NEWS BULLETIN MARCH 2010 TO RECEIVE THIS BULLETIN IN LARGE PRINT, PLEASE CALL 604-633-2506 EXT 15 Community Development of the risks affecting her safety and to facilitate/coordinate safety planning, which includes Since our last News Bulletin in August 2009, liaising with justice system personnel and others. CCWS Regional Coordinators have been busy providing support and training to communities This particular offering also incorporated the new across BC. Domestic Violence Service Priority Assessment Form developed by the Victim Services and Crime In-person support and/or training: 100 Mile Prevention Division (VSCPD) of the Ministry of House, Campbell River, Houston, Kelowna, Maple Public Safety and Solicitor General (MPSSG). The Ridge, Masset and Old Masset, North Vancouver, form is intended to assist victim service programs in Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte, Sandspit, identifying clients who are potentially at risk of Skidegate, Surrey, Terrace and Tlell. serious injury or death as a result of domestic Telephone and email support: 100 Mile House, violence. Questions are based on the best available Bella Coola, Campbell River, Castlegar, Chilliwack, research of factors associated with violence by a Creston, Fort St. James, Fort St. John, Houston, current or former intimate partner. Invermere, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kitimat, Maple Demand for the inaugural CLT II was higher than Ridge, Massett, Nakusp, Nanaimo, Nelson, expected, with over 55 applications for less than Nelson/Kaslo, New Westminster/Burnaby, North half that number of seats! Participants cited a Vancouver, Penticton, Prince Rupert, Queen variety of reasons for enrolling in the training, Charlotte Islands, Salmo, Salmon Arm, Sechelt, including: increasing skills in chairing/facilitating a Terrace, Ucluelet, Vancouver, Vernon, Victoria and coordination initiative (75%), learning more about Williams Lake risk and safety in domestic violence cases (71%) As of March 2009, the waitlist for CCWS training and to network with others who are involved in includes: Castlegar, Creston, Kelowna, Nakusp, coordination initiatives (63%). Nelson, Penticton, Trail and Victoria. If you need A full 100% of survey respondents found the help developing or improving cross-sector training useful and said they would recommend it to coordination in your community, please contact one a colleague. In the words of one participant: of our Regional Coordinators. “My sincere thank you for an awesome Community Leadership Training II three days of training that you provided! On March 2-4, 2010, 28 anti-violence workers from I left yesterday feeling enriched, inspired, communities across BC gathered in Kelowna for motivated, refueled, validated and the first offering of the new Community Leadership empowered by all the information, process Training II (CLT II), entitled “Domestic Violence: and awesome connection with all the other Developing a Community Response to Risk and amazing participants. Safety”. I truly appreciate all that you do on behalf of The three-day training, which builds on the original the women we serve.” CLT curriculum, focuses on risk identification and Those unable to attend the March offering will have safety planning. Participants learn strategies for a chance again next year. Visit our online Calendar working with each woman to identify the complexity CCWS FUNDER: Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General CCWS MANAGING PARTNER: Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC) CCWS News Bulletin – March 2010 2 of Events at www.endingviolence.org/event for an delivered training in Maple Ridge and North up-to-date listing of training opportunities. Vancouver on how coordination can be used to improve safety and accountability when dealing Other Training Highlights with violence against women. Participants were 2009 Annual Training Forum introduced to the Domestic Violence Service Priority Assessment Form and Summary of Risk At the 2009 Annual Training Forum this past Factors recently developed by VSCPD of the November, CCWS co-presented two workshops: MPSSG. Engaged to Protect: Keeping Women Central to High-Risk DV Response Team the Risk Assessment CCWS was recently asked to review an updated Process (in collaboration Memorandum of Understanding and Information with Jane Coombe and Gathering Guidelines for the North Okanagan High- Dr. Ellen Pence, pictured) Risk Domestic Violence Response Team. Increasing Safety for The CCWS team provided extensive input on Immigrant, Refugee and earlier drafts of these two resources, including: Non-Status Women: Law, Policy and Practice (in research on relevant privacy legislation and a collaboration with Kamaljit Lehal and Margaret review of other information-sharing models in the Ostrowski) United Kingdom and Nova