OTTAWA — The federal government is boosting funding to help Canadian crime victims.
The feds are earmarking $7 million more for the Victims Fund over the next five years and are also doubling the amount paid in victim surcharges, the cash penalties imposed on criminals when they are sentenced.
The money goes to help victims put their lives back together at places like Child Advocacy Centres, where children who have seen horrible crimes get special trauma counselling from paediatric psychologists, alongside their parents or guardians.
“Our government is committed to providing victims of crime, and those who serve them, with the tools and support they require,” said Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. “The new funding announced in this year’s budget further demonstrates the commitment this government has made to victims of crime.”
Money collected through victim surcharges goes to provinces for distribution.
The Tories made a campaign promise to double the amount charged to convicts during the last federal election. The announcement was made at the start of National Victims of Crime Awareness Week
York’s Faculty of Health and the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation Launch New Training for Students in Groundbreaking Therapy for Victims of Violence
The emotional and psychological impact of violence on families is devastating, and yet an inadequate patchwork of counselling services for victims puts Canada near the bottom of developed countries for helping families deal with the loss and pain of the death or serious injury of a loved one due to violence.
A new partnership between York University’s LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research and the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation (CCVF) is a collaborative effort to deal with this critical service gap for an often overlooked or forgotten population that is very vulnerable and has unique needs.
With the help of a donation of $50,000 over two years from the CCVF, York is likely the first university in Canada to be able to offer its graduate students in clinical-developmental psychology training toward certification in trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT). This is an evidence-based treatment that combines psycho-education, traumatic narration cognitive restructuring and stress management skills to help children and their parents or caregivers overcome the negative effects of trauma and traumatic grief. This educational initiative is seen, by the York University Psychology Clinic and the LaMarsh Centre as a first step in creating a centre of excellence for the delivery and study of trauma services, with a special focus on the victims of violence.
Left to right: Dr. Louise Hartley(YUPC), Dr. Yvonne Bohr(LaMarsh), Joe and Lozanne Wamback(CCVF)As part of their certification training, the 28 participating Clinical-Developmental Psychology graduate students will each provide free supervised clinical counselling services to two families who have either lost a family member to violence or who have had a family member experience a violent attack. This free counseling service provided through the York University Psychology Clinic under the supervision of experienced registered psychologists will provide 40 families with much needed support for up to a year. In addition, trainees who are close to graduating, will soon be taking their new knowledge and skills with them into the community and their clinical practice, thus promoting awareness of the needs of victims, and of the proven methods that can help address these needs.
The initial student training took place over two days on April 10 and 11 with a reception for the trainers, students and officials with the LaMarsh Centre, York University Psychology Clinic and the CCVF held on April 11.
“This is the gold standard for treatment for traumatized children and their caregivers,” says Dr. Erna Olafson from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the National Traumatic Stress Network in the U.S., who was one of the trainers. “There are still few of us available to train because TF-CBT is so new, so in Canada, York University is a pathbreaker and a pioneer.”
“We are extremely grateful for the financial support provided to us by the CCFV,” says Dr. Yvonne Bohr, Director of the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research in the Faculty of Health at York. “This sponsored training opportunity will equip our students to become practitioners in the best researched and empirically supported treatment for young victims who have experienced trauma.”
Joe Wamback talking with studentsFor Joe and Lozanne Wamback, the founders of the CCVF, the partnership with York has both a professional and personal resonance. In 1999, their son Jonathon was beaten and nearly lost his life. From their own experience and close relationships with many other victims, they established the CCFV in 2001 to give victims of violence a voice as they have learned that Canadian victim services are sporadic and under- funded at best. The partnership with York “is a huge step forward,” says Joe Wamback. “It’s a vision my wife and I have had since our son was hurt and this program will have massive social benefits for families and children.”
“This training is incredibly valuable,” says Dilys Haner, a PhD student in clinical developmental psychology, who participated in the training. “It opened my eyes to new treatment possibilities and it’s great that we will be able to offer specialized services that may not be available elsewhere in Toronto.”
About the partners:
LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research For 31 years, the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research has been a critical hub for research, education and knowledge aimed at reducing violence in the lives of women and youth. Over the years, the Centre gradually expanded its mission to support community-engaged interdisciplinary research in health, education, relationships and development of infants, children, adolescents, emerging adults and families everywhere.
Canadian Crime Victim Foundation (CCVF) Since 2001, the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation has served as an important voice for the rights and well-being of families who have endured the loss and pain of the death or serious injury of a loved one due to violence. Working with the justice system and service providers, the CCVF helps thousands of victims every year find the strength and resources to overcome their personal tragedies.
York University Psychology Clinic (YUPC) YUPC is a state-of-the art community mental health and training centre associated with the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health at York University. The clinic provides a range of leading edge, effective mental health services to keep people of all ages living healthy, productive lives
Canadian Crime Victim Foundation Applauds Government Announcement of Income Support for Parents of Murdered or Missing Children
OTTAWA, April 20, 2012 – The Canadian Crime Victim Foundation applauds the announcement from the office of the Prime Minister to provide financial Support for Parents of Murdered or Missing Children and is grateful that the Government has recognized the need to support victim’s families. This commitment of financial assistance is a start towards understanding the paralyzing loss suffered by parents of missing and murdered children and will assist families with the debilitating loss by lessening financial pressures. Additionally, it will provide assistance to those grieving families in their attempts to adjust and cope with losing a child. This announcement makes it clear that the Government acknowledges the need for victim and victim family support.
