Family Plus Launches Kit’s Place
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Family Plus Launches Kits Place, A State-of-the-Art Child and Youth Advocacy Centre Opening in Fall 2022
July 21, 2022
SAINT JOHN, NB – The team and Board of Directors at Family Plus are proud to announce that they will be launching Kit’s Place, a state-of-the-art Child and Youth Advocacy Centre this fall.
The opening of Kit’s Place marks a major step in ensuring that the most vulnerable victims of sexual maltreatment, children and youth, in the greater Saint John community have a safe place that they can rely on for client-centered care and crucial support.
“This centre will change the way we work as a community to support the children and youth and their families” shared Sharon Amirault, CEO of Family Plus. “We are working collaboratively with our founding partners: the Department of Social Development, KV and Saint John Police, Horizon Health Network, Anglophone South School District, Department of Public Safety (Victim Services), and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, to bring services to the child, rather than the child navigating many different systems and facilities. We are grateful for the team of experts who have partnered with us on this necessary service.”
A child and youth advocacy centre, or CYAC, is a safe place for children and families, providing community-based, culturally-competent, child and youth-focused multidisciplinary services for child and youth victims of sexual abuse. The Child and Youth Advocacy Centre approach has been recognized as a best practice for coordinating and centralizing services to minimize system-induced trauma. Kit’s Place has been built on the foundation of this proven model aimed at enhancing the outcomes of the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child and youth sexual abuse. Without Child and Youth Advocacy Centres, young victims are left to navigate their local system of care providers and criminal justice partners alone, enduring a multitude of interview, data collection and investigation processes. The complexity of this landscape causes additional stress, increased financial burden, and decreased quality and consistency of evidence. Kit’s Place will help ensure that more children and youth receive the care and advocacy they need all in one safe and central location.
Kit’s Place has been thoughtfully named after a baby red fox, a species indigenous to New Brunswick and known for their resiliency, adaptability and smart wit.
Kit’s Place will offer many benefits to families and victims of sexual assault in the southwestern New Brunswick community, including:
A single, safe, child-friendly location
Reduced hardship
Minimal number of victim interviews
Increased advocacy and referrals for additional supports
Better access to medical and legal services and specialized therapy
Planning for Kit’s Place began in 2019 after the Canadian Department of Justice announced funding in support of a Child and Youth Advocacy Centre with Family Plus as the lead agency. Unfortunately, Covid-19 caused many challenges that delayed the centre’s planned opening date. The dedicated team at Family Plus have been working hard through it all to bring the Kit’s Place vision to life.
Key founding sponsors have been a major part of making Kit’s Place a reality. Family Plus would like to thank founding sponsors: Department of Justice, New Brunswick Children’s Foundation, The Dr. David Stephen Memorial Foundation, The Sisters of Charity, Saint John Energy, New Brunswick Medical Society, and the Board of Directors of Family Plus. Family Plus is still accepting additional founding sponsors and support bring this center to life.
Kit’s Place will be located in the new Family Plus location in Lancaster Mall. Renovations to the new Child and Youth Advocacy Center and Family Plus location are now underway. Doors will open to this newly designed space in Fall 2022.
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About Family Plus
Family Plus is Saint John’s premiere not-for-profit mental health care provider, with a 90-year history of service to the regional community. Family Plus provides professional counselling, education and advocacy services to individuals, couples, families and children in Greater Saint John. Their highly dedicated team of professional counsellors are able to assist with a wide range of issues and strive to enrich personal, family and work life throughout the community.
For more information, please visit www.familyplus.ca.
Media Inquiries: Sharon Amirault |samirault@familyplus.ca | 506.634.8295