History

In 1987, the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, as part of a multi-ministry initiative through the Ontario Women's Directorate, began three pilot projects in Ontario to test a new method for assisting police officers to meet their concerns about victims of crime. Utilizing trained and accredited volunteers, the Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Service (VCARS) in Algoma District, Brant County and Frontenac County offered twenty-four hour a day, mobile crisis response teams to assist victims at the request of police officers.

In 1989, an independent evaluation of the VCARS projects concluded that victims, police officers, community agencies and volunteers themselves were in agreement that the provision of immediate assistance and timely appropriate referral did help to reduce trauma and enhance recovery from the effects of victimization.

VCARS was established in the District of Temiskaming in 1997 under the name of Victim Crisis Assistance Total Services. It wasn’t until spring of 2000 that the non-profit organization received annualized funding under the Ministry of the Solicitor General, now the Ministry of the Attorney General and officially became VCARS in October 2003.

Temiskaming & District VCARS services the District north to Butler Lake, south to Temagami, east to the Quebec border and west to Gowganda; a 15 803 square mile catchment area.

Goals & Objectives

• To ensure persons affected by crime, tragedy and disaster receive immediate support and assistance
• To help victims quickly return their lives to a desired degree of stability
• To assist police and other emergency service providers in meeting the needs of victims
• To facilitate the connection between victims and the appropriate community support services
• To provide follow up contact to ensure victims have received and will continue to receive assistance, if required
• To educate the community about victimization
• To reduce the possibility of revictimization
• Help victim to regain a sense of personal control
• To provide public education as to the effects of crime and tragedy and the existence of resources within the community
• To provide the opportunity for police to either concentrate on the investigational procedures knowing the victim's emotional needs are being met or to leave the scene to attend to other calls of a service
• To encourage personal empowerment and self care
• To dispel self blame by placing the responsibility on the offender

Services

VCARS Volunteers:

• Respond immediately to requests for victim assistance from police officers or other emergency service providers by attending calls on-site or at an alternate site.
• Provide emotional support including answering questions and providing information that helps lessen the impact of the crisis for the victim.
• Provide practical assistance as needed. This may include transportation and/or accompanying victim to emergency services (i.e. a shelter or hospital), making phone calls upon request or other helpful tasks.
• Provide the victim with appropriate helpful information relevant to their situation, which includes providing referrals to services in the community that may aid them in accessing resources for further assistance.
• Provide a safe and non-judgmental environment for victims to express their thoughts and feelings.
• Educate and empower.
• Provide the community with the opportunity to become more involved with dealing with crime and mobilizing crime prevention efforts.

Safety Requirements

Safety of front-line volunteers is top priority for Temiskaming & District VCARS. Volunteers always attend in pairs and carry cellular phones for emergency situations.

Temiskaming & District VCARS volunteers can only be dispatched by local police, emergency service providers at the local hospitals and/or the fire departments.

Volunteers are not asked to attend in the following situation:

• Any violent situation, including domestic violence where the offender is not in police custody or has not been removed from the scene by police officers. Unless the investigating officers can secure a safe environment for the volunteers to meet with the client(s), a team cannot be dispatched (both the local hospital and the OPP detachments serve as safe environments). It should also be noted that if the violent party is about to be released, police must notify the volunteers in order that they depart the scene prior to the release.
• Any situation in which a person is behaving in a manner for which attention is required for suspected psychiatric or mental health problems.
• Any situation where a victim is involved with another service provider or another service provider is better suited to meet the needs of the victim.

VCARS volunteers are not permitted to provide services to children under the age of 16 without the presence and/or consent of a parent or guardian.

Volunteers are not permitted to transport children who require booster seats. In such instances, arrangements for transportation will be made with police, Timiskaming Child & Family Services or a taxi company.

Summary

Temiskaming & District VCARS is not a counseling service; our trained volunteers provide emotional support and practical assistance to victims of crime and tragic circumstance. Our primary goal is to provide immediate support and then act as a link for victims to locate appropriate agencies and services within their community