LSW at the Gatineau Criminal Court: 10 Years Serving Victims of Spousal Abuse

It’s early morning, and Julie is trying to recover from the enormous stress she endured the night before. She  is having a cup of coffee while her three-year-old son finally falls back to sleep. The police took Julie’s husband away during the night; tomorrow he will be appearing in court.  What’s going to happen now?

The position of Liaison Social Worker (LSW) at the Criminal Court was created in 1997 specifically to meet the needs of Julie and other women suffering similar hardships. By contacting Julie the morning of her spouse’s court appearance, the LSW becomes a critical link between Julie and the legal system. The LSW is able to answer Julie’s many questions, and help her deal with the stress that is normal to these types of situations.

Over the years, through sustained cooperation among social, judicial and community case workers working in the area of spousal abuse, the Outaouais region has developed mechanisms to address this problem.
In December 1995, the region implemented the Politique d'intervention en matière de violence conjugale [policy on action to be taken in cases of spousal abuse].  The policy stemmed from a coroner’s inquest examining the murder of a woman and her child in Baie-Comeau on September 9, 1996 that demonstrated the need for concerted action among all partners to prevent, detect and stop spousal abuse. The region also identified the need  to support women throughout the whole legal process.

The LSW (LSW) program was designed to addresses these same concerns. It reflects many of the policy objectives and recommendations made in the 1996 coroner’s report and enables us to identify areas where there is a lack of coordination and cooperation among the various support and intervention services. We can now address the lack of cooperation and provide women, who are victims of spousal abuse, with a systematic support.

The initiative is the result of the efforts of  organizations with different mandates, cultures and roles. It was initiated by the Table de concertation en matière de violence conjugale [Coalition Against Spousal Abuse] for the Hull/Grande-Rivière territory. The Coalition consists of f two police department representatives, the Outaouais Crime Victims Assistance Centre (CAVAC), representatives of safe houses for women victims of spousal abuse, Women’s Centres and representatives from the education sector.

The LSW initiative, whose aim is to reach all women in the region, is administered by the Outaouais CAVAC. Other organizations subsequently have since joined, including the Gatineau Crown attorney’s office, the Outaouais correctional services (probation and detention) and Outaouais youth centres.
Owing to the real and substantial needs of victims and workers involved with spousal abuse, the initiative immediately drew everyone’s recognition. The specific objectives of the LSW position are:

• To provide women with greater safety and greater support by promoting close cooperation among social service professionals, prosecutors and police officers;
• To provide victims of spousal abuse and their immediate families with accurate and accessible information;
• To support and assist victims throughout the entire duration of legal proceedings;
• To inform victims about and refer them to specialized resources best able to meet their individual needs;
• To promote better communication among the various partners: prosecutor, defense counsel, police officers, safe houses, CAVAC, CALAS, CLSC, and hospitals; and
• To collect and analyze data about  spousal abuse and judicial intervention to improve our understanding and our interventions.

Based on these objectives, the duties of the LSW with the Outaouais CAVAC are to get in touch with the victim of spousal abuse and inform her of her rights , of any implication of the criminal charge. Upon making contact with the victim, the LSW ascertains what the victim’s needs and what release conditions for the accused best meet her situation.

The LSW provides the Crown attorney assigned to the case with an overview of the victim’s situation and the release conditions for the accused that would suit her best. In the vast majority of cases, the LSW contacts the victim immediately after the accused’s court appearance to inform her of the outcome in court. The LSW will either to provide her with details of the release conditions (where applicable), or to inform her of the next court date. In addition, the LSW will contact with the victim if any changes are made to the conditions of the accused’s release conditions.

Frequently, people who are victims of spousal abuse are ambivalent about criminal legal proceedings. Through interviews, the LSW helps victims of spousal abuse make decisions about the complaint process and reviews all of the consequences of different actions, for example, the consequences of withdrawing the complaint. The social worker talks with the victim about protection strategies specific to her situation and refers her to the available assistance resources in her area. Even more importantly, the LSW remains a critical link, regardless of the outcome of the legal proceedings.

Another one of the LSW’s main functions is to establish cooperative links among  transition homes/shelters, the head office of the Outaouais CAVAC and regional police departments. Through personalized referrals, the social worker can contact, at the victim’s request, the case worker concerned and provide a summary of the situation or directly refer the victim. The social worker is also available to provide public legal information to the various resources dealing with the victim or her family, such as child protection services.

Finally, because of her location within the Crown attorneys' offices in Gatineau and  frequent attendance at accused persons’ court appearances, the LSW is able to make the various judicial resources more aware of the special problem of spousal abuse.

Folloiwing,  the Citizen Service Statement developed by the Quebec Ministry of Justice, the Outaouais CAVAC decided, in 2002-2003, to adapt this service to victims of sexual assault, family violence, and elder abuse. Two full-time workers currently provide victims of abuse in the Gatineau region with Liaison Social Worker services. This type of intervention is also carried out by case workers with the Outaouais CAVAC in the neighbouring communities of Campbell’s Bay and Maniwaki.

The future of this initiative is  promising. Each year, approximately 450 victims of spousal abuse obtain the services of the LSW at the Gatineau Criminal Court. After 10 years of service, the time is ripe for taking stock and updating relationships among the various partners in the Outaouais region. One fact remains: quick access by victims to accurate information is one of the crucial elements that encourage victims to  take  a stand against spousal abuse.

Julie’s husband appeared in court this morning and was charged with assault. He was released subject to the following conditions: that he not contact Julie nor be in her physical presence, that he comply with the ruling of a competent court concerning access rights to his son, that he not consume alcohol, and so on.  With the help of the LSW, Julie will obtain a copy of the release conditions and knows what she has to do to ensure her safety if her husband fails to comply with his release conditions. On the case worker’s advice, she also contacted a safe house where she will be able to stay and obtain support for both herself and her son. She now knows that someone can answer her many questions and provide her with the information she needs on how the Criminal Court proceedings are progressing. In spite of this difficult time, she feels someone is listening to her and understands…

Kathleen Dufour, Director
Outaouais CAVAC