Evaluation of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) program: A community intervention for child abuse victims

•Children who have experienced abuse require community intervention programs.•Children in Bikers Against Child Abuse program demonstrated improvements in emotional and behavioral functioning.•Behavioral improvements for children receiving services were in the moderate to large effect size range.•Evaluation revealed need to increase services to more diverse populations. Children who have experienced physical abuse benefit from a multitude of community interventions including support programs to address emotional and behavioral stability. This pilot study evaluated the services of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), a community of bikers lending intervention to abused children, using a pre/post exploratory design. Participants (N=154) were children who had been referred by parents/guardians for current or past physical and/or sexual abuse. Parents/guardians of children were interviewed four times over a course of one year. Results indicated children demonstrated substantial improvements in their overall levels of emotional distress, conduct concerns, hyperactivity, and behavioral and emotional functioning. Overall, results support the premise that services provided by BACA may serve as a unique intervention for children who have experienced abuse.