Component: Violence Against Women

Legislation: Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) Act

Service objectives

  • Meet the needs of children and youth in VAW emergency shelters through increased access to stable, ongoing prevention and early intervention supports to help children and youth heal from the harmful effects of experiencing and witnessing violence during childhood.  
     

Service Description

  • The purpose of the children and youth (C&Y) Services and Supports is to provide prevention and early intervention services and supports to children and youth in Violence Against Women (VAW) emergency shelter.
  • C&Y is targeted to children in VAW emergency shelters as it is imperative that they have access to timely, effective early intervention programming to break the cycle of violence.

People Served

  • children/youth 18 years of age or younger who are in the care of women seeking bed-based services. It is directed to children/youth temporarily residing in VAW Emergency Shelter and Supports.

Specific service provided

Individual-Specific Services May Include

  • Intake/Individual Assessment
  • Comprehensive Assessment
  • Development of plans of care
  • Trauma-based interventions and programs, crisis support
  • Counselling (1:1)
  • Safety Planning
  • Individual case management/system navigation support and advocacy for other children’s services in the community (e.g., children’s mental health, child welfare services) while in the shelter and as part of discharge planning

Group activities May Include

  • Counselling in groups
  • Child/youth programming, learning activities, recreational activities
  • Community/group-based cultural activities (e.g., land-based activities)

Services Excluded

Expenditures not directly related to the delivery of children and youth services and supports, for example:

  • Capital expenditures with the exception of technology to improve accessibility of children and youth services and supports
  • Purchase of transportation vehicles
  • Major/minor repairs and maintenance not associated with the delivery of children and youth services
  • Operating funds for unfunded shelters beds
  • Costs covered by another program
  • Annual general meetings, budget deficits, membership fees
  • Fundraising activities, committee and political meetings, or religious activities
  • Wage enhancements/premiums, hazard pay, etc.

Program Goals

  • Children and youth in VAW Emergency Shelter and Supports have increased access to the services and supports they need to help them heal from the harmful effects of experiencing and witnessing violence.

Ministry expectations

  • Increased access to services and supports for children and youth delivered by Child and Youth Workers, Early Childhood Educators, or other related or culturally specific positions/frontline workers with experience in supporting children and youth who have been exposed to violence.
  • The expansion of prevention and early intervention services for children and youth in VAW Emergency Shelter and Supports is to complement, not substitute, the Child Witness Program.
  • Service providers are expected to work with appropriate agencies to deliver the most effective program or support service which responds to unique needs of children/youth, including, but not limited to, children’s mental health agencies, children’s aid societies, and counselling programs.

Reporting Requirements

Service Data NameDefinition
# of Individuals: Received Individual-Specific Services: Children and Youth Services and Supports

Unique, or unduplicated, count of individuals (i.e., dependents) who received  1-on-1 individual-specific services through Children and Youth Services and Supports during the reporting period.

Each unique individual is counted only once per reporting period even if they received multiple services. If the individual carries into the next fiscal year, the client is counted again in the new reporting period.

Examples of individual-specific activities include the following:

  • Intake/Individual Assessment
  • Comprehensive Assessment
  • Development of plans of care
  • Trauma-based interventions and programs, crisis support
  • Counselling (1:1)
  • Safety Planning
  • Individual case management/system navigation support and advocacy for other children’s services in the community (e.g., children’s mental health, child welfare services) while in the shelter and as part of discharge planning
# of Group Activities: Children and Youth Services and Supports

The total number of prevention/early intervention group activities delivered through Children and Youth Services and Supports during the reporting period. Each activity held in the reporting period should be counted as 1. (If a group activity is jointly organized/funded with another agency receiving Children and Youth Services and Supports funding, then both agencies should report the group activity.). If group activities are not provided through this program, put “0”.

Examples of Group activities include the following:

  • Counselling in groups
  • Child/youth programming, learning activities, recreational activities
  • Community/group-based cultural activities (e.g., land-based activities)
Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures: Children and Youth Services and SupportsTotal ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this program in the reporting year (cumulative).