Thirty-five out of 51 Child Advocacy Centres (CACs)/Child and Youth Advocacy Centres (CYACs) participated in the 2022–2023 CAC/CYAC National Operational Survey, representing 69% of all CACs/CYACs in Canada.
Of the 35 centres that responded to the survey, 28 were operational, five were in development and two were conducting a feasibility study or a needs assessment.
In 2021/2022, 10,665 child and youth victims were served by CACs/CYACs. Among those served, about seven in 10 were girls.
Indigenous clients and 2SLGBTQI+ clients were served by almost all operational CACs/CYACs in their last fiscal year reported.
All operational CACs/CYACs reported that they serve clients aged three to 15 years, although some centres serve clients younger than three and/or older than 15.
Over seven thousand (7,436) child and youth victims of sexual abuse and 2,913 victims of physical abuse were served by a CAC/CYAC in their last fiscal year reported.
Many service providers made up a CAC/CYAC’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT); the most common types reported were child protection workers, law enforcement officers, advocates, victim service workers, and other CAC/CYAC staff.
Twenty-four out of 35 CACs/CYACs indicated they had information-sharing protocols or Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in place with MDT partners.
At the time of the survey, three-quarters of operational CACs/CYACs conducted case reviews, most commonly on a monthly or as needed basis.
Over three-quarters of CACs/CYACs reported having a case tracking system in place, and five centres indicated that a case tracking system was in development.
The most common services offered by CACs/CYACs were forensic interviews, mental health services, and victim and family support and advocacy.
Twenty-five out of 28 CACs/CYACs reported the number of forensic interviews that were conducted in their last fiscal year. A total of 10,264 forensic interviews were provided, of which 82% were conducted on-site and 18% off-site.
Almost half of CACs/CYACs (13/28) indicated that they had at least one support dog, most commonly a facility dog trained to provide specific services and behaviours that suit the needs of the CAC/CYAC.
Most CACs/CYACs provided some type of educational service, most commonly webinars, presentations and workshops.
Eleven CACs/CYACs reported having the ability to offer remote testimony at their centre, with 11 in the process of developing or considering offering remote testimony at the time of the survey.
In their last fiscal year, the most common training taken by CAC/CYAC staff focused on trauma-informed practices, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and child abuse.
Most CACs/CYACs reported conducting research, and one-third indicated that they participated in research conducted by other organizations.
Over half of CACs/CYACs indicated that they had undergone or were in the process of undergoing an evaluation at the time of the survey.
Most CACs/CYACs received a portion of funding from federal and provincial/territorial grants, the private sector or donors. Despite these funds and grants, over half of CACs/CYACs reported challenges with securing sustainable funding to cover operating costs, such as their personnel and facilities.
CACs/CYACs reported that their biggest successes involved their relationships with MDT partners as well as the use of the CAC/CYAC model, both of which help to effectively support children, youth and their families.
