Making a Difference Canada - Community Reform Efforts




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Making a Difference Canada > Reform Efforts

COMMUNITY REFORM EFFORTS Victoria, British Columbia The members of the Victoria team are: Stephanie Capyk, Manager of Client Services – Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre Catherine Charlton, Victim Services Worker – Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre Janet Calnan, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner – Vancouver Island Health Authority Christine Lowe, Deputy Regional Crown Counsel – Ministry of Attorney General Clark Russell, Inspector – Victoria Police Department Ruth Cottingham, Detective – Victoria Police Department Rob McColl, Staff Sergeant – Saanich Police Department Sgt. Ray Carfantan – Westshore RCMP Major Crimes Unit Ray Carfantan, Corporal – Westshore RCMP Major Crimes Unit Dave Prill, Constable – Oak Bay Police Karen Wickham, Victim Services Worker - Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre The Victoria team is a regional team providing services to the City of Victoria, Esquimalt, and the communities of Oak Bay, Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Colwood, Langford, Sooke, and Metchosin. The area is served by the Victoria Military Police, Oak Bay, Saanich, and Central Saanich Police Departments, and the RCMP. The Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre’s service region extends to Port Renfrew and Shawnigan Lake to the west, and includes the Gulf Islands (Saltspring, Pender, Mayne and Saturna Islands). Team Activities: Over 100 persons attended the A Collaborative and Effective Response to Sexual Assault training conference October 26 & 27, 2006. Feedback about the training was overwhelmingly positive. This event took place at CFB Esquimalt and was well attended by the Military Police. This venue was provided free of charge, which allowed the training to be offered at an extremely low cost ($65 with coffee breaks and lunch included). Team Victoria has developed new contacts as a result of the training, which has resulted in: requests for training on SART protocol from Outer Gulf Islands RCMP requests for copies of the SART protocol from communities outside of Victoria new members joining Team Victoria (e.g. Central Saanich Police Department) improved communication and coordination with systems and the community increase in awareness of the impact of trauma on the victim/survivor Team Victoria has met 14 times over the past 12 months to conduct case consultation, file reviews, and post-mortems, as well as discuss issues raised by any team member, and to plan and implement prevention and training initiatives. Team Victoria Has met 3 times on their own time to acknowledge promotions and departures. Goals/needs for 2007-2008 Continue to work on expanding Team Victoria to include representation from all 7 police agencies in the region (Central Saanich police detachment now have a representative attending the monthly meetings). Develop consistent sexual assault related investigation practice guidelines for all police agencies Increase public awareness of sexual assault, and improving response and investigative services for “typical” victims of sexual assault Conduct data collection and analysis to determine where victims fall out of the system Train police and Crown Counsel regarding investigation and prosecution of sexual assault. Increase reporting and expand provision of sexual assault services in universities and colleges· Introduce a third party reporting system (especially for sex trade workers). Provide effective services to diverse communities (victim services, investigation, prosecution ) Increase reporting and investigation of drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault. Organize a prevention campaign Make a presentation about the Making a Difference approach to provincial associations such as the BC Association of Chiefs of Police and the BC Association of Specialized Victim Services and Counselling Programs. Maintain and increase contact with other teams across Canada to learn about successes, challenges and best practices. top Whitehorse, Yukon The Whitehorse team provides sexual assault support, investigative, and prosecution services to the entire Yukon Territory. Due to significant turnover in staff, the team is focused on rebuilding efforts, and the development of integrated service protocols. The members of the team are: Don Aubin – Corporal, RCMP Sandra Bryce – Victim Services and Violence Prevention Manager, Yukon Government John Phelps, Justice Canada Craig Dempsey, Victim Services/Family Violence Prevention Natalie Edelson, Victim Services/Family Violence Prevention Jennifer Gilchrist, Vcitim Services/Family Violence Prevention Andrew Hyde, Adult Probation Hazel Ling, Family and Childrens Services Dr. Sally McDonald, Medical Services Elaine Masonneuve, Cpl. RCMP Lisa McCormack, Victim Services/Family Violence Prevention Val Pike, Whitehorse General Hospital Penny Rawlings, Whitehorse General Hospital Community Activities: The local team has been established and is moving forward with participation of 5 agencies and commitment from the Crown Prosecutor's Office and a local doctor. The team is meeting bi-weekly with a current priority of completing a working protocol for the Yukon Team, based on the protocols shared from a number of the Making a Difference teams. Several members from the Yukon Team attended the Victoria Conference and are using the knowledge gained from the conference to further the Yukon local project. The team is focusing on hosting a team training conference in Whitehorse October 24-26, 2007. 