Alisa’s Wish Child & Youth Advocacy Centre

Alisa’s Wish Child & Youth Advocacy Centre helps children and youth in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Katzie First Nation who have experienced or witnessed physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

Funded by Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General – Civil Forfeiture and Donors

The Alisa’s Wish Child and Youth Advocacy Centre provides a centralized child/youth friendly wrap-around service for children and youth aged 18 years and younger who are victims of abuse and/or witness to violence, and their non-offending family members.

Tamara Williams – Alisa’s Wish Child & Youth Advocate
Phone: 604-466.3922 – Cell 604-345-3502
Email: twilliams@comservice.bc.ca

Impact

Alisa’s Wish has a big impact on our community.

200

Individuals Helped in 2020

10,000

Clients Supported Since 2013

2,900

Prevention Kits Distribute

How We Help – Victim Advocacy

Alisa’s Wish Child & Youth Advocacy Centre is a home-like, warm, friendly, and welcoming first-entry point for children, youth, and their supportive family members.
Victims are immediately assigned a Child Youth Advocate who supports them from beginning to end of their traumatic journey
The Child Youth Advocate serves as the child/youth/family’s advocate from intake to end of service time; connecting the family with all the support programs that are available to them and the Centre becomes the place where meetings with police, social workers and other service providers are held.

The Centre provides a centralized child/youth friendly wrap-around service for children and youth aged 18 years and younger who are victims of abuse and/or witness to violence, and their non-offending family members.

The Centre is the result of over five years of collaborative efforts by a multidisciplinary team, developed by and, now providing services through the following Partners:

Community Services
Ridge Meadows RCMP
Ministry of Child and Family Development
School District 42/Aboriginal Services
ACT2 Counselling Services
Cythera Transition House Society
Community Based Victim Services
Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General

Alisa’s Wish 2018-2019 Report

Who is Alisa?

Alisa is one child abuse survivor whose name represents the many child and youth victims in our community. Her wish? That all young people in Ridge Meadows receive the best support possible during the worst time of their lives.

Before our Centre became a reality, Ridge Meadows children like Alisa, who experienced or witnessed abuse, typically ended up at the police station. Victims and their families had to navigate their way through a maze of disconnected support services in addition to the nightmare of the abuse itself. They were shuffled around from office to office, from building to building, from police officers and doctors to social workers, counsellors and victim services workers. The creation of the Alisa’s Wish Child and Youth Advocacy Centre changed all that.

The Child and Youth Advocacy Support Group

The Child and Youth Advocacy Support Group provides a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach in a safe, comfortable environment to address the needs of children, youth and their families.

The Alisa’s Wish CYAC Caregiver Support Group is a six-week psycho-educational series for caregivers/parents of child or youth clients of the Centre who are supporting their children through a traumatic experience. Abuse affects the whole family. This group provides some information and a safe setting to share and find support.

For more information about upcoming group times, call the Centre at 604-466-3922.

Topics include:

• Impact of Trauma & Loss
• Safety Planning
• Supporting Your Child
• Strengthening Parenting Skills
• Introduction to the Court Process
• Strengthening Parenting Coping Skills After Trauma
• Self Care and Mindfulness
• Creating a Circle of Support
• Resiliency Skill Development
• Protective Factors: Safeguarding Your Children

For more information about the BC Network of Child and Youth Advocacy Centres check out their website https://www.bccyac.ca/

If you require immediate help please call the Central Screening Team at 604-660-4927 or 1-800-663-9122 (24 hours a day 7 days a week)

If you wish to report an offence please contact:
The Ridge Meadows RCMP
604-463-6251

Resources

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection

A national charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children that aim to reduce the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, assist in the location of missing children, and prevent child victimization through a number of programs, services, and resources for Canadian families, educators, child-serving organizations, law enforcement, and other parties.

Learn More

Responding to Child Welfare Concerns

Your Role in knowing when and what to report Definitions of child abuse & neglect | When & what to report | Warning signs | What to do if a child tells you about abuse – or if you suspect abuse | What to expect when you make a report & what happens next.

Learn More

Stop It Now!

Tip sheets: Four Rs of prevention | Safety planning |Warning signs | Specific information for parents of children with disabilities | Concerning behaviours

Learn More

BC Handbook for Action on Child Abuse and Neglect

Summary of key principles, laws & policies dealing with the abuse and neglect of children in British Columbia

Learn More

“This was a very difficult experience for my child. We greatly appreciated all the support that we have gotten and will continue to get through Alisa’s Wish. I can’t say enough about this service, it is a must in our community.”

– Alisa’s Wish Client