Victim Services

Victim Services, a resource available in many communities across Ontario, is a non-profit charitable organization working in cooperation with community partners to assist victims of crime and tragic circumstance. Where police initially respond to a crisis in the community, they deal with the immediate situation and then call in Victim Services to provide emotional and practical support for the victims of trauma and crime. Victim Services receives annual funding from The Ministry of the Attorney General - Victim and Vulnerable Persons Division. This funding comes from The Justice Fund - monies collected by The Province of Ontario from Victim Fine Surcharges. Victim Services relies on the support of the local community and services provided in kind by local police. In Canada in 2011/2012, victim service providers reported that they assisted almost 460,000 primary and secondary victims. The majority of victims assisted were women, of whom the majority were victims of a violent offence by spouse, ex-spouse, intimate partner or other family member. Male victims were notably more likely than females to be victims of non-violent offences (such as theft or destruction of property) or violent offences (non-sexual) involving someone other than a family member. Two front line workers from the Victim Services of Middlesex County in Ontario present in this video and provide us with an insight into the work they do and the types of trauma and emergency situations to which they respond. Barb Mitchell is the Volunteer Coordinator for the local agency who recruits and trains volunteer crisis responders to deal with victims of crime or tragic circumstances. Karla Kingma has been volunteering with Victim Services for many years and is a Team Leader for them as well. Karla takes calls from local Police & Emergency Services and sends crisis responders to the calls when needed. Questions for Further Consideration: 1. What is VCAO? VCAO or Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario, which is sometimes referred to as Victim Services, is a community response program that provide immediate, short-term crisis intervention services to persons affected by crime, tragedy and disaster. VCAO programs offer a variety of crisis intervention services to persons affected by crime, tragedy and disaster 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. VCAO teams of trained staff and volunteer crisis support workers provide emotional support, practical assistance and an information and referral program on-site or by telephone. VCAO programs are volunteer driven, working in partnership with police and other emergency personnel. VCAO programs are delivered through not-for-profit, charitable organizations each governed by a community Board of Directors. VCAO provides assistance for: Abuse, accidents, arson, assaults, break & enter, death notification, debriefing, disaster, domestic violence, drowning, family crisis, fatalities, fire, fraud, grief & bereavement, harassment, home invasion, homicide, missing persons, motor vehicle collisions, personal injury, property crime, robbery, safety planning, sexual assault, stalking, sudden death, and suicide. What does VCAO actually do to assist individuals and families in the community? Crisis responders can: Help victims cope with the impact of a traumatic event. Helps victims regain a sense of personal control. Help victims return their lives to a desired degree of stability. Validate emotions and reactions. Assist victims until their community or natural support network arrives. Disseminate information about available resources/services, appropriate to the situation. Reduce possibility of re-victimization. Identify options/choices at a time when victims may need guidance/direction. Advocate on victim’s behalf. Assist police and other emergency service providers. Provide opportunities for community members to help others in their own community. There are currently 48 VCAO organizations in Ontario and a few communities with direct police based Victim Service Units. The Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario (VCAO) program provides immediate, on-site services to victims of crime 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With a victim’s consent, police arrange for VCAO staff and/or specially trained responders to provide on-site, short-term assistance to victims, and make referrals to community agencies for long-term assistance. During all interactions, the role of VCAO is to assist victims in identifying the options that may be available, providing referrals to community agencies for longer-term assistance and ensuring victims’ immediate needs are attended to. VCAO is delivered by trained staff and/or volunteers. VCAO responders receive in-depth and comprehensive training and provide support to victims of intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, stalking/harassment, elder abuse, suicide, property crime, sudden death, motor vehicle collision, fire and natural disaster. VCAO programs work in partnership with local police and emergency services and are managed by volunteer community boards of directors. How does VCAO or Victim Services offer service to people in emergency situations? Once the police determine that the environment is safe for those who work in Victim Services, emergency and trauma responders are called in to interact directly with victims and to offer understanding and support. Workers – staff and/or volunteers respond without judgement, have strong listening and communication skills and respect confidentiality. They try to determine the immediate needs of the victims and provide them with contacts, referrals and resources, depending upon the situation at hand. They also help the victims work through solution focused problem solving so that the victims feel empowered to move forward with resolution to their situation. What is the basis of the solution-focused plan that Victim Services uses as a framework for supporting families in crisis? A solution-focused plan is one approach used by workers of Victim Services that tries to focus on the strengths of the family in need and it is based on the following questions: What stress-producing situation(s) is the family facing? What issue is causing the most stress for the family? What are the family's options for resolving the situation? What strengths and/or resources are available within the family to improve the situation? The support network? The broader community?