Little eyes, little ears - Agence de la sante publique du Canada

little eyes,little earsServicesA range of services is availableto help abused womenand their childrenAbused women's advocatesWomen's centres or abused women's advocacy agenciesprovide confidential counselling and support and can helpwomen access the legal system.Crisis linesCheck the telephone directory for the local crisis line.Some areas have crisis lines specifically for abused women.Women's shelters andtransition housesIn Canada, there are 500 emergency shelters, transitionhouses, safe houses, and second-stage housing facilities.See www.shelternet.ca to find one near you. There are31 shelters on Aboriginal reserves and others servingFirst Nations families. See the National Aboriginal CircleAgainst Family Violence: www.nacafv.caChild protection agenciesThese organizations investigate and intervene when a childis or may be in need of protection from abuse or neglect bycaregivers. Find information on this topic on page 37.Family-serving organizationsThese agencies provide a range of services includingassessment and treatment that can include play therapy,parenting guidance and support, and family counselling.PoliceThe police can lay charges for crimes such as assaultand criminal harassment. An emergency 9-1-1 systemis available in most - but not all - parts of Canada.Victim servicesPolice-based or court-based services help victims of crime.For links to programs across Canada, see www.vaonline.orgAbusive men's treatment programsMost programs accept self-referred and court-orderedclients. The National Clearinghouse on Family Violencehas a directory of over 200 Canadian programs.The National Clearinghouse on Family Violencehas directories of Canadian services for bothvictims and perpetrators of family violence.28