MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES Violence Against Women

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MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL
SERVICESViolence Against Women

• Family Services Day
• May 11, 2011

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Purpose

• To provide an overview of
• Violence Against Women (VAW) programs, services
  and funding within the context of MCSS
• Factors that influence policy decision-making
• Key achievements
• Current VAW policy activities

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2011 Ontario Budget

• On March 29, the Finance Minister delivered
  Ontarios 2011 Budget.
• The government committed its intention to
  eliminate Ontarios deficit by 2018 while making
  investments in education and healthcare.  
• Although our programs were not highly profiled,
  our ministrys budget increased by 5.5 over last
  year (506.3 million) to 9.8 billion, which is
  7.9 of overall provincial budget of 124.1
  billion.
• The budget increase is primarily for social
  assistance and developmental services
• 1 increase in social assistance (over 465
  million)
• 40 million increase for developmental services
• 15 million to support people who are living at
  home through Passport and Special Services at
  Home
• 25 million for agencies to provide critical
  support and stabilize funding to hundreds of
  people who are in need of urgent care

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MCSS Budget - 9.8 Billion
The 2011-12 budget for MCSS is 9.8 billion. The
following are the top six budget commitments
Program 2011-12 Budget ( Million)
Financial Employment Supports 7662.8
Developmental Services 1695.9
Adults' Social Services - includes VAW, interpreter and intervener services, homelessness initiatives, domiciliary hostels and Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy 281.1
Family Responsibility Office 50.3
Accessibility Directorate of Ontario 17.6
Ministry Administration 40.2
We provide over 141 million annually to VAW
programs and services. That is a 46 increase
since 2003.
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Ontarios Strategic Fiscal Cycle
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
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2010/11 VAW Interim Actual Expenditures
Includes Other Broader Public Sector Services
i.e. Federal Non-profit Housing Program, OCHAP
Rent Supplement, Client Satisfaction Survey
funding.
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MCSS Funded VAW Programs

• Counselling
• 28.1M in 2010/11
• The funding to community-based counselling
  agencies helps women and their children overcome
  the effects of abuse
• Approximately 60,000 women and 12,000 children
  served annually
• Transitional and Housing Support Program (THSP)
• 14.3M in 2010/11
• This program helped over 20,700 abused women last
  year find and maintain housing and connect with
  community supports such as counselling, legal
  services, job training and parenting
• There are 127 transfer payment agencies
  delivering the program, including shelters,
  counselling agencies, and second stage housing
  providers
• Early Intervention Program for Child Witnesses of
  Woman Abuse
• 6.1M in 2010/11
• This program helps children recover from the
  effects of witnessing woman abuse and helps
  abused women with parenting issues
• Approximately 130 support groups serving 3,000
  women and 5,000 children

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Violence Against Women Programs contd

• Shelters
• 81.1M in 2010/11 for 97 emergency shelters for
  abused women
• More than 2000 shelter beds are available in
  communities across the province, serving
  approximately 14,000 women and 10,000 children
  annually
• Province-Wide Crisis Help lines
• 2.6M in 2010/11 provided annually to support
  telephone counselling services that provide
  support, information and referrals
• This includes 1M to support the Assaulted
  Womens Helpline that provides province-wide
  service in English and multiple languages through
  a translation service and 1M to support the
  province-wide French line
• This also includes 0.5M to support the 97 local
  shelter crisis lines
• According to latest data available, approximately
  92,500 calls are received annually
• Domestic Violence Community Coordinating
  Committees
• 1.4M in 2010/11
• DV3Cs are community-based committees that include
  representation from womens service agencies
  (e.g., shelters, counselling agencies, family
  services) and the justice, health and education
  sectors
• Currently there are 44 DV3Cs unevenly distributed
  throughout the province. Most regions have three
  to six committees, while south west region has
  ten and Toronto region has only one

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Key Achievements

• In addition to funding enhancements, the ministry
  has led a number of policy initiatives in the
• following areas
• Enhancing VAW sector capacity
• Training of front-line VAW workers
• Social Housing Provider Training
• Funding collaboration forums
• Two French Language Services Forums
• Domestic Violence Community Coordinating
  Committee Forum
• CAS/VAW Collaboration Agreement Consultations
• Child Witness Service Provider Forum

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Key Achievements cont.

