Pre-trial Support

AuthorLoree Armstrong Beniuk, Jo-Anne Hughes, and Jack Reynolds
Pages119-125
119
Pre-trial Support
I am struggling to nd the right words to adequately describe how much we were
helped by the Child Witness Centre with our recent court experience.
My daughter is a victim of sexual abuse and we have had an extremely dicult
year. We have done our best to stay positive but at times have found ourselves to
be completely overwhelmed. Even though my daughter’s abuser plead guilty, the
thought of going to court for his sentencing was still very intimidating.
Your caseworker played a fundamental role in preparing us for this experience.
We were supported through the whole process. Your caseworker was amazing and
acted as an advocate for my daughter, including arranging a meeting with the
Crown Attorney. is meeting made all the dierence for us in having a subsequent
positive court experience!
Our caseworker was smart, articulate, compassionate, dedicated, and observ-
ant! She is detailed oriented and has a knack for explaining legal jargon in layman’s
terms. We found her to be very direct and her honesty was actually quite refreshing.
She encouraged my daughter to read her victim impact statement and stood beside
her while she read it. is is a moment I will never forget; I could not have picked a
better person to be there for my daughter!
My family has changed as a direct result of the trauma that we have endured.
However, I am very grateful and feel fortunate for your support. My family truly
beneted from the services that your organization oers. We could not have navi-
gated so successfully through the legal system without your assistance! ank you!
—From the parent of a teen victim who was a client of the
Waterloo Region Child Witness Centre
fourteen

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT