Children in Bastrop, Lee and Fayette counties have found a helping hand in the Children’s Advocacy Center since its founding in 1992. The location was one of the first 13 advocacy centers in Texas, and the nonprofit has grown to include 70 centers throughout the state.

What they offer

CAC works with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors offices and child protective services in Bastrop, Lee and Fayette counties.

The center is contacted when there is an investigation involving violent crimes and abuse. Center staff conduct forensic interviews with children in these cases and provide a family advocate to the child’s caregiver so they have support and are aware of resources available. Additionally, CAC also offers a food pantry and a clothing closet.

Meagan Webb, executive director of the Bastrop CAC said the center offers support to caregivers and children in these cases for as long as they are needed.




“Family advocacy can last for years. Family advocates continue to work with caregivers throughout the life of the case,” Webb said. “We really just try to meet the needs of the family.”

The details

All services provided by the center are completely free of charge and are offered in both English and Spanish. CAC is one of the only nonprofit organizations involved in the investigation and prosecution process, according to Webb.

“It's in the best interest of our prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to have families come our way into work with us because we can really keep that family engaged throughout the case in a way that law enforcement just doesn't have capacity to do. Then when it comes time for them to need to go to court and testify, we've maintained contact with them that whole time [and] we're able to help prep them so that they are better equipped to testify. It just it just makes for better outcomes all the way around,” Webb said.




Webb said before CAC existed, children had to tell their story up to 10 or more times which increased trauma from the events and case outcomes were not as good, due to the loss of information between retellings of the event.

The impact

The Bastrop CAC currently has 18 staff members who are each specialized in different areas offered by the center. Webb said the center conducted 400 forensic interviews in 2023 and provided 3,500 hours of therapy.

She said individuals interested in supporting the center can donate directly or attend a fundraising event like the Designer Purse Bingo event they host twice a year: one in Bastrop and one in Fayette County.




Quote of note

“Nobody's immune from child abuse or the effects of violent crime,” said Webb. “So I think having a Children's Advocacy Center can give people in the community the peace of knowing that when somebody needs that type of help and that type of intervention in our community, they're going to get it and it's going to be the highest quality service possible.”