2007 Training and Development Needs: Continued support from other Making a Difference Team to assist our local group in developing and implementing improved service delivery strategies. Need to support the redesign of the RCMP sexual assault kit - making sure that the knowledge on our team and the other Making a Difference teams are shared with the decision makers with the RCMP. Legal Research - continuing research and sharing of findings ensured that a current and very high level of expertise can be shared with our local teams. We are pleased with the research to date that has shown us tools we have not previously used for the investigation and prosecution of offenders (pre-text phone calls). Learning about SANES concept/training has helped us recognize the value and importance of proper medical-legal examinations. Based on what we have learned, we are exploring the implementation of this concept for the Yukon. We require assistance with community and agency training on how we can and should work together more collaboratively – learning what works and what doesn’t helps to ensure we’re not reinventing wheels and will help improve the services we provide for our communities. We particularly need assistance in developing and implementing strategies to help us deal with drug and alcohol related sexual assault issues in our large, but dispersed First Nations communities. Edmonton, Alberta The members of the SANE Committee (Sexual Assault Network of Edmonton) are: Avril Herron – Crown Prosecutor - Alberta Justice Deb Jolly – Detective, Edmonton Police Service Sex Crimes Kathleen Soltys – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Capital Health Authority Patti Eatock – Child Abuse Nurse, Capital Health Authority Tatiana LoVerso – University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre Kris Fowler – Executive Director, University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre Dorthe Fleur – Strathcona County Sexual Assault Centre Karen Smith – Executive Director, Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton In December, 2005, the Edmonton team hosted a conference "Collaborative Community Approach to Sexual Assault". We had to turn away interested participants because demand was greater than space permitted. This was a wonderful opportunity to share information, and recognize and learn about other professional’s roles in sexual assault cases and their area of expertise. Getting together in this forum has contributed greatly to improved collaboration, and to the development of joint initiatives to support victims and enhance the investigative process. Community Activities: With continuing changes in police and crown appointments, and a return from a maternity leave, there has been considerable internal training on our team to bring everyone up to speed on community specific issues. Representatives from several new organizations in the Edmonton area who are doing some sexual assault work have attended team meetings to increase their knowledge. The Saffron Strathcona Sexual Assault Centre has joined the Edmonton team. A special welcome to Dorthe Fleur. Edmonton has been very active in the attempts to standardize the med-legal sexual assault kit for Canada. Currently each police force uses their own kit for forensic evidence collection. Some kits are better than others. Kathleen Soltys, working on behalf of the Capital Health Authority, has agreed to spearhead the end user survey and coordinate testing of supplies for the RCMP sexual assault examination kit standardization project. This project will benefit not just the Making a Difference teams, but medical forensic examiners, police, and prosecutors across the country. Thanks to insights gained from Niagara Region and other teams, the Edmonton team has developed and implemented an anonymous 3d party reporting protocol, targeted for use by sex trade workers. A community wide, interdisciplinary poster campaign to target acquaintance sexual assaults has been developed. Next steps will include funding proposals and graphic designs Collaboration with medical, police and advocacy working in closed, small ethno-cultural communities with a high incidence of sexual assault where victim and perpetrator are well known to each other and members of the same community. This includes education about sexual assault laws in Canada and no, an accused can not fundraise and buy a "pardon" from the victim's father. Collaboration and development of support systems for victims now residing in the Edmonton area, of historical sexual assaults which occurred during civil wars in other countries is being developed cooperatively with team members and other agencies in the community. Edmonton is a "booming" region due to oil and gas resources. There are many people from other provinces who have moved here for work. All types of violence have increased. 