Who we are

In 1984, the Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention, formed by agencies serving children in the Texas Panhandle, recognized that the system in place to address child abuse was, in many cases, re-victimizing the very children it was intended to help.

Children were being bounced from professional to professional to tell and retell their story thus evoking stress, in some cases the children were interrogated instead of questioned.

Court cases were often lost due to a lack of comprehensive case management practices. Under the guidance of The Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center, law enforcement agencies, Child Protective Services, medical professionals and the judicial system came together in a memorandum of understanding, establishing the first Case Review Team in the state of Texas.

In 1989, The Bridge opened as the first Children’s Advocacy Center in the state of Texas. In 1994, Bridge staff assisted in the establishment of Amarillo Area CASA. In 1997 The Bridge hosted a press conference where Phil Gramm announced the passage of the Sex Offender Tracking and Identification Act. In it’s 25th year, The Bridge opened its fourth satellite office in Clarendon, Texas. With offices in Pampa, Dumas, and Hereford, Texas, The Bridge is able to offer services to rural regions of the Texas Panhandle.