Alberta child advocacy centres report increases in demand for services

Four Alberta child advocacy centres, which help child abuse survivors and their families, say they have seen recent increases in demand for their services. 

Edmonton's Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre supported more than 4,270 young people last year — an 11 per cent increase over 2021. Supports include court preparation and accompaniments, forensic interviews, sessions with facility dogs, and trauma treatment.

An impact report released Tuesday said the number of children and youth being supported has been steadily increasing since 2019.

"We're kind of bursting at the seams," CEO Emmy Stuebing said in an interview.

"We only have four interview rooms, we only have six family rooms, and with the high, high numbers coming, it's really impacted the people working here, as well as just our limited resources," she said.

The Zebra Centre opened fewer new cases last year than in 2021 and conducted fewer child forensic interviews, but made 63 per cent more referrals in 2022. 

Government grants make up about 65 per cent of the Zebra Centre's funding; the rest comes from donations, Stuebing said.

Child advocacy centres collect and report statistics differently, making comparisons difficult, but several other centres in the province have also reported recent increases in demand for their services.

The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre in Red Deer saw an 11 per cent increase in the number of child forensic interviews conducted in its 2021-2022 fiscal year. 

And from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022, it supported 1,048 young people and families — up from 458 during the previous reporting period. 

The Caribou Child and Youth Centre in Grande Prairie and the Bison Child and Youth Advocacy Centre in High Level, which report statistics together, saw an eight per cent increase in the number of child forensic interviews during the last calendar year.

Increased awareness

Nicole Bockus, program co-ordinator for the Caribou Child and Youth Centre, said multiple factors could have contributed to the rise, including increased awareness of child advocacy centres.

She said the "Me Too" movement and Child Abuse Prevention Month in October have helped raise awareness about child abuse. 

"People are now becoming more comfortable with coming forward and telling our team that they've experienced or witnessed an abuse," Bockus said.

The Edmonton Police Service says data on child abuse files is not yet ready for 2022, but there were 411 such files in 2021 — a 26 per cent increase over the previous year. 

The EPS numbers don't include carry-over files from previous years, a spokesperson said.

Organizations that help adult abuse survivors have also recently reported more demand for their services. Some adult survivors are waiting more than a year for counselling through the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

"The whole ecosystem is struggling," Stuebing said. "All of us could use support to grow our resources."

Stuebing said the Zebra Centre triages cases to make sure children who need urgent help receive it.