2007 Training and Development Needs Recruit and train new team members so they are fully functional as quickly as possible Contribute to data collection to enable analysis and quick response to identified gaps in service Continue and expand collaborations to deliver support services to diverse communities Conclude the sexual assault examination kit standardization review, and assist in the development of national usage policies. Increase public awareness of sexual assaults, especially acquaintance assaults. top Calgary, Alberta Members of the Calgary Team are: Deb Tomlinson – Executive Director, Calgary Communities Sexual Assault Centre Gordon Wong – Chief Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecutors Office Lloyd Robertson – Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecutors Office Terry Smith – Patient Care Manager, ER, Rockyview General Hospital Doug Wattie – Constable, RCMP Ted Gard – Staff Sergeant, Calgary Police Service Dan Jahrig – Inspector, Calgary Police Service Elizabeth Louden, SANE - A Coordinator, Rockyview General Hospital Community Activities: Chief Crown Sub-Committee At the request of our provincial body, Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres (AASAC), Alberta Justice struck a Chief Crown Sub-committee on Sexual Assault in 2006. CCASA was invited to the table to begin province wide discussions involving Crowns from various regions across Alberta to: Evaluate the state of sexual assault, prosecutions and practices province-wide Identify gaps in service delivery Create a framework for best practices Involve interested groups in the discussion and overall direction of the Justice response to this area. Creating an Effective Consistent First Response to Survivors of Recent Sexual Assault in Alberta. The Calgary Sexual Assault Response Team has been working together since the early 90’s. Their aim of the team of professionals is to provide consistent and accessible sexual violence prevention and intervention services. They strive to have strong communication between clients, frontline members and committee members and are committed to ongoing growth, development, research and evaluation. RESOLVE Alberta conducted a provincial environmental scan of sexual assault services in 2005 and subsequently the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Services held several community consultations throughout the province aimed at identifying gaps in services for sexual assault victims. One of the frequently identified needs that appeared in the findings of both the environmental scan and the follow-up community consultations was the lack of consistent and standardized medical/forensic response for victims of recent sexual assault. The CSART group is interested in evaluating and responding to these needs outside of Calgary in the more rural communities of Alberta, with the aim of developing an effective consistent first response to victims of recent sexual assault. This may involve exploring the use of a travelling sexual assault nurse examiner team as well as adopting reporting protocols currently used in BC and Ontario. These protocols involve providing victims with a third choice for reporting. Victims are given the opportunity to have evidence collected and safely stored while they decide whether or not to proceed with police involvement. CCASA met with politicians and senior staff from the Ministries of Justice, Solicitor General and Health. The pilot project has approval in principle and we are awaiting available funds to implement it. Memorandum of Understanding – Calgary Police Service CCASA had been in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the Calgary Police Service, Sex Crimes unit and Child Abuse unit. Our purpose in pursuing this initiative is to work more collaboratively with police to provide an immediate seamless support to individuals who have experienced sexual assault and sexual abuse. CCASA offers a program called Police and Court Education and Support program. It is hoped that with CCASA and CPS sharing information and work procedures and processes, that the victims of sexual assault will be better able to access support navigating their way through the criminal justice system. The memorandum of understanding, once completed, will involve a CCASA staff member co-locating at CPS two days per week. It is our intent that this co-location will facilitate relationship-building and will influence the referral process in a positive way. The memorandum of understanding has been challenging to negotiate however it appears we are in the final stages of completion. Collaborative Services Centre CCASA is continuing to work as part of the steering committee for a Collaborative Services Centre (CSC). The CSC will emphasize comprehensive, on-site community-based agency services to assist victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Currently, victims must navigate through a fragmented system as they are interviewed multiple times by different investigative staff and attempt to access resources and supports with numerous professional often at separate locations. When victims present for services, they may work with different professionals within each system. The opportunities for much needed follow-up services are limited and the agencies that provide specialized counselling services for victims have long wait-lists. Such fragmentation can secondarily victimize the victim, as she/he must repeatedly re-tell the events of the assault to the police, counselors and legal representatives. In addition to further exacerbating the victim’s trauma symptoms, fragmented systems contribute to an increasing probability of inconsistencies in the victims’ and professionals’ accounts of events, thereby decreasing the possibility of successful prosecutions. While Calgary has a number of dedicated professionals that provide exceptional service within the confines of the existing response we are always seeking ways to provide more consistent, comprehensive and victim-centred services to those affected by sexual and domestic violence. The CSC project is moving into the