Discussion summary

Supporting Child Victims of Abuse Through the Criminal Justice System: A Collaborative Approach 

Janis Rotman Rountable 2025-2026

Child abuse is a devastating and pervasive social issue with far-reaching impacts on the health and mental wellbeing of children and families. While child abuse survivors often seek accountability in the criminal justice system, its structures and processes often produce additional trauma. 

In late 2025, the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work brought together leading experts from across the province to explore this problem, discuss solutions to mitigate the current system’s harmful effects, and create more supportive, effective pathways to justice.   

The second annual Janis Rotman Roundtable on November 25 addressed a wide range of topics over several hours of conversation among more than 20 frontline social workers, researchers, legal professionals, representatives from children’s and victims’ advocacy organizations, and adults with lived experience of child abuse.  

Among the participants, there was a shared commitment to keeping children and youth at the centre of the discussion. Alison Albright, the Child & Youth Justice Navigation Lead with Victim Services Toronto — the partner organization for this year’s event — shared a teen’s story of interacting with the criminal justice system over many years and read a survivor’s victim impact statement, where the survivor called the criminal trial “part two” of her trauma. 

“Our aim is to foster connections, share diverse perspectives, and develop ideas and solutions that will advance support and care for survivors of childhood abuse and prevent future abuse and trauma,” said Dean Charmaine Williams in launching the event.  

These were some of the key themes in the discussion:

The complex reality of child abuse

Just over one-third of Canadians have experienced some form of child abuse. While roundtable members acknowledged that abuse affects families from across the social spectrum, several participants highlighted the disproportionate incidence in Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities, whose experiences of systemic discrimination and social inequities contribute to higher rates of substance abuse, intergenerational trauma, and histories of family violence — all of which put children at higher risk.   

The conversation touched on the lack of trust that people from these communities often have in the law enforcement  and criminal justice system due to past harms, such as the police role in forcibly taking  Indigenous children from their families to attend residential schools. Participants argued that this mistrust often deters abuse reporting.   

The ongoing overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities in the child welfare system was also considered, along with the need for more individuals from these groups to be among the social services and legal professionals supporting child abuse survivors.  

“We need to always ask the question, ‘How will this be different for an Indigenous child?’ For example, what does talking to the police mean to Indigenous people?”  

— Ashley Jacobs, Legal Counsel, Indigenous Justice Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Public Service 

“Children and families sometimes think we’re working for the police, so part of our role is letting them know who we work for and that our support is for them. In newcomer communities, some kids are told that if you disclose abuse you risk potential deportation or removal.”  

— Lisa Tomlinson, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto 

“We struggle to balance the message about the duty to report child abuse with helping people be aware of their biases, given the overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities.” 

— Audrey Rastin, Director of Education & Advocacy, Boost  

“It’s important for everyone in the system to be aware of how identity plays out. All of our agencies see a disproportionality of Black, Indigenous, and racialized folks who are marginalized in all kinds of different ways by intersecting identities.” 

— Ambreen Su, Clinical Director, Boost Child and Youth Advocacy Centre 

“If you look at protective factors for a child, caregivers are always monitoring and supporting the child. But these caregivers need support too because they’re often dealing with financial challenges, siblings of the survivor and maybe their own trauma.”  

— Nila Das, Executive Director, Windsor-Essex Child/Youth Advocacy Centre 

“What we perceive as a priority is not actually a priority for a lot of children and youth, for example if they don’t have food on their table or they’re about to be evicted from their home. Thinking about criminal processes isn’t even at the top of their list. We need to centre that person’s immediate needs.” 

— Dupé Daodu, Child Welfare Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism’s Anti-Racism Directorate 

Re-traumatization in the criminal justice system

There was consensus around the table that the existing criminal justice system is often, if not always, a traumatic experience for survivors. From the first abuse disclosure through testifying in pre-trials and trials, children must repeatedly tell the stories of their trauma. This is complicated by their particular developmental stage at the time of the abuse when language acquisition may not have been fully formed, memory development being in formative stages, and a child’s ability to find the words to describe a traumatic experience. These complications are used against them in court where defence lawyers will raise questions about the credibility of their testimonies. 

Some participants pointed to the fact that this compounded trauma occurs at a formative time in children’s development, resulting in long-lasting negative effects on the nervous system. The Roundtable also reflected on survivors’ loss of control of their situations when they seek help, entering a system they often don’t understand — a system designed for adults and where adult sexual violence survivors do not fare well.  

Participants had multiple recommendations for lessening the trauma children feel in the current system, such as: 

• providing equitable access to early and continuing mental health support,  

• ensuring every survivor has an advocate navigator to prepare and guide them and their families through the criminal justice process and beyond,  

• offering a wide range of tailored programs that nurture resilience,  

• involving the child’s whole community, including schools, in their healing. 

