Coordination Initiatives in BC
CCWS provides services to coordination initiatives across BC. We also provide services to communities that are interested in developing new initiatives.
The list of BC coordination initiatives is currently being updated. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Administrative Assistant, Lau, at ccws(at)endingviolence.org
History of Coordination in BC
Since 1989, community organizations and the Victim Services and Crime Prevention Division of the Ministry of Attorney General (now the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General) have been involved in the development of violence against women coordination initiatives. These initiatives bring together system- and community-based representatives to enhance collaboration on local responses to violence against women. In 1989, the Ministry of Attorney General funded 7 community coordination initiatives modelled on the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention program and coordination projects in Victoria, BC and London, Ontario. More initiatives have been launched across the province since then, but none have been funded by the provincial government. Today there are coordination initiatives in over 50 communities across BC, many of them in rural and isolated areas.
CCWS work is grounded in evidence-based research and the experiences of communities in Canada and the United States where coordination among law enforcement and community service providers has proven to be one of the most effective methods of increasing women’s safety. Communities with a coordinated response are more likely to have effective referral systems, understand mutual roles and responsibilities and use resources more efficiently. For more information about coordination initiatives, visit the CCWS Publications page.