second phase of it’s development. This phase will determine the alternative that will constitute the best balance for the provision of integrated services for the Domestic and Sexual Violence Sector in Calgary and area. The selected alternative will be in the form of a functional facility plan and associated financial model to serve as a foundation for capital fundraising activities and for design and construction activities. This phase will also include: The development of an integrated service delivery model supported by stakeholder consultation Predicted case load design Facility design requirements and functional planning Facility location short list Design alternatives (adapt/build) Financial models incorporating the above variables Communication plan Governance and legal entity work completed. Plans for 2007 CCASA will continue with the above four initiatives in 2007. Being a part of the Making a Difference team is invaluable in assisting us to complete this work. Sharing information, best practices and other resources with other professionals across Canada ensures that work is well-informed and well-supported. Niagara Region, Ontario The mandate of the Niagara Region Sexual Assault Response Team is The Betterment of Services for Victims. Using what we believe to be a best practices approach and model we are committed to providing better services to survivors of sexual violence. In the beginning we learned a lot about each of our organizations, how we worked, what our philosophies were, our objectives and goals and we discovered that we had things in common and that we all wanted the same thing. Working together enables us to: Be consistent – we have identified that each of us has different responsibilities in sexual assault cases with our individual roles determined by our organizations. Having this understanding of our individual roles has allowed us to enter into each and every case with a specific purpose that provides consistency in carrying out the duties associated with responding to a sexual assault. Offer comprehensive service and care – This has allowed us to enhance every area of response. By working together as a team – we are better able to continually improve on our individual roles and to more quickly and effectively respond to identified gaps in service provision. Provide a knowledgeable response – We not only have become experts in our individual roles, but this relationship allows each of us to use each other as resources. The sharing of information and experience along with problem solving discussions enhances the knowledge base we work from. Team members are: Kim Regehr – Case Manager, Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre Paul Bevan – Det. Sgt. Sexual Assault, DNA Units, Niagara Regional Police Service Karen Whaley – Coordinator, Victim Witness Assistance Program, Ministry of Attorney General Stacey Sheehan – Crown Attorney, Ministry of Attorney General Mary Shelley – Executive Director, Victim Crisis Referral Service Mary Essar – Coordinator, Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, Niagara Health System Lucie O’Neil – Crime Analyst, Niagara Regional Police Service Cheri Huys – Volunteer Coordinator, Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre Community Activities: The team made a presentation to the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, who recommended that the integrated team approach to supporting, investigating, and prosecuting sexual assault should become the standard approach for Ontario. As a result of this presentation, the team was asked to make a presentation at McMaster University in Hamilton on how sexual assaults are dealt with collaboratively by multiple agencies in Niagara. The team is experiencing significant turnover and a shortage of SANES, and have had to have advocates fill in until a nurse arrives to conduct the examination. The community has few specialized doctors who can conduct forensic exams. Information on how other Making a Difference communities have been dealing with this issue have been helpful.One of the team members, Mary Shelley has been appointed as a JP. The team is looking forward to increasing their contact and work with prosecutors through Mary. Niagara held a joint training event on critical incident stress management. The training was well received, and the team is working on developing a community protocol on this topic. The team is looking forward to implementing the use of pretext phone calls as an additional investigative tool in sexual assault investigations. They are also looking forward to augmenting their data collection processes and techniques to assist them in developing programming to better serve their community’s needs. 2007 Training and Development Needs clarifying impacts of forensic science for sexual assault investigations identifying and implementing leading practices for sexual assault investigations organizational and system accountability to the victim and the community improving response, investigative services, and prosecution for “typical” victims of sexual assault top Halifax-Antigonish, Nova Scotia The Halifax-Antigonish team is comprised of two teams who are working jointly wherever possible to meet Making a Difference objectives. This joint team has been working for the past two years to develop sexual assault service model. They report that coordination has dramatically improved results, and that because all team members were so intimately involved in the development of the model, everyone takes ownership and pride in the