• Enhancing the quality of service delivery
• Revised VAW Client Satisfaction Survey
• VAW Policy Framework
• Guidelines to VAW Shelter Policy and Procedure
  Development
• VAW Shelter Survey
• Improving VAW services to Aboriginal women
• Violence Against Aboriginal Women Training
• Renewal of Aboriginal Healing and Wellness
  Strategy (AHWS)
• Aboriginal Help Line for abused women living in
  northern and remote areas (under development)
• Providing funding to an Aboriginal Domestic
  Violence Community Coordinating Committee

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Moving Forward - Key Influences
A number of internal and external reports have
influenced VAW policy directions in the past and
will continue to do so as we move forward
December 2004
2008 and 2009
Fall 2007
July 2009
April 2011
Domestic Violence Action Plan
Domestic Violence Death Review Committee Reports
Strategic Framework to End VAAW
Domestic Violence Advisory Council Report
Sexual Violence Action Plan
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Domestic Violence Action Plan

• The Domestic Violence Action Plan (DVAP) was
  developed through a Ministerial Steering
  Committee involving the following 13 ministries
• Ministry of Community and Social
  Services Ministry of Children and Youth Services
• Ministry of the Attorney General Ministry of
  Municipal Affairs and Housing
• Ministry of Public Infrastructure and
  Renewal Ministry of Northern Development and
  Mines
• Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional
  Services Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Training, Colleges and
  Universities Ministry of Health and Long-term
  Care
• Office of Francophone Affairs Ministry of
  Consumer and Business Services
• Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
  (includes the Ontario Seniors Secretariat and the
  Ontario Womens Directorate)
• DVAP strategic direction and policy initiatives
  are determined largely through an
  inter-ministerial process led by the Ontario
  Womens Directorate.
• The DVAP has resulted in a comprehensive,
  balanced approach across ministries designed to
  better protect women and children now and reduce
  domestic violence in the future.

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Domestic Violence Action Plan Achievements

• Better community-based supports for victims,
  including
• Increased MCSS funding by 48 per cent for
  programs to help victims of domestic violence
• Access to health, legal and social services in 60
  languages for nearly 6,000 women through our
  Language Interpreter Services program
• 369 more shelter beds
• Earlier intervention for women and children at
  risk by
• Training 22,000 front-line professionals and
  service providers, like emergency room doctors
  and nurses, to identify domestic violence and
  support victims
• Setting new measures in the Occupational Health
  and Safety Act to address workplace violence,
  including domestic violence and harassment
• Public education campaigns that change attitudes
  and prevent violence from happening by
• Engaging 200 communities through the Neighbours,
  Friends and Families campaign, helping them
  recognize the signs of abuse, how to help, and
  where to find services in the community
• A stronger justice system response, including
• A domestic violence court program in 54 Ontario
  court jurisdictions
• Changes in family law to give women better access
  to restraining orders
• More services for the francophone community,
  including
• New francophone shelters in Toronto and Timmins
• Enhancements to the French crisis line

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Response to Reports

• The ministry has taken several steps to respond
  to recommendations contained in these reports
• including, but not limited to

Report Recommendation Ministry Response
Violence Against Aboriginal Women Strategic Framework To improve services to Aboriginal women who are victims of violence. Aboriginal specific DV3C Aboriginal help line (in development)
Domestic Violence Death Review Reports A need to increase collaboration between the VAW and CAS sectors. Undertake a review of the existing CAS/VAW Collaboration Agreements.
Domestic Violence Advisory Council Report Maintain and enhance current investments in the VAW system. 0.85M annual increase to base funding for VAW counselling agencies retroactive to April 1, 2009.
A need to break down government silos and create a more interconnected and collaborative approach across the VAW system. 0.40M to enhance base funding of existing DV3Cs and fund an additional five committees beginning in 2009/10, to increase their capacity and overall collaborative efforts across sectors to improve the community response to domestic violence.
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Other Key Influences

• Government Platform
• The government platform sets the agenda for the
  four year mandate of the government
• Minister
• As policy analysts it is our job to present
  ministry senior management and the Minister with
  informed policy advice and implement the policy
  based on Ministers direction
• VAW Regional Office Leads
• VAW leads have a direct relationship with VAW
  agencies which includes service contract
  management
• MCSS meets with the VAW regional leads on a
  monthly basis to gather input on all corporate
  policy initiatives with a focus on strategic
  operational planning and implementation
• VAW leads participate on all corporate led
  working groups
• VAW Stakeholders
• Where possible, MCSS consults directly with
  representatives from the VAW sector to gather
  input on our ministry initiatives
• CDSB welcomes the opportunity to meet with
  stakeholders to learn more about the
  issues/challenges and successes experienced in
  the field
• Involvement of regional offices and our
  stakeholders is integral to the success of VAW
  initiatives.

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Current Key VAW Activities

• The ministry is currently focusing on the
  following priorities
• Aboriginal Womens Helpline Project in the North
• Review of the CAS/VAW Collaboration Agreements
• Renewal of Aboriginal Healing and Wellness
  Strategy
• VAW Provincial Strategic Plan
• Mental Health and Addictions
• Participation on the Sexual Violence Action Plan
  Interministerial Working Group (led by the
  Ontario Womens Directorate)