Raven’s Nest Child & Youth Advocacy Centre
In local traditional Indigenous knowledge, Raven’s wings are strong enough to carry the burdens of all, and bring them to a place of healing. Our hope is that Raven’s Nest can be part of your journey to healing or helping others in their journey
Compassion, Confidential, Collaborative.
Raven’s Nest CYAC gives free, confidential, and centralized support to children and youth who have experienced and/or witnessed violence. Raven’s Nest provides a client-informed response to identification, prosecution, and treatment of children and youth. The Raven’s Nest advocacy team will guide clients through the legal system, continuing to offer emotional support before, during and after the entire process.
Raven’s Nest is located in a confidential location in the Cowichan Valley separate from the Evans street office. To intake, please call 250-606-1712 or email cyacintakeravensnest@cwav.org and our advocates will be happy to direct you to our secure space.
Guiding Principles
Timely Response
We streamline our response to decrease the negative impact and trauma to the child and their caregivers that arises from unnecessary repetition of their story.
Collaboration
Through open and effective communication, the needs and perspectives of each participant are respected and honoured.
Recognition
Clients and service providers collaborate to build on strengths, developing the client’s abilities to advance through the criminal justice system and beyond
Zoomer is ready to meet you.
Meet Zoomer, a golden retriever-labrador with a very special job! He is a Facility Support and Courthouse Dog for Raven's Nest Child and Youth Advocacy Centre. His job involves supporting children and youth who have experienced violence as they navigate the criminal justice system. Sometimes that looks like lying at their feet while they testify or cuddling up before and after forensic interviews with police officers. When he's not supporting clients, he is either eating snacks, snoring away, or going for a long walk in hopes of finding more dog friends! To follow along with Zoomer's career updates, find him on Instagram @watch_me_zoom
Raven’s Nest strives to support all children from diverse backgrounds while they navigate the justice system.
If a child discloses any form of abuse, a legal duty to report exists. Call the 24/7 abuse reporting line at
1.800.633.9122
Raven’s Nest CYAC serves the Cowichan Valley. Please click the button below to email us or call
250-606-1712
Services
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Police Forensic Interviews with Plain-Clothed Officers
Court Preparation
Justice System Support and Info
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Referrals to Resources
Caregiver Support
Education for Everyone
How Child Advocacy Helps
A Child and Youth Advocacy Center brings together a multidisciplinary team, made up of police, child protection workers, medical staff, mental health professionals, justice agencies, child and family advocates, etc, to work together to ensure that the needs of the youth are prioritized throughout the whole process. Raven’s Nest is amongst a growing number of CYACs across Canada that have proven to be successful in ensuring that the traumatisation of a youth when participating in the judicial and court process is reduced. Our model aims to reduce the number of times the youth has to tell their story by bringing all the resources under one roof, in a child-friendly environment to make the youth as comfortable as possible. Our program operates within the Cowichan Valley, with our physical center based in Duncan.