CARES stands for Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services. CARES Northwest provides a centralized assessment center for children who may have been abused or neglected. Physical examinations and interviews are done in a comfortable environment to help the child feel relaxed and unafraid. Our goals are to minimize further trauma to child abuse victims and their families by coordinating expert evaluation services in one location; to provide a high level of expertise in the medical diagnosis and treatment of abused children; to provide access to mental health interventions as quickly as possible; and finally to recommend medical and psychological treatment and follow-up in cases of child abuse.