CHILD & YOUTH ADVOCACY CENTRES

Building Better Services for Children and Youth who are Victims or Witnesses of Crime in Canada

Research & Evaluation

CAC/CYAC Evaluation Reports

Department of Justice Canada 

The Research and Statistics Division (RSD) at the Department of Justice produces and disseminates empirical research and statistical analysis. Click here to view reports that have been posted to the website. For any difficulties accessing a report(s) or to request a report, email: rsd-drs@justice.gc.ca

2018

Evidence Supporting National Guidelines for Canada’s Child Advocacy Centres – Lorne D. Bertrand, Ph.D., Joanne J. Paetsch, B.A., John-Paul Boyd, M.A., LL.B., Nicholas Bala, LL.M., F.R.S.C

This project reviews national and international research to provide the evidence, background and context to support the rationale for each of the ten draft guidelines proposed for Canadian Child Advocacy Centres.

Understanding the Development and Impact of Child Advocacy Centres, Victims of Crime Research Digest, No. 11 (2018)

Helping Victims Find their Voice: Testimonial Aids in Criminal Proceedings, Victims of Crime Research Digest, No. 11 (2018)

2015

Child Advocacy Centres and Child and Youth Advocacy Centres in Canada: National Operational Survey Results – Shanna Hickey
The Department of Justice designed this study to collect operational data such as the CACs/CYACs stage of development, the services they provide, and how they provide these services.

2013

Building Our Capacity: Children’s Advocacy Centres in Canada, Victims of Crime Research Digest, No. 6 (2013)

2012

Addressing the Needs of Child Victims and Their Families: the Role of the Victim Advocate – Melissa Northcott
This report examines the needs of child victims and their families and how various children’s advocacy centres (CACs) respond to these needs through victim support and advocacy services. To receive a copy of this report, send an email to rsd-drs@justice.gc.ca

Child Witnesses: Testimonial Aids

The Victims of Crime Research Digest is an annual bilingual publication of the Department of Justice, Canada, featuring short articles dedicated to victims of crime research. There are several articles that focus on child witnesses and testimonial aids.

Issue No. 11 – Helping Victims Find their Voice: Testimonial Aids in Criminal Proceedings

Issue No. 9 – The Use of Closed-Circuit Television: The Experiences of Crown Prosecutors and Victim-Services Workers in the Ontario West Region

Issue No. 8 – The Use of Closed-Circuit Television: The Experiences of Child and Youth Witnesses in Ontario’s West Region

  • Identifying Young Victims in the Media in Canada: A Media Scan
  • Exclusion of the Public, Appointment of Counsel: Tools to Help Victim Witnesses in Canada’s North

Issue No. 2 – Facilitating Testimony for Child Victims and Witnesses

Child Witnesses: Cross-Examination

The Examination and Cross-Examination of Children in Criminal Proceedings: A Review of the International Literature (2014), Tamara Jordan
This report examines how seven countries, Australia, New Zealand, England and Wales, the United States, South Africa, Israel and Norway, handle the examination and cross-examination of child witnesses in the criminal justice system.

Information Sheets
“JustFacts” are developed by the Research and Statistics Division of the Department of Justice Canada.

JustFacts: Victimization of Indigenous Children and Youth (July 2017)
JustFacts: Sexual Assault (May 2017)
JustFacts: Sexual Violations against Children and Child Pornography (May 2017)
JustFacts: Jordan – Statistics Related to Delay in the Criminal Justice System (Dec. 2017)

Juristat Canada

This publication provides in-depth analysis and detailed statistics on a variety of topics and issues related to justice and public safety. Juristat articles released in 2018 include:

Building Knowledge Series – from a few years ago, a series of one page notes on data about child and youth victimization.

RESEARCH ON CHILD SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION

See Martine Hébert’s research laboratory for a collection of articles under Publications; and downloadable fact sheets, research summaries, educational videos, and an assessment toolkit under Dissemination Tools.

RESEARCH & EVALUATION PROJECTS – SIAM (Services Intégrés en Abus et Maltraitance)

Program evaluation, under the responsibilities of Dr. Marc Alain, Dr. Danielle Nadeau and Dr. Annick Saint-Amand.

Development of an integrated information system: Innovate to strengthen multi-disciplinary work with victims of abuse and neglect (Annick St-Amand, Marc Alain, & Danielle Nadeau, in collaboration with many SIAM partners)

The success of child maltreatment interventions requires evaluation and research activities, but especially the integration of available data and expertise, which the existing databases systems scarcely enables. Therefore, a team of multi-agency representatives involved in the SIAM and maltreatment experts are developing, within the SIAM, an integrated information system. This system is intended to meet operation, evaluation and research needs with integrated, compatible and continuous clinical-administrative data.

EFFI Project (D. Nadeau, S. Labrecque et M. Cyr).

The EFII project adapted the NCAC Extended Forensic Interview and the Barnahus Senquential Interview models (Carnes et al., 2001; NCAC, 2018; Langballe & Davik, 2017) to the Quebec legal, social and judicial services organization frameworks. Accordingly, this project allows for the realization of an extended forensic interview by a multidisciplinary team, using the NICHD revised protocol, in situations where it seems relevant to do so. However, extending a forensic interview on more than one session still arouses controversial issues. In addressing these, the cross-agencies innovation process supported by a research initiative, relies on co-construction with researchers and practitioners from different sectors (law enforcement, crown prosecutors, social workers and lawyers from child protection agencies).

Effectiveness of interventions for non-offending caregivers of sexually abused children: a meta-analysis (Annick St-Amand, S. Servot, J. Pearson, & E. L. Bussières, in collaboration with many SIAM partners);

The objective of this study is to carry out a meta-analysis examining: 1) the effectiveness of the interventions offered to the non-offending caregivers (with or without involvement of the child victim) on their adjustment; and 2) which participant and intervention characteristics are most highly related to changes in measured outcomes. This study innovates by considering the NOC needs targeted by the interventions. This research will shed light on the decisions surrounding the development of an intervention for non-offending caregivers.