CALGARY, January 22, 2013 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced $185,000 in funding for the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse (CSICA). The funding will support the organization as it works toward implementing a voluntary national certification program for forensic child interviewers, and will also be used to help cover the organization's operational expenses.
"Our Government is pleased to support the work being done by organizations like the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse,"
said Minister Nicholson. "Together, we can advance the interests of victims of crime, minimize trauma to child victims and reduce victimization."
"The Certified Forensic Child Interviewer (CFCI) program brings standards to Canadian child abuse professionals from different backgrounds,"
said Lynn Barry, Executive Director of CSICA. "CSICA's multidisciplinary approach to enhancing current child abuse interviewing in Canada incorporates evidence-based research and practice and seeks to continually improve by systematically tracking outcomes."
The CSICA was formed in 1985 in response to a growing need for a coordinated, professional approach to child abuse investigations. The voluntary national certification program proposed by the society would make the organization the first in Canada to offer formal certification in the area of forensic child interviewing.
Forensic child interviewers have direct contact with victims of crimes. They conduct risk assessment interviews for predicting violence or danger, interview victims, eyewitnesses or suspects of the crime of child abuse, interview parents or children for court or alleged abuse cases, and serve as consultants for interrogations. By establishing a certification process, the CSICA will help professionals to reach their full potential as investigators and minimize the trauma that child victims face, while maximizing the quality of information gathered by interviewers.
This funding was made available through the Victims Fund, which is administered by the Department of Justice. Funds are available to provinces, territories and non-governmental organizations for programs and services that give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. The Government of Canada has allocated more than $90 million over the past six years for initiatives that benefit victims of crime, including funding for provincial and territorial government programs.
Backgrounder: Federal Victims Strategy and Victims Fund
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