Application Process for Victims Fund - Child Advocacy Centres Initiative

The Government of Canada has made $5.25 million dollars ($1.05M per year) available over 5 years (2010-2015) to create new child advocacy centres or to enhance existing child advocacy centres in Canada. This funding is included in the Victims Fund annual budget of $10.2M.

The Victims Fund is a grants and contributions program that supports a wide range of projects and activities designed to give victims a more effective voice in the criminal justice system.

What is a Child Advocacy Centre?

Child advocacy centres (CACs) provide a coordinated approach to addressing the needs of children and youth implicated in the criminal justice system either as victims of or witnesses to crime. CACs seek to minimize system-induced trauma by providing a single, child-friendly setting for child and youth victims or witnesses and their families to seek services.

A child advocacy centre is a community-based program, designed to meet the unique needs of the particular community in which it is located. Consequently, no two centres are alike but each CAC has a number of elements in common which include:

• A multi-disciplinary team that includes law enforcement, child protection services, prosecution, mental health services, victim advocacy services and the child advocacy centre;
• Child focused setting;
• Forensic interviewing;
• Victim advocacy and support, including court support;
• Specialized medical evaluation and treatment;
• Specialized trauma-focused mental health services;
• Cultural competency and diversity;
• Case review and tracking; and,
• Organizational capacity

Training and education for professionals working with child abuse victims and community education and outreach are also considered to be important activities that CACs undertake.

For more information on these elements (which reflect the standards developed by the National Children's Alliance), please consult the US National Children's Alliance (NCA) website at: http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/index.php?s=36.

Who is eligible?

Victims Fund funding can be provided to a variety of groups working to improve the experience of children and youth who are victims or witnesses to crime. This funding cannot be provided to individuals. For details on who can apply, please see the Victims Fund web site at: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/pcvi-cpcv/proj.html#apply.

There are three main priorities for this funding:

• To support the creation of new child advocacy centres;
• To support new child advocacy centres that are under development or in the early phases of development; and,
• To support enhancements to existing child advocacy centres or similar models of service.

Proposals from jurisdictions that do not currently have an existing child advocacy centre or one in development will be given priority.

What is required in the Proposal?

The application form and a guide to assist with the proposal can be found at :

• Guide: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/pb-dgp/fund-fina/guide.html
• Application form: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/pb-dgp/fund-fina/form1.html

In particular, the proposal should include the following elements:

1. Description of the background of the organization such as what it does now, its current staff, and its community reach;
2. Explanation of the project objectives and activities to be undertaken to achieve those objectives, such as a feasibility study, planning and development milestones, business plan for the establishment of a CAC;
3. Justification of the need for the project, including evidence of existing gaps in services for children and their families, acknowledgements of community support where possible and explanation of participation of partners either as service providers or funding agencies;
4. Rationale demonstrating the organization's capacity to establish a CAC and achieve the objectives as stated above, such as planning or development done to date including background research on cases in the geographic area.

For organizations seeking funding to expand their existing CAC, the proposal should also include:

A description of what the organization is currently doing, what the proposed expansion will include and how the activity(ies) will enhance what the organization already provides.

Organizations should explain how their proposed approach will incorporate the elements of CACs identified above. Organizations should submit their most recent Annual Report and any letters of support, if available.

What is the submission deadline?

Proposals are being received on a first-come, first-served basis. Proposals will be approved, in part, based on the availability of funding.

Proposals should be submitted to the Policy Centre for Victim Issues at:

Policy Centre for Victim Issues - CAC Initiative
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street, 6th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
CANADA
K1A 0H8

Telephone: 613-957-9589
Fax: 613-952-1110
E-mail: pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

Where can I get help with the proposal process?

At any time, you can contact the Department of Justice for further information and assistance at:

Policy Centre for Victim Issues - CAC Initiative
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street, 6th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
CANADA
K1A 0H8

Telephone: 613-957-9589
Fax: 613-952-1110
E-mail: pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

How much money is available to any one organization?

The Government has committed $5.25M over 5 years to create or enhance child advocacy centres. In order to maximize these funds, the funds are being allocated on a project basis. The amount provided to each organization will depend on the nature of the activities to be undertaken and the length of time required to achieve the objectives of the project. The amount available will be based on the identified priorities for funding. The maximum amount that any one organization can receive under this initiative is $175,000 per year.

Funding agreements will be for 2 years and may be renewable. Organizations that have not received Victims Fund funding in the past will be given priority.

Partnerships are strongly encouraged.

Due to the high demand, not all applications may receive funding.

What expenses are eligible for funding?

The Victims Fund can provide multi-year funding for up to 2 years. Funding is dependent on the scope and nature of the proposed project.

Funding is available for feasibility studies, planning and development activities as well as for providing services or enhancing services to children and youth. Funding will be considered for the following types of expenses:

• Wages and benefits
• Rental or leasing of space and equipment
• Consultant and/or contractor fees
• Reasonable operating expenses

The funding cannot be used for:

• Capital expenses (eg. purchases of land, buildings, and vehicles)
• Retroactive funding
• On-going cost or core operational expenses (aka core funding)