Central Agencies Sexual Abuse Treatment (CASAT) was created in 1990 by 40 agencies in Toronto to help children recover from trauma such as sexual abuse and support affected children and families. It offers programs for boys and girls ages 6-11 and conducts research. CASAT has a central location in Toronto as well as child care locations and serves children under 18 by providing treatment resources, referrals, and facilitating needed services to help children and families heal from sexual abuse.
1. Child Abuse Agencies
Boost- Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention
http://www.boostforkids.org/
Boost is a registered charity that offers services and programs in order to prevent and eliminate
child abuse and violence. As well as working with youth, child and their families in different
parts of the province. One of Boost’s locations is at 890 Yong Street on the eleventh floor. Boost
is also an agency that helps to spread awareness and educate families, youth and children in
order to prevent child abuse and violence. Boost is also training individuals throughout Ontario
that will them be able to recognize and respond to the suspicions of child abuse. Boost has four
core values which are collaboration, commitment, leadership and integrity. Boost also has events
such as holiday drives during the season to help the families that are struggling in order to help
children from being vulnerable from abuse and violence. Some of the programs that Boost has
going on is Camp Rainbow, Child Victim Witness Support Program, and Child and Youth
Advocacy Centre. Camp Rainbow was first created in order to allow children that had experience
some type of violence or abuse. The camp was two weeks where they would do things such as
swimming and horseback riding, as well gives the opportunity for the children to be in an
atmosphere where they can feel safe and happy. Boost is a great charitable organization that
offers many programs, services and training that will help children and youth from being victims
of abuse and violence, as well as a way for families to get support.
2. The Gatehouse for Children
http://www.thegatehouse.org/gatehouse-children
Arthur Raymond created the Gatehouse that was based on his vision. The vision he had was to
give survivors of child abuse somewhere that will allow them to share their stories, give them
back their voices and to heal their wounds that may have never healed. As well it would it help
the survivors by inspiring them to look in the mirror in order to see the potential they have. The
Gatehouse is located in West Toronto at 3101 Lakeshore Boulevard West. Gatehouse is also a
great location that is welcoming peaceful where child welfare workers and police officers can
conduct interviews with children and families that are involved in child abuse investigations. The
Gatehouse also serves as a place where additional meetings can take place such as case
conference, additional interviews and court preparation. The Gatehouse also has audio and
visual storybooks that help children who suffer child abuse open up about their problems and not
to keep it a secret. By using the storybooks this allows the children to become comfortable and
able to talk more openly about the child abuse they suffered. Also the children can display their
message through creating their own story with pictures that they have drawn in order to help
other children who may not want to talk. As well it offers parents information regarding signs of
abuse, bullying, healthy relationships and how to stay safe. The Gatehouse is a great location for
families and children, especially for children because of the friendly environment that allows
them to discuss their problems without feeling ashamed or sad.
3. Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Program (SCAN)
http://www.sacc.to/gylb/satc/CentreID=31.htm
SCAN is a program that is offered at the Hospital for Sick Children located at 555 University
Avenue on the 6th floor in Toronto. It is at a great location because it accessible to all comers
because families of children within Toronto can have different disabilities or language barriers.
There are numerous things that SCAN does in order to help children and adolescents under the
18 years of age. For example, SCAN helps children and their families by referring them to other
agencies that can help with a better treatment in order to help the children and families heal.
SCAN also provides a forensic assessment of sexual abuse of young children that police officers
or child welfare authorities referred to. This would help to identify the whether the young
children were victims of sexual abuse which lead to SCAN referring other agencies and the
police and welfare authorities to take the proper actions. SCAN has a close tie or relationship
with the Toronto Police Services due to the fact that Toronto Police refers young children to go
there for an assessment to help identify sexual abuse. SCAN also conducts a physical
examination of adolescents and children where sexual abuse is a concern. SCAN can be seen as a
program that is the first step in a process that will help children, adolescents and families get the
necessary help in order to deal with sexual and other forms of child abuse.
4. West End Sexual Abuse Treatment Program
http://www.211toronto.ca/Gatekeeper?WebAppId=fht&RequestedSubmitAction=OrgInfo&searc
hKey=orgid&searchType=featured&searchValue=MET3410&searchAZSubject=organization&s
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The West End Sexual Abuse Treatment Program is a program located at 65 Hartsdale Drive in
Toronto. The program does not only serve Torontonians but also residents that are located in
Etobicoke and the former city of York. Also, the program helps not only children of sexual abuse
but women who have survived through sexual abuse they have faced as a child. The program
offers counselling for the female survivors either individually or as a group. This is a great aspect
because some women may feel more comfortable in a group environment while others may
prefer a one on one type of counselling. Children who have been involved in sexual abuse
investigations involving the police or a child welfare agency will be referred to this program. The
program is also as an interagency that is provided by more than ten Etobicoke and York
agencies. The children can also seek individual or group therapy where their family is involved
in order to make the process easier for them to go through. The program also offers assessment
for children who may be having sexual behavior problems at the age of 12 and under. The
program is also diversified because it offers interpreters for the families who may not have
English as their first language. This program is a great asset because of all the things it offers in
order to help children, their families and female survivors of sexual abuse.
5. Central Agencies Sexual Abuse Treatment- CASAT
http://www.childdevelop.ca/site/PageNavigator/programs_CASAT.html
Central Agencies Sexual Abuse Treatment also known as CASAT was created in 1990 by 40
agencies in Toronto. One of the agencies main priorities is to help children recover from the
traumatic experiences of sexual abuse, as well as other forms of trauma. Another is provide and
support the children and their families whose lives have been negatively affected by sexual
abuse. They also offer a variety of programs that help children in different ways, for example
SNAP Girls and SNAP Boys. These programs serve the purpose of helping boys and girls
between the ages of 6 and 11 who may be engaging in aggressive and physical behavior that
leads to confrontation with the police. Not only does CASAT offer programs and services but
they also conduct research in order to gain more knowledge about child development. There is
one central location within Toronto that is located at 197 Euclid Avenue. Along with the central
location there is also numerous child care locations such as the one at 161 Madison Avenue and
162 Parliament Avenue, both locations within Toronto. CASAT serves an age range from 18
years and under. Some of the things that CASAT offers in regards to sexual abuse happening to
children is resources for treatment. Also, CASAT provides referral services for children who are
seeking the proper treatment after suffering from sexual abuse or some other related trauma.
CASAT also helps to organize and facilitate the services that children and their families need in
order to help them get better. CASAT is a great set of agencies that does a lot to help improve
children’s lives who have suffered from horrendous crimes such as sexual abuse.