Instead of a loud, intimidating, harshly lit environment full of people wearing uniforms or hospital scrubs, traumatized kids at the Toba Centre are welcomed into a space designed to make them feel safe.
The centre, located in Assiniboine Park, helps young victims and witnesses to violence and crime as they and their families navigate their way through the frightening aftermath of a horrific event.
“We have no waiting room, we just have really lovely warm spaces and families come in and immediately go into their own little family room,” chief executive officer Christy Dzikowicz said Tuesday. “And then, really, all of the different steps of a child-abuse investigation can happen here.”
The “one-stop shop,” as Dzikowicz described it, allows kids and their families to work with law enforcement, medical professionals and other support staff in the same building.
Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux announced Tuesday that the charitable organization is getting $3 million from the federal government to upgrade the space, including new gender-neutral washrooms, a ramp for the main entrance and electrical and mechanical systems upgrades.
“By investing in this vital facility’s energy-efficient revitalization, we are ensuring the centre remains dedicated to listening, aiding and facilitating the healing journey of every child affected by abuse or violence,” Lamoureux said in a statement.
The funding is being provided through the federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.
There are about 4,000 child-abuse investigations in Manitoba every year.
Toba Centre was originally Snowflake Place, which opened in 2013 to provide a child-friendly setting for kids and caregivers to meet with support services after experiencing violence. In 2020, the organization began to offer case-navigation support services. Since its launch, staff have conducted more than 3,300 interviews with kids from communities across the province.
There are four forensic interviewers on staff, 22 Winnipeg police officers who work out of the building and physicians specializing in child-abuse cases.
For children who are referred to the centre from outside the city, including remote areas and northern First Nations communities — a unit made up of RCMP, Brandon and Manitoba First Nations police is available.
Staff deal with children of all ages along with vulnerable adults, whose trauma dynamics can reflect a child-abuse scenario.
Dzikowicz said victims of violence from newcomer families are less likely to walk through the doors, a reminder that acknowledging and breaking down barriers to seeking justice has to be a priority as Toba moves forward.
“Talking about child abuse is relatively taboo in most cultures, but in some cultures, even more so,” she said.
“And we have folks coming into Canada who might have had negative experiences with child welfare, with law enforcement, whether in their in their home country or here in Canada.”
Staff deal with about five child-abuse investigations every day, some involving multiple children. Dzikowicz said she expects to see that number grow; a sad reality, but also a positive step forward as more victims and families feel safe coming forward.
The facility is Manitoba’s lone resource of its kind.
“(Before Toba), we had incredible men and women working at child welfare and law enforcement and prosecutions, at medical offices, and they hold all had really important roles to play,” she said. “But whose job was it to make sure kids are OK once the investigation is over?”
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
