The Child Advocacy Program is a collaborative effort of the Westchester County Department of Social Services, the District Attorney's Office, the  County Attorney's Office, the Westchester Medical Center, Saint Joseph's Medical Center, and local Police Departments. The creation of the Advocacy Center in 1998 was vital because it resolved the long standing problem of having children who have been physically or sexually abused go through numerous, separate interviews, often at different locations, causing unnecessary emotional trauma to the child. It provided a way to help minimize the trauma for the child while providing the agencies charged with protecting the child with the information they need