One participant underlined the need for all support professionals to remember survivors’ and families’ immediate needs in terms of safety, housing, health, and food security.  

“There’s the trauma of the abuse, and then there’s the trauma of the court process. This second trauma is devastating and often so overlooked . . . We need to make sure that survivors are prepared for court in a child-friendly, developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed way.” 

— Alison Albright, Child & Youth Justice Navigation Lead, Victim Services Toronto 

“We cannot influence or predict the outcome of trials. Our job is to give back to kids what was taken away. We build their self-esteem. We re-establish a sense of trust. We position our staff as positive adult role models in their lives through a mix of play therapy, counselling services, after-school programs, art therapy, drama therapy, yoga, and summer day camps.” 

— Brian Bratt, Executive Director of the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre 

“Even when the system works in the way that it’s set up to, it can do damage to a developing brain that has impacts for the rest of a child’s life. Psychotherapy can help process the experience.” 

— Michael Saini, Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto  

“Peer-reviewed studies have confirmed that children and youth should get mental health support within a few days of their disclosure.” 

— Robin Heald, Executive Director, Child Witness Centre of Waterloo Region 

“I’ve felt intimidated as a social worker walking into a courthouse. Imagine how survivors feel. There’s one way in and one way out, and they may encounter the accused. Even when survivors testify via CCTV in the courthouse, there’s the trauma of physically being in the same building as someone who’s inclined to intimidate you is so real.” 

— Carly Kalish, Chief Executive Officer, Victim Services Toronto 

“We’re doing our best to prepare children for the body blow in court and then we’re helping them repair that body blow. Why aren’t we focusing on what’s happening in that courtroom? How do we make it truly child-centred?”  

— Ramona Alaggia, Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work 

“The support shouldn’t just be limited to the judicial system. The entire community can play a role in supporting the child and family.” 

— Kenneth Inbar, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Innovations, Open Doors Mental Health for Children, Youth, and Families (ODMH) 

Barriers and solutions in the criminal justice system

The roundtable enumerated the many ways that the criminal justice system exacerbates an already difficult experience for children. Participants noted that the system is designed for adults, inherently adversarial, and intimidating. The slow-moving nature of legal processes also came up frequently, along with the threat of cases being stayed or withdrawn when they exceed strict criminal trial deadlines (Jordan limits) set by the Supreme Court of Canada. Shortly after the roundtable, the federal government announced proposed legislation that would require courts to consider alternate remedies for court delays.   
  
Participants from the legal profession spoke of some existing efforts to create a more trauma-informed system, such as: 1) allowing children to testify via closed-circuit TV in the courthouse; 2)permitting support people and support animals, and 3) offering judge-only trials. 
  
The Roundtable also agreed that every child should have the right to an alternative to testifying at a courthouse. One option is testify remotely from a Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) — a community-based centre that brings together a multidisciplinary team of victim advocates, law enforcement, child protection workers, and mental health professionals to address the needs of children, youth, and families in child abuse cases — rather than a courthouse. 
 
Other contributors pointed to inconsistencies in judges’ rules around where children can testify. Some allow virtual testimony from within the courthouse, others permit testimony at CYACs, and others restrict both options. There was broad agreement that survivors should be able to choose any of these locations, and that the wraparound support at CYACs made them the best option for minimizing trauma. 
  
Several contributors broached the idea of policy changes that would allow alternative or restorative justice options in child abuse cases, given that children and families often find the criminal justice process unsatisfying regardless of the outcome.  

“It’s important to realize that there are ways that our criminal justice system and its participants have attempted to be trauma-informed. Having said that, there are lots of ways that our system could be improved.”  

— Jennifer Stanton, Sexual Violence Advisory Crown Counsel, Toronto Region 

“It shouldn’t just be up to luck, your postal code, who the defencse attorney is or who the judge is. And testifying remotely at a CYAC should be seen as best practice.”  

— Carina Chan, Partner and Family Law, Burrison Hudani Doris LLP, (JD/MSW 2015) 

Training and education needs

Alongside the discussion of how to best prepare children and families for the criminal justice system, there were passionate calls for mandatory training in trauma-informed approaches for police officers, legal professionals, and others involved in child abuse cases. Participants agreed that the training deficit is especially evident in some defence counsel and judges, though there’s wide variability depending on geography and individual approaches.   

Several participants shared their firsthand experiences of defence lawyers using harsh questioning techniques that lead children to believe they’re the ones at fault. Mental health professionals noted that these interactions are central to the trauma induced by the court experience. 

While there was consensus on the need for trauma-informed training, several participants suggested that the first priority was a consistent, research-based definition across the system of what it means to be trauma-informed.  

