Kitchener
Location
The Child Witness Centre is located
at 100 Lancaster Street East, across the street from the Ontario Court of Justice. This is a non-institutional and comfortable place for children and
youth to receive court preparation and support services, and wait before
testifying in court.
Court
Waiting Rooms
Children and youth who are required to testify in court may wait at the
Child Witness Centre or at the courthouse,
in a child friendly Court
Anteroom.
These
waiting rooms ensure that the confidentiality and safety of young witnesses
is respected.
The
rooms are safe and comfortable environments - where the children can
play games, colour, and watch movies during their wait.
Interview
Room
During criminal investigations, the police and other professionals can
videotape interviews with child victims in a child-friendly environment.
Police have priority access to the videotaping room, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
After
the videotaped interview is completed, the child does not have to repeatedly
recount the details of the abuse, reducing the likelihood of further
trauma.
For
young child victims, some of whom are not yet able to read, videotaping
provides a means for reviewing their statements prior to court - just
as an adult can refer to a written statement.
Cambridge
Location
The
Child Witness Centre operates an office in Cambridge (by appointment only), where
children appearing as witnesses at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cambridge
receive court preparation and support services, and wait before testifying in court. This location is
funded by the West Cambridge Optimists Club.
This
waiting room ensures that the confidentiality and safety of young witnesses
is respected, and avoids the child having to sit in the crowded corridors of the courthouse in close proximity to the accused.
Wellington County Location
Located in the Ontario Court of Justice, Guelph, the Child Witness Centre operates an office in Guelph (by appointment only), where children appearing as witnesses at the Ontario Court of Justice in Guelph receive court preparation and support services, and wait before testifying in court.
This waiting room ensures that the confidentiality and safety of young witnesses is respected, and avoids the child having to sit in the crowded corridors of the courthouse in close proximity to the accused.
Mount Forest Location
The Mount Forest OPP Detachment now has a child-friendly interview room that can also be used for court preparation. Furnishings and equipment were purchased by the Child Witness Centre.
