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Child & Youth Advocacy Centre

December 2020

December snow covered berries

We are excited to welcome Jewish Family and Child Service and Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services to the CYAC partnership. As critical, legislated service providers, they will help ensure that the future Child & Youth Advocacy Centre not only reflects the needs of our community but also ensures that clients have access to culturally appropriate services.

Jewish Family and Child Service is a multi-service agency that strengthens and supports individuals, children, families and communities by increasing safety and security, improving mental health and wellness and reducing the effects of poverty, within the context of Jewish values. The charitable tradition of Jewish Family and Child Service dates back to 1868, when the Toronto Hebrew Ladies’ Sick and Benevolent Society was granted a charter to raise funds and help the growing number of poor Jewish immigrants. There were no paid staff and a budget of only a few hundred dollars. Today, Jewish Family and Child Service has a staff of more than 120 and a budget of over $24 million. They are continually adapting to changing community needs. Poverty, violence and abuse touch this community, and they respond with a wide range of services and programs designed to intervene and assist. Through their four dynamic locations in the Greater Toronto Area, they now provide as many as 30 community programs and services.

Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services was founded in 1998 and is a multi-service Indigenous child and family wellbeing agency. They provide a stable foundation for children, youth, and families, through wraparound services that are culturally-based and family-focused. They began secondments of their staff being placed within partner CASs in May 2017. Over time, their staff have built their capacity and have also benefited from additional mandatory Indigenous Wholistic Practice Training. In February 2019, the government of Ontario designated Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services as a Children’s Aid Society.

We couldn’t be more excited to have them join us along with York Region Children’s Aid Society and York Regional Police in our goal of building York Region’s first Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.

Latest report on the health of Canada’s children

Children First Canada and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have both released reports tracking the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians. Findings from both organizations suggest that COVID-19 is having a negative impact on children, youth and adults in Canada. Here are a few highlights:

Children First Canada’s Raising Canada 2020 Report:

  • 57% of participants aged 15-17 report that their mental health was “somewhat worse” or “much worse” than it was prior to physical distancing measures
  • Only 4.8% of children (aged 5-11) and 0.8% of youth (aged 12-17) were meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines, raising significant concerns about their lack of physical activity and its impact on both their physical and mental health
  • Almost one in seven Canadians said they were living in a household where they experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days
  • “Loneliness” was the third most-used word kids between the ages of 10 and 17 used to describe how they’ve felt in recent weeks.

CAMH reports:

  • Seven out of 10 Ontarians believe that there will be a ‘serious mental health crisis’ as a result of the pandemic
  • 50% of Canadians reported worsening mental health since the pandemic began with many feeling worried (44%) and anxious (41%)
  • One in 10 Canadians polled said that their mental health had worsened ‘a lot’ as a result of COVID-19
  • 81% of Canadian workers who responded to a survey reported that the pandemic is negatively impacting their mental health, indicating a significant drop in overall worker mental health since the beginning of COVID-19
  • 25% of Canadians aged 35-54 and 21% of those aged 18-34 have increased their alcohol consumption since social distancing and self-isolation due to COVID-19

The negative impacts COVID-19 has had, and will continue to have, on children, family and health care workers reminds us how critical our services are and how important it is for us to continue to be there for the children and youth of York Region.

May

07

2024

May 2024

Earlier this year, we shared a very exciting announcement. Cedar Centre was accreditated by Imagine Canada, a prestigious milestone that highlights Cedar Centre’s unwavering dedication to transparency, accountability, and excellence in its work in the Child & Youth Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Addictions, Violence Against Women, and Anti-Human Trafficking sectors.  We are immensely proud to have received this accreditation. It is a testament to the hard work and…

October

01

2023

October 2023

Welcome to our Fall newsletter with the latest updates on our pilot program, Dress Purple Day along with a few of the recent findings in Raising Canada's 2023 report. DASA/YRP Pilot Program To guide planning and resource allocation for the future CYAC, we launched a DASA/YRP pilot in September 2022.  Both organizations collected data during the six-month period between September 2022 and March 2023.  The information collected included case counts…

