Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre (CAC)

Brief Description

The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre (CAC), working with founding partners – Calgary  Police Service (CPS), Calgary and Area Child and Family Services (CFS), Justice Calgary Crown Prosecutors’ Office, and recently joined RCMP and Alberta Education – has  set its sights on becoming a Centre of Excellence specializing in leading practices, training, community awareness, education, and research focused on child abuse. The CAC is a collaborative and innovative practice model that is transforming how the current system responds to abused children and their families in Calgary and surrounding communities.

Goals

The main goals of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre are to:

• Pioneer an integrated joint practice framework that wraps services around children and families;
• Help children and youth (approximately 95 children and youth every month);
• Enhance support through resources, caring, and connections for those impacted by abuse;
• Raise public awareness of child abuse, putting the spotlight on communities’ shared ownership of the issue; and
• Lead local, provincial, and national conversations about child abuse with government decision makers, youth professionals, and the wider community, building relationships that empower the collective efforts of people to create change.

Clientele

The appropriate clientele for the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre are children and youth who have been abused and are in need of timely, specialized and collaborative intervention through health, social and justice systems.

Core Components

The core components of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre revolve around five strategic directions which include the following:

• Prevent abuse;
• Champion best practices;
• Support victims;
• Respect diversity; and
• Establish a Centre of Excellence.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: Limited information on this topic.
• Partnerships: Limited information on this topic.
• Training and technical assistance: Limited information on this topic.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre has been implemented in Calgary and surrounding communities in Alberta from 2011 to 2014. Funding was provided through the Safe Communities Innovation Fund (SCIF), Government of Alberta.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) report of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre for one year only is provided. This is regarded as incomplete for now until information for the three-year duration of the project is available.

References

Alberta Community Crime Prevention Organizations. (2015). Social Return on Investment (SROI) Case Study: Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre. Recipient of Safe Communities Innovation Fund, Government of Alberta. Available from: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/safe-communities-innovation-fund-pilot-project-executive-summaries  

For more information on this program, contact:

Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre
Bonnie Johnston,
Telephone: (403)428-5410
E-mail: bjohnston@sheldonkennedycac.ca
Website: http://www.sheldonkennedycac.ca/