Province invests $600K to help protect child victims and witnesses of crime in Simcoe Muskoka

The Ontario government will spend $600,000 over three years to help protect child victims and witnesses of crime in Simcoe Muskoka.

The funding is part of the government’s $4.2 million investment to expand the Child Victim Witness Program (CVWP) to more communities across the province.

"This support ensures that children and youth across Simcoe and Muskoka have access to the care, advocacy, and justice they deserve," said Kate Waugh, Executive Director for the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre Simcoe Muskoka (CYACSM), in a news release. "We are honoured to deliver the Child Victim Witness Program and to stand alongside our partners in building a safer, more supportive community for young people navigating the court process."

The CYACSM will deliver the CVWP to help empower young victims and witnesses who are under the age of 18, by reducing the potential trauma associated with testifying in court.

The program's services include:

 Providing information about the court process
 Preparing children and youth to testify in court
 Accompanying children and youth to court
 Assessing any special needs during the court process (i.e., testimonial aids)
 Referrals to other services
 Support and guidance for caregivers

The funding announcement was made by Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey, who is also the Attorney General, at the Barrie office of the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre Simcoe Muskoka.

"Reliving traumatic experiences in a courtroom can be incredibly difficult - especially for children and youth," Downey said in a media release. "That's why our government is expanding this vital program to more communities, so young victims and witnesses across Ontario have the support they need, closer to home."

The CVWP is available in 15 communities across the province.