Roundtable members supported the idea of having specially trained child forensic interviewers act as intermediaries between children and defense lawyers, while recognizing that this could require legislative change. The roundtable heard about a specialized child abuse crown attorney team in Toronto that prosecutes child abuse cases in the Downtown (South) region. This team includes four dedicated Crowns. The roundtable participants suggested that the specialized team should be expanded and available in all child abuse cases regardless of jurisdiction. Unfortunately, a broader, dedicated regional child abuse team used to exist but no longer does  

The Roundtable also explored the need for education about equity and diversity issues for all professionals involved in child abuse cases. 

“There’s a need for more rigorous regulations around cross-examination of children and youth to mitigate the psychological abuse and trauma they often endure in court. The strategies used by some defence lawyers requires enormous repair in mental health treatment.”  

— Heather Gregory, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor and Consultant (Private Practice) 

“We prepare these children to go into court and face the judge, face the crowd, and face the attorney. What’s sometimes missing is on the other side — how well is the judge, the crown, or the defence attorney trauma-informed? Are those adults using any tools on how to talk to children so the child isn’t made to feel as if they’ve done something wrong?” 

— Nkamany Kabamba, Manager, Child & Youth Advocacy Program and Child Victim Witness Support Program, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre 

“I think having the same crown prosecutors working on the same types of cases allows them to build their expertise and knowledge. When the crowns understand this real threat of safety that people feel in the criminal justice system it allows a person to be able to testify to the best of their ability, which, in turn, hopefully helps with a successful prosecution.” 

— Julie Moore, Director, Anti Human Trafficking Programs, Victim Services Toronto 

Collaboration across the system

The conversation often turned to the crucial importance of consistent, effective coordination across the individuals and organizations supporting child abuse survivors. From health care and social service providers to law enforcement and legal professionals, the constellation of people working with children and families aren’t always working together in an optimal way, according to the Roundtable.   

Participants cited competitive funding, a lack of best practices, poor standardization of services, and geographical disparities as some of the reasons for poor collaboration. They recommended the development of integrated case management methods, improved information-sharing that still respects confidentiality, shared best practices, and specific training in collaboration.  

These factors would all enhance the level of support provided by CYACs, according to the Roundtable. A key topic of discussion was the need to strengthen the CYAC model across the province and make it the standard of care for child abuse survivors. Several participants argued that there should be reliable, adequate, consistent government funding of CYACs that enables equitable access to high-quality support centres regardless of people’s location and resources.  

“There’s a lot of strong collaboration out there in the community, but I think as a funder we unfortunately don’t always incentivize that. Governments that provide funding need to look internally to see where we’re contributing to some of those systemic barriers.” 

— Taunya Paquette, Assistant Deputy Minister, Gender Equity Division, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services 

“The level of partnered integration and the success of multidisciplinary teams make or break the ability for a CYAC to support a young person. The CYAC model is still considered a nice-to-have, when it should be a must-have.” 

— Samantha Ward, Child & Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) Project Lead, Cedar Centre  

“Depending on geographic location and funding sources, the rules for support programs are different and not coordinated, and it causes incredible disparities in service.” 

— Ashley Backstrom, Special Projects Manager, Child Wellness Centre 

“It would be helpful to have one person who takes ownership of every child and family’s navigation through the system, producing a written case plan for the year with various check-in points and ensuring coordination and communication across the system.” 

— Lynn Factor, Child Advocate, Boost Child and Youth Advocacy Centre 

Healing in the long term

Roundtable participants stressed that the healing journey for children and youth seeking justice for abuse in the criminal justice system must continue long after the court case concludes, and include caregivers. 

Participants agreed that judicial outcomes did not change the need for continuing support. Several contributors spoke about the value of programs tailored specifically to the needs of family and caregivers who most directly influence the wellbeing of child and youth survivors.  

The Roundtable underlined the need for more and better data on which survivors are and are not accessing support at CYACs to inform outreach efforts. Participants heard about the work of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s new Child and Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRive) lab, co-led by Professor Ramona Alaggia, which aims to provide research-based best practices for professionals and caregivers responding directly to childhood trauma.  

The roundtable also broached the idea of leveraging research on the epigenetic that influence trauma responses in long-term interventions. 

“There’s a lot of research on the genetic heritability factors in PTSD. I think it’s important to understand the biology of what’s happening with children and families.” 

— Michael Yellow Bird, Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba 

Dean Williams closed the roundtable on a hopeful note, urging participants to build on the connections forged at the event and committing the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work to ongoing partnership in research, advocacy, and education that addresses child trauma in the criminal justice system.  

“This is a very complicated issue that’s not going to be solved by any one site or one discipline. It all comes back to the kind of collaboration we saw today. We can’t squander this opportunity to transform systems and support these young people, so we must figure out how to make it happen.”  

Roundtable summary by Megan Easton