CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR NEW CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCACY CENTRE

www.insurancerate.com StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-January 20, 2012 – Today, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announced federal government funding for Toronto’s first Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC). 

This project brings together Boost, a Toronto based agency committed to eliminating abuse and violence of children, and youth and their families, police, the Crown prosecutor’s office, health authorities, and child welfare agencies to serve young victims of crime and young witnesses to serious crime. 

“Our government remains unwavering in our commitment to protecting Canadians, particularly those most vulnerable, such as young victims of crime”, said Minister Nicholson.  “We commend Boost Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention for their ongoing services and support to children, youth and their families and we are pleased to play a part in supporting this Centre.”

Boost will be funded to plan, facilitate and develop a child advocacy centre that will aim to minimize the trauma of being a child victim of crime or witness to crime.  A CYAC is a place where a team of professionals work in a child-friendly setting to help a child or youth victim or witness navigate the criminal justice system. 

“The CYAC will be a strong and effective partnership of all of the key organizations that assist child and youth victims of abuse,” said Karyn Kennedy, Executive Director of Boost.  “Bringing all of these services together in one location will significantly improve our ability to respond effectively to children, youth and their families when abuse is reported.” 

The $278,865 in federal funding over two years comes from $5.25 million in funding over five years that was announced on October 7, 2010 and is made available through the Victims Fund at the Department of Justice.  In 2007, the Government announced the Federal Victims Strategy and committed $52 million over four years to respond to the needs of victims of crime.  In Budget 2011, the Government announced $26 million in renewed funding over the next two years to continue the Federal Victims Strategy.