Background
The North Shore Coordinating Committee to End Violence Against Women in Relationships (NS VAWIR) creates a forum for service providers and representatives from the many sectors involved in preventing and responding to violence against women to network and plan around the areas of service delivery, education, and systemic response.
Over the last five years, the Committee has been hosted and supported through coordination and administration by the North Shore Women’s Centre. It is also co-facilitated by the North Shore Family Court and Youth Justice Committee’s (NSFCYJC) Domestic Violence Program Coordinator. The NSFCYJC is a tri-municipally funded committee that oversees issues of domestic violence on the North Shore and reports to municipal mayors and councils, the Provincial Government, etc. A role of the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator is to support and assist the NS VAWIR Committee in achieving its goals and activities. The Coordinator further acts as a liaison between community service providers and the police and court systems.
The Committee includes representation from a wide range of community service providers involved in areas such as policing, probations, victim’s services, crown counsel, health, First Nations, restorative justice, immigrant and multicultural services, counseling, advocacy, and women’s and legal services.
The Committee has been working toward a coordinated response in the following ways:
Service Delivery, Education & Systemic Response
Service Delivery:
In the area of service delivery, the Committee provides opportunities for front line workers and other representatives of member agencies to regularly meet face-to-face to:
- communicate information about their services and referral protocols,
- identify gaps and trends in theirs and other sectors,
- share feedback from clients and improve program planning,
- consider best practices in service delivery for women experiencing violence,
- discover how best to create a continuum of service to clients, and
- discuss how all agencies can form partnerships to maximize funding opportunities.