July 31, 2015 – Surrey, BC – Department of Justice.
Today, the Honourable Kerry-Lynne Findlay, P.C., Q.C., MP for Delta—Richmond East and Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Peter MacKay, announced funding of $220,000 over two years to the Centre for Child Development of the Lower Mainland to support Sophie's Place Child Advocacy Centre.
The investment will help provide a community-based program with a coordinated approach to addressing the needs of children and youth who are implicated in the criminal justice system, either as victims of or witnesses to physical or sexual abuse.
Child advocacy centres (CACs) and child and youth advocacy centres (CYACs) help child and youth victims and their families navigate the criminal justice system. They provide a safe child- and youth-friendly environment where a coordinated team of professionals works to meet the specific needs of each person. The work of a multidisciplinary team in a CAC or a CYAC can greatly reduce the emotional and mental harm to child and youth victims involved in the criminal justice system.
In Economic Action Plan 2015, the Government of Canada committed to provide additional funding to CACs and CYACs. Starting in 2016-17, the Government will provide $5.25 million over four years, and $2.1 million on an annual basis thereafter, to make the support and services provided by CACs and CYACs more accessible in communities across the country.
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