Regional model
To improve stability, consistency and sustainability of victim’s services in communities across Alberta, the Government of Alberta is introducing 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 Find a victim services unit 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, provide empathy, a blanket, a bus ticket, 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: local teams of volunteer advocates.
- Engage: with their local communities at events such as parades, farmer’s markets, job fairs, Indigenous ceremonies and celebrations, 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 current 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) will 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 tragedy, trauma and other non-criminal events), this approach maintains local frontline employees, while adding staff support services at a regional level. This will streamline operations, foster collaboration both within and across regions, and ensure all Albertans have fair access to critical victim services.
The societies will 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 will 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.
Service transition
The new regional societies will be in full operations by October 2024.
The Regional Victim Serving Societies are working with existing RCMP-based victim services units to transition services to the regional model. If you are a victim of crime and wish to contact a victim services provider, use the Find a victim services unit page.
This transition only impacts societies that are providing victim services in RCMP detachments. Victim services provided by Indigenous and municipal police agencies do not fall under the new regional model.
Contact
Note: the Regional Victim Serving Societies are not currently accepting clients. The new societies will be in full operations October 2024. To find a victim services provider in your area, use the Find a victim services unit page.
Western Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society
Contact (for general inquiries):
Email: [email protected]
Eastern Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society
Contact (for general inquiries):
Email: [email protected]
Central Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society
Contact (for general inquiries):
Email: [email protected]
Southern Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society
Contact (for general inquiries):
Email: [email protected]