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Proactive Plan Puts New Emphasis On Prevention And Better Community
Support For Abused Women And Their Children
QUEEN'S PARK, ON, Dec. 13 /CNW/ - Enhanced counselling and housing
supports for victims, more training for front-line workers, improvements to
the justice system and an innovative public education campaign are all part of
the government's new comprehensive action plan on domestic violence against
women and children, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced today.
"Women and children have the right to live free of fear and violence,
especially in their homes," said Premier McGuinty. "The action plan we're
announcing today is a major step forward that places a new emphasis on
preventing abuse before it happens and supporting victims when it does
happen."
Sandra Pupatello, the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, stressed
that domestic violence is everyone's concern.
"We all share a responsibility for the protection and safety of women in
abusive situations. Our plan brings together a wide range of partners to
improve public awareness, change attitudes and help break the cycle of
violence," Pupatello said.
The four-year plan includes:
- $56 million to provide better community supports for victims,
including enhanced counselling services and second-stage housing
supports
- $5.9 million to train front-line workers, professionals, families,
neighbours and friends to recognize early signs of abuse and help
victims get the information and support they need
- A $4.9 million major public education and prevention campaign,
designed to change attitudes and mobilize communities to stop violence
before it happens
- Improvements to Ontario's criminal and family justice system to better
protect women and their children and hold abusers accountable for
their violent behaviour.
The plan will also target programs and services to meet the needs of
women in diverse, at-risk communities.
"We are pleased that the Ontario government is taking action and that its
plan includes strengthening community organizations, building public awareness
and involving a broad range of services, sectors and partners," said Margot
Franssen, co-President of the Canadian Women's Foundation.
The Domestic Violence Action Plan was developed following consultation
with more than 180 experts and front-line workers from across the province,
and with collaboration among the 13 government ministries that deliver
programs and services related to domestic violence.
"Our government's plan for Ontario is all about strengthening our
province by strengthening our people," said Premier McGuinty.
"Women can't build the lives they deserve when they live with the threat
of violence or the reality of physical and emotional abuse. And children can't
reach their full potential when they fear what happens in their own homes.
This is a plan to protect and support them."
Backgrounder
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December 13, 2004
A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACTION PLAN FOR ONTARIO
The government's new action plan to address domestic violence enhances
existing domestic violence programs and services and implements new
initiatives. It places new emphasis on prevention and better community support
for abused women and their children.
Better Community-based Supports for Victims
The government is investing to provide stabilized funding to core
services, and to expand community supports:
- Annual funding for community-based counseling services will be
increased by $2.5 million starting in 2005-06 to address waiting
lists and gaps in services for specific populations.
- Funding to the Transitional and Housing Support Program will be
increased by $1 million annually for a total of $10.1 million to
enhance shelter and transitional and second-stage housing
supports.
- A one-time investment of $2 million will be made to refurbish
existing women's shelters and second-stage housing.
- Funding of $3.5 million annually over the next two years and
$1.4 million annually from 2007-08 onward will go to help women's
agencies, such as shelters, transitional and second-stage housing
to improve their functional capacity and help them become more
financially independent. This is in addition to the 3 per cent
annual operating increase being provided to shelters, counseling
services and crisis lines.
- $500,000 will go towards training social housing providers on
issues facing abused women.
- $500,000 in 2004-05, growing to $2 million in 2007-08 will go to a
new pilot training program to help abused women succeed in the
workforce and gain economic independence.
- Annual funding of $3.5 million is being invested in housing
supports for abused women.
- Stable funding in the amount of $2.4 million over three years will
go to the Domestic Violence Community Coordinating Committees to
enhance program and service co-ordination.
Identify Women and Children at Risk and Intervene Earlier
The government will spend $5.9 million over four years for training,
research and conferences in key sectors to help prevent domestic violence:
- Professionals and service providers will be trained to intervene
early and offer appropriate response, information and supports.
- Expert training panels will develop training materials tailored to
front-line workers, professionals, family, friends and neighbours
to help them detect early signs of abuse.
- Ontario will host a major provincial symposium in fall 2005 for
community leaders, experts and service providers to share best
practices in preventing domestic violence. This will be the first
in a series of bi-annual provincial conferences on domestic
violence.
Change Attitudes to Prevent Violence from Happening in the First Place
The $4.9 million, four-year, public education and prevention campaign
will mobilize communities to play an active role in ending violence against
women and girls. The multi-faceted campaign will include television ads,
web-based information, community pilots and school resources to promote
healthy, equal relationships and prevent violence from happening in the first
place. One component, a high-profile public education campaign, Breaking the
Code, will target boys and girls aged eight to 14 years, and the adults who
influence them.
Strengthening the Justice System Response
The government is:
- Convening an inaugural meeting of federal/provincial/territorial
attorneys general and Ministers Responsible for Women's Issues in
2005, to discuss key issues related to improvements needed in the
justice system's response to abused women.
- Reviewing and proposing amendments to the Children's Law Reform
Act to require courts to consider domestic violence when making
orders relating to the custody of, or access to, a child.
- Improving programs that serve incarcerated women who have been
victims of physical or sexual abuse.
- Evaluating and improving domestic violence courts, including an
examination of the experience of women from diverse communities
and research on the effectiveness of Partner Assault Response
Programs for abusers.
- Evaluating existing bail safety pilot programs.
- Funding a technical and literature review of electronic monitoring
systems to assess the impact on persons who have abused their
significant others.
- Improving civil protections for abused women, including
improvements in restraining orders and enforcement of breaches.
- Helping to prevent offenders from harassing or threatening abused
women via telephone from jail.
- Improving communications between family courts and criminal
courts.
- Funding a symposium in Toronto to examine different models of
integrated service and information sharing systems to improve
co-ordination between family and criminal courts.
- Pilot testing the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
tool with police, Crown attorneys and others in the justice system
to identify and assess risk in abusive situations.
- Creating new policies and police training to address the issue of
dual charging.
Access to French-language violence prevention services will be improved
within all components of the Domestic Violence Action Plan, in accordance with
the French Language Services Act.
Contacts:
Stephanie Nadalin Barbara McIntosh
Minister's Office Communications
(416) 325-5219 (416) 314-7238
Disponible en français
www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/owd
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For further information: Premier's Media Office, (416) 314-8975
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