This announcement comes just before National Victims of Crime Awareness Week, which the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation will mark by launching the Freedom Walk – Journey for Justice on Sunday in Vancouver, a cross-Canada 4,500 km fundraising walk aimed at increasing the visibility of crime victim issues.
The Walk’s mission is to raise awareness on behalf of victims, as well as supporting, empowering, and providing resources to victims of crime in addition to effecting positive change to victim service in Canada. Walkers will journey across Canada from Vancouver to Toronto, travelling more than 4,500 km during 63 days to raise the profile of the issues faced by victims of crime. Participants will spread the message of anti-bullying/anti-violence, victims’ rights and victimization through speaking engagements in schools, community groups, and churches.
CCVF was founded by Joe and Lozanne Wamback, in the aftermath of an assault on their young son Jonathan in 1999. They have spent years researching and working with victims of crime, as well as victim service providers and justice system personnel. Through study and personal experiences they have found Canadian victim services and victim rights to be seriously lacking. They are determined to help increase public consciousness of victim issues, and entrench the rights of victims in Canada.
For more information on the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation please visit www.ccvf.net, and to track the Freedom Walk progress, visit www.freedomwalk.ca.
Freedom Walk Begins
Loading support Vehicle in Markham for trip to walk start in Vancouver
Stanley Park April 22
SUPPORT VICTIMS OF CRIME IN CANADA
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the Honorary Patron
for Freedom Walk
FREEDOM WALK SCHEDULE
April 22 Stanley Park Vancouver
April 23 Abbotsford (walk unfortunately will go around Abbottsford)
April 24 Chilliwack
April 25 Coqhuihalla Rest Area Hope
April 26 Merritt – High School
April 27 West Kelowna
April 28 West Kelowna/Vernon
April 29 Sicamous
April 30 Sicamous/Revelstoke
May 1 Glacier Nat. Park Canyon Hot Springs
May 2 Glacier Nat. Park/
May 3 Golden (Border)/Lake Louise
May 4 Lake Louise/Canmore High School
May 5 Calgary Canmore Woodward
May 6 Calgary Calgary Morning Service – Center Street Churc
May 7 Calgary/Forest Lawn High School
May 8 Gliechen/strathmore Camp Chestermere Bassano School
May 9 Brooks/Medicine Hat Brooks Eastbrook Elementar
May 9 Brooks/Rolling Hills School
May 11 Brooks/Medicine Hat Medicine Hat Crescent Heights High School
May 11 Piapot/Swift Current Gull Lake Moose Jaw high Schoo
May 12 Swift Current/
May 13 Parkbeg/
May 14 Belle Plaine/Regina
May 15 Mclean/Broadview Broadview Broadview High School
May 16 Broadview/Manitoba (Border)
May 17 Manitoba (Border)/Brandon Heritage Christian School
May 18 Brandon/Macgregor Winnipeg High School
May 19 MacGregor/Winnipeg
May 20 Winnipeg/4km walk with MOVA/Police Building to Polo Park – 4km
May 21 Tache/Ontario (Border)
May 22 Ontario (Border)/Golden Lake Rd. Kenora
May 23 Golden Lake Rd./Borpus Corners Dryden
May 24 Borpus Corners/Ignace
May 25 Ignace/
May 26 English River/Upsala
May 27 Upsala/Shabaqua Dryden
May 28 Shabaqua/Thunder Bay
May 29 Thunder Bay/Wild Goose
May 29 Thunder Bay/Wild Goose
May 30 Wild Goose/Nipigon
May 31 Nipigon/Rainbow Falls Prov. Park
June 1 Rainbow Falls Prov. Park
June 2 Ripple/Heron Bay
June 3 Heron Bay/Amyot
June 4 Amyot/Wawa
June 5 Wawa/Lake Superior Prov. Park
June 6 Lake Superior Prov. Park/Montreal River
June 7 Montreal River/Batchawana Bay None
June 8 Batchawana Bay/Sault Ste. Marie
June 9 Sault Ste. Marie/Bruce Mines
June 10 Bruce Mines/Hwy. 17 x 557
June 11 Hwy. 17 x 557/WalforD
June 12 Walford/Nairn Center
June 13 Nairn Center/Sudbury
June 14 Sudbury/Estaire
June 15 Estaire/Hwy. 69 x 522
June 16 Hwy. 69 x 552/Sturgeon Bay Prov. Park
June 17 Sturgeon Bay Prov. Park/Oastler Lake Prov. Park
June 18 Oastler Lake Prov. Park/Six Mile Lake Prov. Park
June 19 Six Mile Lake Prov. Coldwater
June 20 Coldwater/Barrie
June 21 Barrie/Newmarke Barrie City Limits to York Regional Police Headquarters Reception
17250 Yonge Street, Newmarket 1400hr
June 22 Newmarket/Markham Richmond Hill Begin at YRP Headquarters at 0800 hours walk to Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue in Toronto
June 22 Newmarket/Markham Aurora End – Yonge and Steeles
June 23 20 Markham/Toronto Toronto Begin Last day at 1000 hours at Yonge and Steeles Walk to Queens Park– arrive at 1430 hours
Reception at Queens Park 1430hr
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