Montgomery Child Advocacy Project’s (MCAP) mission is to end and prevent child abuse and neglect in Montgomery County through legal services, advocacy, and education.
OUR STORY
The Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project (“MCAP”) was originally formed in 1999 through the efforts of Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy, Judge Risa Vetri Ferman and attorney Marc R. Steinberg, and was formally incorporated in 2004 with a simple yet powerful mission: to end and prevent child abuse and neglect in Montgomery County through legal services, advocacy, and education.
The catalyst for MCAP was an eight-year-old girl who had to testify on the stand about the sexual abuse she suffered from her mother’s boyfriend. Judges Demchick-Alloy and Vetri Ferman, both prosecutors at the time, were in the courtroom and saw this young girl complete her testimony. She then walked bravely past her abuser, her unsupportive mother, and a courtroom packed with strangers to take her seat all alone. After years of witnessing this scenario over and over again, our pioneers decided that this would be the last time. Along with the help and determination of Marc R. Steinberg, Esq., they were able to get the support of the Montgomery Bar Association and the Court of Common Pleas to incorporate as a nonprofit and MCAP was born. Committed to MCAP, Marc was the first MCAP child advocate and President of the MCAP Board of Trustees until 2017.
Since 2004, MCAP child advocates have provided free legal services to more than 11,000 children in approximately 7,400 cases. While we strive to end child abuse through education and advocacy, sadly we know our work will continue, especially in light of the opioid crisis, mental health challenges, and housing and food insecurities for families.
LEGAL SERVICES
ADVOCACY
EDUCATION
MCAP serves the most vulnerable, abused, neglected, and trafficked children with the help of trained volunteer attorneys. Our volunteer attorneys are the heart and soul of our work as they donate their time, resources, and expertise to help give a voice to a fragile, at-risk child. Universally, our MCAP volunteer attorneys emphasize that working with MCAP is the most important and impactful work of their careers.
We advocate for victims of child abuse, neglect, and trafficking with the goals of ensuring safety, justice, and a permanent, nurturing environment for each child. MCAP is active in facilitating and participating in initiatives so all children can live in safe and nurturing environments.
Education is a critical component of MCAP’s mission. We help to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and educate members of the legal community, professionals, parents, various service providers, and the public about child abuse laws and resources available for families.
MCAP is committed to making Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Sustainability (IDEAS) central to its mission and guaranteeing that its services are inclusive of the racial, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds of all clients being served.