reduce trauma to children by providing a child-friendly setting where children can receive services and by providing a neutral forum for agencies to come together to engage in a coordinated and trauma informed response to child ,” Whittle said. “We recognize and applaud children’s advocacy centers across our state and the multidisciplinary teams that support their work.”
Representative Paula Calhoon reaffirmed the General Assembly’s commitment, reading the House Joint Resolution alongside Senator Mike Reichenbach, Representative Mark Smith, and Tom Knapp. According to the resolution, South Carolina CACs provided necessary forensic interviews, investigative services, victim advocacy, medical evaluations, and mental health services to children served in 2024. “The Children’s Advocacy Center models, promotes, and delivers excellence in the best practice response to child abuse and prevention through direct service, education, collaboration, and leadership.”
Tony Catone, Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), echoed the message of collaboration. “Only together can we take on the challenge of fighting child abuse,” he said. The coordinated approach with CAC partners ensures children receive timely, trauma-informed care.
Attorney General Alan Wilson, closing the event, gave a heartfelt reflection from his time as a prosecutor, describing a survivor who, after years of abuse, finally felt empowered and heard.
“I’m here today to say that’s what CACs do every single day, is they give a voice to people who don’t have a voice,” said Wilson. “Their impact for children who are victims of crime is the fact that they mitigate the impact of that trauma.”
Wilson commended South Carolina’s national leadership model in child protection, citing collaborative efforts like the new DSS-SCNCAC CAC referral database integration and the statewide CAC protocol training available on the SCNCAC website.
Looking Forward
As the 14th Annual CAC Day came to a close, Tom Knapp reminded attendees that the fight against child abuse is ongoing — and it requires unwavering commitment from everyone.
“This event is just to help us to reaffirm our commitment to the children and families who are suffering from abuse in South Carolina.,” Knapp said.
Knapp expressed gratitude to the General Assembly for their continued support of this important cause and offered special thanks to Attorney General Wilson and his team for generously hosting the press conference. With 13,788 children served by CACs in South Carolina last year alone, the message of the day was clear: children must be protected, believed, and heard — and the state’s CACs stand ready to lead that mission.