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New Book Supports Young Victims and Child Witness Centre

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“Child Victims in Canada’s Justice System” is now available! It is an incredible asset for anyone who would like to better understand and improve support for child victims. You can purchase at Words Worth Books (in Waterloo) or online from Irwin Law.

We hope you will join in our excitement about this wonderful publication! The insights it provides will have a great impact in helping victimized children and youth across Canada. It will also directly benefit young people and families in our community, as author royalties from the publisher will be donated to Child Witness Centre.

Excerpts from the book’s introduction

“The ultimate aim of this book is to benefit children and youth who have experienced abuse. It consolidates information regarding child victims and the role they have in Canada’s justice system. Child Victims in Canada’s Justice System is both informational and instructional. It can be used as a reference document, a training tool, or a guide for developing policies and procedures.”

“The book will be a valuable resource for communities wishing to better prevent and detect crimes against children, build victim assistance programs, and ensure effective response and treatment systems for child victims. As well, the book responds to public concern regarding crimes against children, the role of the judiciary, the rights of victims, and penalties for offenders.”

Readers will glean from the three authors’ wealth of knowledge about supporting child victims and witnesses of crime. Did you know Jack Reynolds and Jo-Anne Hughes held key leadership roles at Child Witness Centre for over 25 years combined?

About the authors

Loree Beniuk is a Registered Social Worker with a private clinical practice in Mississauga; developed the child witness program in Peel and supervised clinical services there; served as Program Manager of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program at the Child Development Institute in Toronto.

Jo-Anne Hughes was a co-founder and Program Manager of the Child Witness Centre in Kitchener and worked daily with child victims for more than 17 years.

Jack Reynolds served for 10 years as Executive Director at Child Witness Centre after spending over 30 years in senior management at Mutual Life of Canada.

As shared in a Waterloo Region Record article on June 2, “The book is packed with information the trio said would be useful for a range of professionals: child-protection workers, police officers, lawyers, doctors, educators, victims’ advocates and public-health workers.”

Who should get this book?

Professionals who will benefit include: Child protection workers | Childcare workers | Police officers | Crown attorneys | Lawyers | Judges | Physicians | Public health personnel | Mental health clinicians | Elementary and secondary school teachers | College and university professors | Victims’ advocates | Victim services workers | Victim/witness assistance caseworkers | Government policy makers | Community leaders

The article goes on to share, “Topics include signs of child sexual abuse, details about how it’s investigated, the court system and how to prepare a child for the courtroom, along with information about victim rights and available supports.”

We are grateful for these authors and everyone who purchases the book to expand their knowledge on this important subject matter. It will impact children across Canada to experience healing, resiliency, and strong futures.

Would you like to learn more? Email ryan.dufton@childwitness.com