Scotia. CCWS also met A full 100% of survey respondents rated the with Debby Hamilton, Co-Chair of the North workshops, overall, and their presenters “good” or Okanagan High-Risk Domestic Violence Team, and was involved in drafting protocol documents like the “very good. Protocol Framework and the Affirmation of Sexual assault training in preparation for the 2010 Confidentiality and Release of Personal Information Winter Olympic Games (Surrey) forms. On January 18 & 20, CCWS Regional Coordinator If the RCMP approves the High-Risk Protocol Michelle Novakowski and EVA BC Program Framework for Domestic Violence Cases that is Manager Harjit Kaur delivered two days of sexual being developed in the North Okanagan, it could be assault training to help the Surrey Women’s Centre used as a template for other regions of BC. prepare for its 24-hour response during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Information-Sharing Template Day 1 of the training looked at beliefs, assumptions, In domestic violence cases perceived as “high-risk”, rape trauma and skills practice. Day 2 focused on it may be necessary to share victim contact medical procedures, drug-facilitated sexual assault information or other critical information proactively and the legal system. in order to keep the victim, her children or others safe. Federal and provincial privacy laws allow for CCWS would like to thank the Surrey Women’s personal information to be shared without consent Centre for welcoming representatives from the when it is in the public interest (Privacy Act) or Howe Sound Women’s Centre and Whistler there are significant health or public safety Pemberton Victim Assistance. concerns (Freedom of Information and Protection of Workshop to address the EUROCAN closure Privacy Act). (Kitimat) CCWS has been working with communities, Also in January, CCWS Regional Coordinator Gail including in the North Okanagan, to develop a Edinger and Morgen Baldwin worked with Tamitik generic information-sharing template that will be Status of Women in Kitimat to develop a workshop suitable for use by Violence Against Women in to address the expected impact of the EUROCAN Relationships or Domestic Violence Coordination mill closure on violence against women. Committees to help guide local information-sharing practices in high-risk cases and to help ensure that Safety and accountability through coordination referral practices maximize women’s safety. (Maple Ridge & North Vancouver) The document is expected to be released for use in In March 2010, Regional Coordinator Gail Edinger the field in the near future. CCWS FUNDER: Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General CCWS MANAGING PARTNER: Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC) CCWS News Bulletin – March 2010 3 The Lee Inquest & Domestic Violence Women Safe report. Action Plan To download a PDF copy of the Domestic Violence On December 14, 2009 the BC Coroner’s Inquest Action Plan, visit: into the tragic September 2007 murder of Sunny www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/victim_services/publications/d Park, her 6-year old son Christian Lee and her ocs/domestic-violence-actionplan-update.pdf parents Kum Lea Chun and Moon Kyu Park by her estranged husband, Peter Lee, resumed after an Provincial Working Group 18-month adjournment. The Working Group recently met on March 23, 2010 in Vancouver. New members welcomed to EVA BC Executive Director Tracy Porteous, CCWS the group were Brian Rendell, Director of Legal Legal Analyst Gisela Ruebsaat and lawyer Diane Operations, Criminal Justice Branch, Sgt. Dave Turner were in attendance. In addition, Selvage, RCMP "E" Division’s new Domestic representatives from two of EVA BC’s member Violence Coordinator with Crime Prevention and programs testified: Wendy Walsh from the Spousal Program Support Services, and Jane Katz, Chair of Assault Program in Victoria and Nancy Drewery, the Ending Relationships Abuse Society of BC the Community-Based Victim Services Coordinator (ERA) who is taking the place of Dr. Harry in Langley. Stefanakis. During the final four days, the Jury heard a range of Presentations were made by Rob Kroeker, witnesses and testimony that highlighted the Executive Director of the Civil Forfeiture Office systemic gaps and lack of coordination that were at about the Senior Officials Task Force on Domestic the heart of this tragedy. As part of fulfilling its goal Violence and Susanne Dahlin, Executive Director in participating at the Inquest, EVA BC submitted VSCPD of MPSSG and Chair of the Inter-Ministry 46 recommendations to assist the Jury in Violence Against Women Steering Team. developing its recommendations. Among them: The previous Working Group meeting took place on • a focus on risk assessment and safety planning October 6, 2009 in Saanich. training for all sectors,