The opening of British Columbia’s ninth provincially funded domestic violence unit (DVU) in Prince George means local women and children facing domestic violence now have a dedicated, integrated team focused on their protection and transition to safety.

A DVU involves a team of experts that takes on the highest-risk cases of physical and psychological abuse by family members, providing an integrated approach to supporting victims and ensuring their safety.

The Prince George team will include:

• an RCMP officer dedicated to domestic violence cases;
• a community-based victim service worker; and
• an embedded child protection worker from the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

The team will work in one location to ensure incoming cases are triaged quickly and safety planning is well co-ordinated.

In March, the Prince George and District Elizabeth Fry Society received a $100,000 grant from provincial civil forfeiture proceeds to establish the new unit, located in the Prince George RCMP detachment. The grant has helped to cover costs associated with startup and hiring the community-based victim service worker.

British Columbia’s eight other DVUs serve Abbotsford, the Capital Regional District, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, the North Shore, Surrey and Vancouver. Since 2014, the Province has provided more than $1.7 million in civil forfeiture funding to support existing and new DVUs throughout B.C. as part of its commitment under the three-year, $5.5-million Provincial Domestic Violence Plan.

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Quotes:

Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris –

“Breaking the cycle of family violence for both victims and perpetrators requires expertise from many disciplines – and this is especially true in the highest-risk cases, where fear, concerns about money and housing, and other factors can undermine a victim’s will and ability to break free. The DVU approach recognizes and addresses these heightened needs in the most effective and timely way possible.”

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux –

“Nobody should be left to face abuse alone. DVUs play a key role in providing support to survivors of domestic violence, ensuring that they have access to essential programs that can help them rebuild their lives. This new DVU is one more step towards fulfilling government’s commitment to make B.C. a safer place for anyone who has been affected by domestic violence.”

MLA for Prince George-Valemount Shirley Bond –

“Keeping victims safe, holding perpetrators accountable and changing the beliefs and attitudes underlying domestic violence are all critical to achieving our long-term vision of ending violence against women. Domestic violence units support these goals by bringing together the knowledge and resources critical to address the most high-risk cases.”

Kathi Heim, executive director, Prince George and District Elizabeth Fry Society –

“For families facing ongoing violence, a DVU signals a higher level of commitment than a single agency could hope to offer. The unit puts the victim at the centre of everything it does, and has the right people together under one roof to expedite safety planning and help a victim and her children to access resources needed to stabilize their situation.”

Supt. Warren Brown, Prince George RCMP –

“While our officers play a key role in ensuring the safety of victims, bringing cases of domestic violence to an end is much more than a policing issue, and the DVU model reflects this. Working together with support workers improves our officers’ ability to ensure victims are safe and to complete investigations that help to end the cycle of violence.”

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Quick Facts:

• One of the five key priorities in British Columbia’s 10-year Vision for a Violence Free BC strategy, launched last year, is supporting women to rebuild their lives. The plan includes funding for more integrated DVUs and anti-violence support services.
• Government provides more than $70 million per year for prevention and intervention services and programs to help B.C. families involved in domestic violence and other crimes.
• Since 2006, B.C.’s civil forfeiture program has returned more than $26 million to support prevention of violence against vulnerable women and other crime prevention projects.

Learn More:

Help for victims and witnesses of crime and violence: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/if-you-are-a-victim-of-a-crime  

Vision for a Violence Free BC (factsheet): http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/downloads/Violence_Free_BC.pdf

Provincial Office of Domestic Violence: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/podv

#SaySomething (information for witnesses and victims of domestic violence and sexual assault):
www.saysomethingbc.ca

Complete lists of annual civil forfeiture grant recipients:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/crime-prevention/community-crime-prevention/grants