Victim services regional model

Regional model

To improve stability, consistency and sustainability of victim’s services in communities across Alberta, the Government of Alberta has implemented a new regional model for RCMP-based victim services.

If you are a victim of crime and wish to contact a victim services provider, use the victim serving organizations page.

The province is divided into 4 service delivery regions that match the RCMP district boundaries map.

Four independent but integrated Regional Victim Serving Societies provide a coordinated system of services and supports under these 6 pillars of service delivery:

• Meet: with victims of crime and/or tragedy as an essential service responder, with or without volunteer advocate assistance.
• Mitigate: on behalf of their clients, mitigate the immediate aftereffects of an event (for example, information on services and supports, etc.).
• Refer: as a warm handoff, clients to appropriate government, non-government, community, and professional resources and supports.
• Accompany: clients through the ensuing criminal justice system process, from the initial police investigation, through pre-trial, criminal prosecution and sentencing.
• Coordinate: services across the region including local teams of staff and volunteer advocates.
• Engage: with communities at various levels including partnership development, outreach activities, information sharing, and attending local celebrations, cultural events, Indigenous ceremonies, etc.

Victim services will continue to be accessible in communities across Alberta co-located within RCMP detachments where appropriate.

Regionalization

The decision to move to the regional model was made with careful consideration of the current challenges facing the system. A comprehensive review of the previous system identified inconsistencies and gaps in services that had been developing over a long period of time and needed to be addressed.

Four Alberta Regional Victim Serving Societies (south, central, east and west) provide a broad range of services under the Victims of Crime and Public Safety Act and regulation, and in partnership with the Government of Alberta, the Alberta RCMP, specialized and community-based victim serving organizations, municipalities and other local agencies. It is a more structured, consistent and sustainable service delivery system.

With a renewed focus on the needs of victims (victims of crime, tragedy, and other non-criminal events), this approach maintains local frontline employees, while adding staff support services at a regional level. This streamlines operations, fosters collaboration both within and across regions, and ensures all Albertans have fair access to critical victim services.

The societies assist victims of crime throughout the criminal justice process by providing information, support and referrals in alignment with the 6 pillars of service delivery.

The societies also support communities by providing resources and support to people undergoing loss and tragic circumstances. Service delivery is responsive to the needs, concerns and priorities of program clients. The service delivery regions align with RCMP district boundaries map.

Contact

To find a victim services provider in your area including the Alberta Regional Victim Serving Societies, use the victim serving organizations page.