SERVICE DECLARATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES

Service Declaration and Complaint Mechanisms For Women Victims of Sexual Assault Receiving Support from CALACS Chateauguay.

Sexual Assault Centre, CALACS Châteauguay
Adopted on April 12th 2024

Table of Contents

1. Name of the organization ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
2. Our mission ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
3. Our values…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
4. Services offered to victims………………………………………………………………………….. 6
5. Our commitments to you…………………………………………………………………………….. 8
6. Complaint mechanism…………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
a) The person responsible for receiving complaints ………………………………………. 9
b) The procedure for filing a complaint …………………………………………………………. 9
c) The victim’s right to be informed of the outcome of their complaint ……………………………. 9
d) The complaint processing timeframe……………………………………………………………………9
7. Contact information and hours of operation……………………………………………………………………. 10
8. Adoption (or Revision) date of the service declaration……………………………… 10

1. Name of the organization

Chateauguay Sexual Assault Centre (CALACS – Centre d’aide et de lute contre les agressions à caractère sexuel)

2. Our mission

The Chateauguay Sexual Assault Centre (CALACS – Centre d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel) is an independent community organization:
➢ providing appropriate support to female teenagers (12 years and older) and women who have experienced sexual assault;
➢ raising public awareness about the need for preventive action against sexual violence;
➢ advocating against sexual violence and continuously defending the rights of sexual assault survivors and all women to live safely, with respect for their integrity and privacy.

3. Our values

Advocacy
Its main purpose is to inform women of their rights, to actively support them in the exercise of asserting them, both individually and collectively. Advocacy also includes publicly and politically denouncing the socio-judicial treatment of sexually assaulted women and demanding change.

Social Change
We are still coming to the same conclusions about the inequalities and injustices against women. The social and patriarchal structure of our society and its institutions must change because as such, they keep women in a secondary role and position, trivialize and enable violence against women and keep women in a state of vulnerability. Social change inevitably passes through the transmission of our values, our principles, and our feminist analysis of sexual assault.

Accessibility
It is reflected in the constant concern that the centre should be accessible from a geographical, cultural, structural and life experience point of view.

Equity
The centre prioritizes equity—first, among women themselves. Second, it ensures fairness in the activities and services offered across the different “sectors” of our territory and among the four (4) areas of work: support, prevention-awareness, advocacy, and administration.

Equality
It is positioned as the foundation of our struggles for women’s equality with men, aiming to ensure that women are recognized as full citizens and seen as equal members capable of economic, cultural, legal, political, and social emancipation. Equality also exists among women themselves, meaning that their respective rights, responsibilities, and opportunities do not depend on factors such as race, disability, or other circumstances.

Democracy
It represents a fundamental value of the CALACS, which was established “by and for women”. It is central to the functioning of our organization, which is based on the sharing of power between the authorities, the workers and, more broadly, the people who frequent it.

Integrity
The center wants to be coherent and consistent with its values both in practice and in theory. The values that are advocated are present both in intervention with sexually assaulted women, in prevention-awareness, in representations and in the functioning and management of the organization.

Solidarity
For us, it is synonymous with mutual aid and complicity between all the women who frequent the organization, regardless of their status.
It also translates in the collaborations and actions carried out with and for other women’s groups and other community groups, for example, on issues related to the status of women or the recognition and autonomy of community groups.

Transparency and Honesty
It is important for members of the Collective, workers and interns to be transparent and honest both in the information they hold and share with others and in all their actions.

Respect
It is based on the importance of considering the values and philosophy of the CALACS in all its pracyices, with the concern of not undermining them.
Respect must also be at the heart of relations between all the women who work and gravitate within the CALACS. In this sense, interpersonal and professional relationships must be free from all forms of violence and harassment.

4. Services offered to victims

The CALACS is…

• A non-profit community organiztiion, founded in 1979 by women for women.
• A pro-active, feminist, non-racist organization working to end all forms of sexual violence.
• A group open to all women, respecting their values and beliefs. This includes racialized women and those from migrant backgrounds, women with diverse physical, intellectual, or cognitive abilities, women from sexual diversity, Indigenous women, and women facing other forms of discrimination.

Our objective is to help women 12 years of age and older who have been sexually assaulted. Our services are free, confidential, bilingual and accessible. Interpretation services are also available.

Services

Telephone Counselling :
The telephone counselling service provides an opportunity to receive brief support or information from a counsellor. This service offers listening, assistance, and referrals during the phone call, but it is not a substitute for ongoing support needs, such as regular one-on-one follow-up with a dedicated counsellor. It also allows you to initiate a request for the various services available.

The organization strives to have a counsellor available during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM), but access is not guaranteed. You may leave a message to receive a return call at the earliest opportunity.

Individual Counselling:
Meetings with a support worker to help the individual address the consequences related to sexual assault through discussions, activities, reflection, and more. The person receiving support and the support worker will work together to identify objectives based on the person’s needs, difficulties, and the means to achieve these goals. These meetings are typically held biweekly, depending on the arrangements made with the support worker, and usually span 10 sessions.

These meetings are not psychotherapy but rather a helping relationship that provides listening, support, and information about the issue and the impacts of sexual assault. Mutual respect and atention to the person’s pace are key elements in establishing this helping relationship.