May

01

2023

May Flowers
May 2023

It’s been four years since we started Project Hope. We can all be proud of the work that has been accomplished during this time: from researching and selecting a co-located model, to developing a business plan and governance model, to launching our first pilot program with DASA and YRP. Communicating the value of a CYAC for York Region has also been a key priority to ensure support across stakeholders and…

December

01

2022

December frosted trees
December 2022

Since our last update in the Spring, we’re excited to share with you the latest developments for Project Hope along with a recent study that provides new analysis on social return on investment results for CYACs in British Columbia. Pilot programs YRP/DASA referralsThis September we launched a pilot program focused on supporting referrals from YRP to DASA for sexual abuse cases. The purpose of this pilot is to look at…

May

01

2022

May flowers
May 2022

The Project Hope team has been busy over this last year developing a pilot program, planning office designs for the ideal shared space, and attending the annual National CYAC-CAE Network Conference. Below is an update on our progress. Pilot program This fall we are launching a pilot program focused on supporting referrals from YRP to DASA for sexual assault/abuse. A working group has been formed to develop a logic model,…

June

01

2021

June lake island
June 2021

We are excited to report on the progress we’ve made over the last few months.The Planning Committee continues to meet regularly and has almost finalized the ideal workflow for York Region’s Child & Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC). Partners are working on estimates for resource and space requirements to help us better understand the size of building we will need to house the new Centre. As previously highlighted in our timeline,…

March

01

2021

March flower
March 2021

As we continue to develop the region’s first Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, it is important that we create awareness and secure support from the communities the Centre will serve. To that end, we have developed specific campaigns and initiatives around public and government relations and general community awareness that we’d like to share with you here. In early January, we reached out to news sources in York Region and…

September

01

2020

September orange leaves
September 2020

As we continue to navigate these challenging times, our hearts go out to all the health care professionals and other essential service workers who are risking their lives every day to take care of us. The #stayhome orders have certainly helped to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases over the past several months. Unfortunately, there are unintended consequences to having everyone shelter at home. Reports released over the last several…

May

01

2020

May dew on new leaves
May 2020

These last few months have been an extremely challenging time, unlike anything we’ve seen or had to deal with in our lifetime. Our hearts go out to all the health care professionals and other essential service workers who are risking their lives every day to take care of us. Stress is a contributing factor for abuse, particularly physical abuse. During the pandemic, adults are experiencing increased levels of stress, and…

December

01

2019

December snow covered barn
December 2019

Imagine a place where all children and youth in York Region who have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect feel welcome and safe. A place where criminal justice, child protection, and mental health services are fully integrated and under one roof. A place where multi-disciplined teams are committed to ensuring that our processes do not cause further harm. A place where everyone is dedicated to ensuring the right…

January

30

2024

CEDAR CENTRE ACHIEVES IMAGINE CANADA ACCREDITATION, DEMONSTRATING COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

YORK REGION, January 30, 2024 – Cedar Centre is thrilled to announce its recent accreditation by Imagine Canada, a prestigious milestone that highlights the organization's unwavering dedication to transparency, accountability, and excellence in their work in the Child & Youth Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Addictions, Violence Against Women, and Anti-Human Trafficking sectors.  The Standards is a recognized nonprofit accreditation created to provide best practices that help organizations improve…

January

13

2021

YORK REGION TO GET ITS FIRST CHILD & YOUTH ADVOCACY CENTRE

NEWMARKET, Ontario - Cedar Centre, the leading provider of trauma-specific therapyto children, youth, and adults in York Region who have experienced interpersonalchildhood trauma, announced today their intention to create the region’s first Child andYouth Advocacy Centre (CYAC). In partnership with York Regional Police, York RegionChildren’s Aid Society, Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services, andJewish Family and Child Service, the CYAC will ensure these children and youth whohave experienced physical, sexual,…