Child and Youth Support Specialist

How does it work?

A new service delivery model was implemented in 2021 which included a Child and Youth Support Specialist whose role is to provide immediate and ongoing case management and support to those who attend Koala Place.

When a person is victimized by a crime, they often feel helpless and vulnerable. Furthermore, it can be quite overwhelming when several services become involved during this time. The Child and Youth Support Specialist’s aim is to minimize this as much as possible by ensuring that appropriate services are offered at the first point of contact with the police. The position supports children and youth and their families while they manage the impact of trauma alongside a continuum of services.

More specifically, the Child and Youth Support Specialist offers to complete referrals, provides information, reading materials, as well as emotional support.

Our hope is to reduce stress and anxiety for the victim/witness as well as for their caregivers by offering them emotional support, connecting them to community resources, and being a consistent point of contact during the investigative and judicial process ensuring that a wraparound approach is being used to better serve them.