Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux and Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster met with officials from the regional Interagency Case Assessment Team (ICAT), which supports the Vernon community and surrounding area in dealing with highest-risk domestic violence cases.

ICATs bring together partner groups and agencies, including police, child welfare services, health and anti-violence workers with a goal of keeping domestic violence victims and their children safer. These teams provide a flexible, localized, consistent cross-sector mechanism for communities to assess and share information on domestic violence risk, monitor suspects, initiate interventions and build a safety net for victims.

There are currently 28 ICATs in operation throughout the province, with another 32 under development and awaiting startup training.

Other team models, including Domestic Violence Units (DVUs) and police led Highest Risk Domestic Violence Teams, exist in some of B.C.’s larger urban centres and are usually stewarded by the police detachment with a focus on child welfare, police, corrections and community victim assistance.

Unlike a DVU, an ICAT is not an investigative body. Instead, ICATs make critical interventions and recommendations when a case is deemed high risk.

ICAT teams look for consensus in determining risk level. This allows for more informed decision-making about risk because information can be shared by a broader range of agency partners at the table. ICATs can also offer more resources to build seamless safety plans and initiate suspect intervention and monitoring.

A number of inquests and inquiries, including the Domestic Violence Death Review Panel Report to the Chief Coroner of BC in 2010, have stressed the fact that safety for women and children can be improved by such collaborative interagency responses.

Quotes:

Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development –

“ICAT teams allow partner agencies to better co-ordinate services and create a safety net for victims and their children. We continue to support these teams and specialized Domestic Violence Units as an important part of our ongoing drive to strengthen the systemic response to domestic violence in B.C.”

Eric Foster, MLA for Vernon-Monashee –

“Domestic violence is much more than a private, family issue. It is an issue that affects entire communities – and, as such, it requires a community response. That’s why it’s so important to have a localized team like this that can bring together various community partners to help keep women, children and families safe and supported.”

Tracy Porteous, executive director of the Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) –

“The development and maintenance of strong partnerships and the delivery of risk-related training with and for all the sectors that respond to domestic violence is what can make all the difference for families struggling with violence. ICATs are creating a culture of collaborative response that is saving lives.”

Brooke McLardy, ICAT co-chair and executive director of the Vernon Women’s Transition House Society –

“ICAT is a great success in our community. We have reviewed more than 100 highest risk domestic violence files, and due to the enhanced risk management plans put in place for those families, we have not seen any further violence in those cases. We know this process is keeping women, children and offenders safer.”

Quick Facts:

• There are seven Domestic Violence Units in operation throughout the province (Abbotsford, Capital Region, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Surrey and Vancouver).
• From 2004 to 2009, it is estimated that more than 160,000 British Columbians were victims of domestic violence.
• From 2004 to 2014, domestic violence claimed the lives of 113 women in B.C. ─ an average of 10 women each year.
• The B.C. government commits more than $70 million per year in prevention and intervention services and programs to help families involved in domestic violence and other crimes.
• The Provincial Office of Domestic Violence was created in March 2012 as the permanent lead for the B.C. government, focussed on strengthening the services and supports available for children, women and families affected by domestic violence.
• The three-year Provincial Domestic Violence Plan was released in 2014, and the first annual report was posted in August 2015.
• The Vision for a Violence Free BC strategy outlines the path to creating a province where all women have the supports they need to help prevent violence, escape from violent situations, and recover if they have been victims of violence.
• In April 2015, the Province invested $5 million in civil forfeiture grants to support projects focused on ending violence against women and preventing crime.
• The Province has also committed to dedicating a portion of civil forfeiture funds in future years to support the Vision for a Violence Free BC strategy.

Learn More:

More information on ICATs is available at: http://goo.gl/m8g21L

To read the Provincial Domestic Violence Plan and learn more about the Provincial Office of Domestic Violence, visit: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/podv/index.htm

To read A Vision for a Violence Free BC strategy, visit: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/victimservices/shareddocs/pubs/violence-free-bc.pdf

For more information on VictimLinkBC supports and services (24 hours a day), call 1 800 563-0808 or visit: www.victimlinkbc.ca/

For more information about EVA BC, visit: http://endingviolence.org/about-us/