A city team dedicated to intervening in high-risk domestic conflict cases is celebrating its one-year anniversary.
The Domestic Conflict Response Team – made up of the Calgary and Area Child and Family Services (CFSA), the Calgary Police Service, and HomeFront – has reviewed 3,514 domestic reports and reached out to 213 high-risk families since the team's inception last December.
They also supported 444 adults and 236 children.
The team started out focusing on northeast families with repeat incidents of domestic violence. They have since expanded to south Calgary and, within the first 10 weeks of the project, one third of the cases reviewed have already been referred to the team's outreach worker.
Within three days of a visit from the police, the team returns to high-risk families to offer them help and make referrals. The team keeps in touch with the families to make sure they are getting the help they need.
A woman identified only as Carma says the team saved her daughter's life. Her daughter, who is developmentally delayed, had been involved in an abusive relationship.
"If it weren't for DCRT and HomeFront, she could still be in (the relationship)," Carma said.
"This program is not only about saving people, it's about breaking the cycle, and I think we've done that for a lot of families," said Police Chief Rick Hanson. "But we also know that we've only scratched the surface. There's more work to be done."
The project has a $1.5-million funding promise over three years.
YWCA has also kicked off this year's Give the Gift of Safety campaign, to help give homeless women and their children a safe place to call home. Details about the campaign can be found on the YWCA's website.