Support Groups :
There are several support group formats for survivors 18 years and older. These meetings provide a space for sharing to combat isolation, foster mutual support, and encourage collective action among participants. These gatherings are also an opportunity to explore various themes based on the group’s format.

Participants must also adhere to and respect our moral commitment contract; otherwise, measures may be taken with the individual who violates the contract. This could ultimately result in their exclusion from the support group or even from CALACS Chateauguay.

Café-Rencontre :
Unlike other group formats, the Café-rencontre group offers an open format for survivors 18 years and older. These meetings aim, among other things, to address our waitlist while providing a safe space for women to connect with others who share similar experiences of sexual assault, without requiring a commitment to atend every scheduled session. The meetings take the form of sharing to break isolation, foster mutual aid, and encourage social action among participants. Each session is tied to a different theme (e.g., sexuality, defense mechanisms, consequences, etc.).

As with all our support services, participants are required to adhere to and respect our moral commitment contract. Failure to do so may result in measures being taken against the individual, including potential exclusion from the support group or even from CALACS Chateauguay’s services.

Support Meeting for Loved Ones and Relatives:
A meeting for a loved one (parent, partner, sibling, etc.) of a teenager or adult survivor to obtain general information about sexual assault and receive support in their role alongside the victim. These meetings also allow loved ones to express the impacts of sexual assault in their daily lives and receive guidance in developing strategies to manage the situation.

This service is separate from the survivor’s sessions. A distinct support worker will handle the “loved one follow-up,” and confidentiality will be maintained for both parties.

Accompaniment Services:
Meetings that allow a person seeking help to obtain information and/or support regarding legal, medical, and psychosocial steps following a sexual assault. The support worker can also provide referrals to appropriate resources. She may assist the person in accessing these resources (for example, by supporting them in dratiing an IVAC application). However, she is not responsible for accessing these resources, cannot act on behalf of the victim, and cannot be held liable for external requests made to CALACS Chateauguay.

5. Our Commitment to You

For CALACS Chateauguay, it is essential that victims who begin a process within the organization receive professional and high-quality services. That is why CALACS Chateauguay is committed to:

➢ Ensuring confidentiality;
➢ Providing a space that is as safe as possible, while acknowledging that we cannot guarantee this sense of safety for the users of our services;
➢ Treating individuals with dignity and respect;
➢ Promoting the autonomy of victims;
➢ Ensuring that its support workers are equipped to adopt an anti-oppressive approach;
➢ Offering free assistance services;
➢ Demonstrating professionalism.

– Make this service statement available on the following platiorms and supports:

➢ Our website at: htps://calacs-chateauguay.ca/
➢ A welcome document given to new teenager girls and women seeking services from the organization, in which we inform them of the existence of this statement and how to access it.

6. Complaint Mechanism

Mindful of providing a service that meets the expectations of women who reach out to us, CALACS Chateauguay is commited to fulfilling its mission in alignment with its values while striving to support women who are victims of sexual assault and their loved ones. A complaint process has been established to resolve potential disagreements between users of our services and the organization.

a) The Person Responsible for Receiving complaints
CALACS Chateauguay operates as a Collective. This means that multiple individuals share the powers of governance and hold the legal and financial responsibilities of the organization. The collective serves as the employer and is currently composed of five administrators.

b) The Procedure for Submiting a Complaint
Si vous êtes insatisfaite d’un service reçu ou non, vous devez suivre les étapes suivantes:

b) La procédure pour présenter une plainte
If you are dissatisfied with a service received (or not received), you must follow these steps:

➢ Complete the complaint form atached and send it to the Collective of CALACS Chateauguay to the following address, to share your experience and explore potential solutions ::

CALACS Châteauguay
c/o Collective Members
Case postale 47030
Châteauguay, Québec, J6K 5B7

Or via this email address: collective@calacs-chateauguay.ca
* Please note that we cannot accept complaints by phone.

➢ Upon receiving the complaint form, an acknowledgment of receipt will be sent by email within 10 business days of receipt. The members of the Collective will review the complaint, and a decision will be made.
➢ The Right of the Victim to be Informed of the Outcome of their Complaint Once the complaint has been processed, a writen notice will be sent to the complainant to inform them of the results of the review and propose solutions.
➢ At any time, if the solutions proposed to the complainant remain unsatisfactory, the complainant has the right to request a review by the Collective. The process will be the same as for the initial complaint. The Collective will reassess the complaint and atempt to propose alternative solutions. If the complainant remains unsatisfied, the Collective may provide contact information for other organizations that may beter address their needs.

d) Complaint Processing Time
Once the complaint form is duly completed, it will be processed within 60 business days of receipt.

7. Contact Information and Hours of Operation

Telephone: (450) 699-8258
Email address: info@calacs-chateauguay.ca
Website: www.calacs-chateauguay.ca
Facebook: CALACS Châteauguay
Instagram : calacs_chateauguay
Hours of operation : 9h – 12h et 13h – 17h

8. Adoption Date of the Service Statement

12 avril 2024

Service Statement – CALACS Châteauguay

Contact Information

Sexual Assault Help and Advocacy Center (CALACS)
Canada
Website: https://calacs-chateauguay.ca/
Email: info@calacs-chateauguay.ca
Phone: 450-699-8258

Data Requests

For the most commonly submitted requests, we also offer the option of using our data request form:

We have designated a person responsible for the organization’s policies and practices, to whom complaints or requests may be sent:
Chantal Robitaille