outcomes. Team members are: Lucille Harper – Executive Director, Antigonish Womens Resource Centre Ronald MacDonald – Senior Crown Prosecutor, Public Prosecution Service Maureen Shebib – St. Francis Xavier University Angela Connors – Program Manager, Provincial Community Sexual Offender Program Penny Hart – Detective, Halifax Regional Police Janice Tompkins – Corporal, RCMP Barb Saunders – Staff Sergeant, Halifax Regional Police Denise Smith – Acting Chief Crown Attorney, Public Prosecution Service Irene Smith – Executive Director, Avalon Sexual Assault Centre Jackie Stevens – Legal Education Project and Training Coordinator, Avalon Sexual Assault Centre Susan Wilson – SANE Coordinator, Halifax Region Marla Barton – SANE Coordinator, Antigonish Community Activities: The Avalon Centre has received funding form the Nova Scotia Law Foundation to conduct a needs assessment and map sexual assault services in the community. The Centre has also applied to the Foundation for a court support advocacy worker. The team is planning a poster campaign to increase public awareness of sexual assaults and to promote support services available in the community. The team is examining the use of sexual assault courts in other jurisdictions to determine their value and application for Nova Scotia. The Anitgonish team has crystallized and is in the final stages of developing an operating protocol. Ms. Marla Barton has been appointed as the Antigonish SANE coordinator. Brenda Zareski has stepped down as the Halifax SANE coordinator and has been replaced by Ms. Susan Wilson. This team is conducting research on SANE programs, with a view to developing a provincial model and training for rural SANES. One focus of the training is to better prepare SANES to testify and respond to questions in court. The December Making a Difference conference was well attended, and has resulted in increased collaborations across the community and the province. The information exchange between prosecutors and police on the use of pretext phone calls was particularly useful. Other highlights were the presentations on the impacts and implications for teams of changes arising from the implementation of Bill C-2, preparation of sexual assault victims for testifying in court, and the presentation by Dr. Connors on working with sex offenders. 2007 Training and Development Needs There is an increase in the number of sexual harassment complaints and sexual assaults reported in university settings. In particular there are increased reports of drug facilitated sexual assaults. Team members are interested in learning more about drug facilitated sexual assaults and how they can improve services to victims of sexual assault Gaining insight into how to encourage/involve the judiciary in sexual assault related training Providing sexual assault related information and services to diverse communities. Managing risk when identified offenders are in the community Using research based information to improve service effectiveness Developing consistent reporting and investigative practice in the police community Working with limited staff in small and dispersed communities Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island This team is responsible for providing services to Prince Edward Island. Members are: Rona Brown – Premier’s Action Committee on Family Violence Prevention Janet Marshall – Organizational Coordinator, PEI Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Centre Evelyn Marshall – Victim Services Worker, Office of the Attorney General Anne O’Shaughnessy – Constable, Summerside Police Services David O’Brien – Senior Crown Attorney, Office of the Attorney General Joe Peters – Corporal, Summerside Police Services Jean Profit – Victim Services Worker, Office of the Attorney General Community Activities: Training was conducted in the province to standardize sexual assault reporting for police. The provincial “date rape drug” awareness program initiated in the spring has been hailed as a great success and that PEI Liquor Commission will be expanding the project to other communities. The Province has approved a budget increase to enable the Sexual Assault Centre to hire an additional therapist. The team hosted a successful Making a Difference training conference in December. Approximately 100 people from across the province attended to learn more about how they could work together to improve sexual assault victim support, investigations, and prosecutions. As a result of the conference the Province has developed a privacy and information sharing protocol between participating organizations to ensure information is shared within prescribed legal parameters. Rona Brown, one of the PEI representatives to the National Advisory Board, promoted the work of the Making a Difference Project in a CBC interview focused on raising awareness about challenges in prosecuting sexual assaults. 2007 Training and Development Needs standardization of investigative techniques training increasing sensitivity to victims improving collaborative approaches to sexual assault using forensics appropriately to augment investigative practice preparing for sexual assault presentations in Court increased training for medical staff in forensic examinations, evidence collection, and presentation of evidence in court information sessions for judiciary to increase their understanding and appreciation of victim’s perspectives and issues Events: The Prince Edward Island team hosted a two day training conference at the Howard Johnson Dutch Inn from December 4-5, 2006. top