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McGuinty Government Expands Services To Help Children Overcome Trauma

Child Victim/Witness Centre Program Helps Children Through Court Process

     OTTAWA, Aug. 21 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is expanding the province's innovative Child Victim/Witness Centre program, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced today.

     "The expansion of this program to all regions of the province will

provide effective support services and court preparation for children,

including many who have been abused or exposed to domestic violence," said Bryant.

     The government currently funds Child Victim/Witness Centres in London and Toronto. The expansion, which includes an investment of $1 million, will allow for a new centre in Ottawa and fund two existing centres in the Regions of Peel and Waterloo.

     The new centre in Ottawa, to be operated by Catholic Family Service

Ottawa, will provide the following services free of charge:

     -  Educating children on court proceedings and the role of witnesses

     -  Providing updates to children and parents or guardians on the

        progress of cases

     -  Assisting with the preparation of victim impact statements

     -  Offering support and assistance through each stage of the court

        process, including accompanying children into the courtroom

     -  Explaining the verdict.

     Children will be referred to the centre by community partners such as

police, Crown prosecutors and Victim/Witness Assistance Program staff.

     The McGuinty government's $1 million investment will:

     -  Establish the new Ottawa facility

     -  Provide provincial funding to two existing centres - the Child

        Witness Centre of Waterloo Region and the Peel Children's Centre

     -  Add three new centres in the central, northwestern and

        northeastern regions of Ontario, bringing the total number of

        provincially funded centres to eight. Specific sites for these

        regions have not been chosen, and proposals will be accepted in

        the fall.

     The Child Victim/Witness Centre program complements the work of the Victim/Witness Assistance Program, which provides information, assistance, referrals and support to victims and witnesses of crime, throughout the criminal court process, in all 54 court districts across the province.

     The service expansion responds to the release of the "Best Practices in Child Victim/Witness Programs" report. The government commissioned this report to provide information on the effectiveness of the province's Child Victim/Witness programs. The executive summary of the report is available on the ministry website at www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca. To obtain a copy of

the report, please call 416-326-2220 or 1-800-518-7901 toll free.

     "Child witness support provides substantial benefits to children involved in the justice system," said Franca DiDiomete, Catholic Family Service Ottawa.

"We are proud to deliver these services that will benefit many children who are victims of violence or witnesses of violence."

     "The Ottawa Community Committee on Child Abuse led the long effort to establish a child victim/witness program in Ottawa, and we are delighted that these much-needed services to children will soon be available in our community," said Ron Ensom, former Co-chair, Ottawa Community Committee on Child Abuse.