On April 11, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the Calgary Child Advocacy Centre (CAC), which provides services to young victims of abuse and their families through a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach, will be named the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.
The goals of the centre are to provide services to children and families impacted by child abuse, while minimizing system-induced trauma by reducing the number of interviews and questions directed at a child. The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre is the first of its kind in Southern Alberta, and is a one-stop centre where victims of child abuse and their families can go to get the help they need from caring professionals. The end result will be that young victims of crime and their families receive coordinated, seamless services that respond to their needs.
The centre is a new non-profit organization that is governed by a board of directors and involves four strategic partners including the Calgary Police Services, Calgary and Area Child and Family Services, Alberta Justice Calgary, Crown Prosecutors Office, and Alberta Health Services, with a strong alliance with the Canadian Child Abuse Association.
One of the foremost proponents of this centre is Sheldon Kennedy. Co-founder of Respect Group Inc., Mr. Kennedy has been a vocal champion for victims of sexual abuse since going public with his own victimization in 1996.
The Government of Canada has committed a total of $10.25 million since 2010 to support the development and enhancement of CACs across the country. To date, child advocacy centre projects have been funded in more than 20 cities or municipalities across Canada.
Other concrete measures undertaken by the Government of Canada since 2006 to keep children safe in their communities include:
- Putting in place the Safe Streets and Communities Act, which increased penalties for sexual offences against children and created two new offences aimed at conduct that could facilitate or enable a sexual offence against a child;
- Strengthening the sex offender registry;
- Increasing the maximum penalties for luring a child;
- Increasing the age of protection from 14 to 16 years old;
- Eliminating house arrest for criminals who commit sexual assault against a child;
- Putting in place legislation to make the reporting of child pornography by Internet Service Providers mandatory; and,
- Strengthening the sentencing and monitoring of dangerous offenders.
