Plans for a Child Advocacy Centre in southern Alberta

The centre helps child and youth victims of physical and sexual abuse get access to supports and services they need.

The Southern Alberta Child Advocacy Planning Committee is working towards creating a centre for victims here in southern Alberta.

Medicine Hat Police say they deal with around 30 child sexual abuse cases every year.

Police say they believe there are likely hundreds of incidents that go unreported every year.

Inspector Brent Secondiak said a child advocacy centre in Medicine Hat could lead to more victims reaching out for help and support.

“They have psychologists they have councillors, they have [Alberta Health Services] for physical health,” said Secondiak. “It’s such a great concept and hopefully we can have some version of this in Medicine Hat in the near future.”

The centre would bring police, AHS, councillors and even prosecutors together under one roof.

Kennedy said when they have to go to all these services separately it can take upwards of a year or more for them to get the help they need.

He said the Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary has drastically reduced that wait time, and could do the same for victims here.

“We’ve gone from an eight month wait list for therapy, to a month and a half,” said Kennedy. “Our length of times for doctor or pediatrician visits have been cut in half and we’re doing in a day what was taking sometimes a year.”

Although planning is under way there is no timeline on when we could see a centre open in southern Alberta.

by Leah Murray

Plans for a Child Advocacy Centre in southern Alberta

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