Breaking the vicious cycle of domestic violence in Richmond is often about fitting the pieces of the jigsaw together.
Until a specialized, interagency team was forged two years ago, however, few had any idea what the completed puzzle even looked like.
One of the primary aims of the team — RICAT (Richmond Interagency Case Assessment Team) — is to make sure that bigger picture never goes out of focus and that the victim is first protected from danger, then nurtured to safety.
A unit such as RICAT — whose members include the likes of victim support workers, police officers and addiction counsellors from agencies such as Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV), the RCMP and Richmond Addiction Services (RASS) — had been talked about for many years.
Richmond RCMP, in particular, stated in 2009 that services were out there to help victims of domestic abuse, but were scattered across the region with little communication between each agency for fear of breaching privacy laws.
A total of 18 members now meet monthly to discuss and analyze domestic abuse cases in Richmond and work on plans to steer the victims to a better life, when needed.
“There’s always been a collaboration and, as long as there was client consent, we could talk to anyone we wanted,” said Torie Hurst, FSGV’s program manager for Richmond and New Westminster, whose team has more than 100 active files across the two cities.
“When it comes to RICAT, though, safety trumps privacy and we don’t need consent if we feel there is imminent danger.
“Files can be very fluid and something can happen quickly that changes the situation. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle sometimes, with everyone at the (RICAT) table holding one piece.
“One piece we had at one time didn’t look too bad; but something didn’t sit well with us. We took it to RICAT and it was a case of ‘holy cow’ when the RCMP pulled out the (spouse’s) history and other (RICAT) players also had pieces of the jigsaw and, all of a sudden, it became a very scary picture.”
The beauty of RICAT, added Hurst, are the cases that are not the obvious ones, but “ones that, when we trust each other at (RICAT) and share information with other players at the table, those cases become more clear.”
Until 2010, before an ICAT (Interagency Case Assessment Team) was established in the North Okanagan, multiple services worked hard, independently, at trying to break the aforementioned cycle of abuse.
And in 2013, Richmond formed its own team, which is now co-chaired by Cpl. Christina Tarasoff, Richmond RCMP’s domestic violence coordinator, and Rick Dubras, RASS’s executive director.
Tarasoff said the sharing of information at the one table, that RICAT affords the various players, can be a major factor in tackling the complex issues that often
surround domestic violence.
“(Before RICAT), the police would focus on police matters and everyone else the same,” said Tarasoff, who said that RICAT has about half a dozen active files at the moment.
“But it’s not an easy fix when it comes to domestic violence; it’s not an easy fix to just arrest offenders; we needed to start thinking out of the box; we needed to break the cycle.
“To get them out of this cycle, they need support. To pick everything up suddenly and leave isn’t easy.
“There are financial, daycare and housing needs.
“People should know that we’re alive to the fact there are many issues and it’s not a quick fix and we’re doing all we can to get people help.”
The two must-haves that create safety for a victim, said Hurst, is affordable housing and an income.
“If we’re sitting at the RICAT table, we could be talking about a particular case and it could lead to someone there helping to fast-track income assistance for the victim,” said Hurst, of the benefit of forming relationships with other agencies.
“When you have those face-to-face interactions, it can really speed things up.
“Our role is to support women and help them start a different life, if that is what they need and want.
“(FSGV) can get them to safety, offer counselling and financial support.”
The majority of the time, the first point of contact for domestic abuse victims is the RCMP or the provincial government’s Ministry of Children and Family Development. RICAT will then get a summary of the information from all the agencies that are involved.
But the referral could, in the first instance, come from anyone — a neighbour, a friend, a relative or a doctor.
“When a referral is made, there is already usually a lot on file for the victim, from places such as a social worker or from the hospital,” explained Tarasoff.
“Between myself and Rick (Dubras), we bring everyone onto the same page.”
Another barrier for the agencies in Richmond trying to help the victims of domestic violence are the often invisible, cultural hurdles.
There are people, admitted Tarasoff, that are not familiar with the area or the language. These people, she said, are the ones “that we want to reach out to and the people that feel the most isolated.
“There are (separation) issues; coming here without their extended families and the support that comes with that; being unfamiliar with the laws and what social services are available to them.
“There could be a whole segment out there unrecorded, perhaps due to the shame, who knows? They may not come forward due to shame, fear, financial dependency or they don’t want to involve the police.”
Every culture has its own issues or reasons, added Tarasoff, who didn’t want to speculate whether Richmond is a special case in itself, due to the high immigrant population from Asia.
RICAT, however, with its more rounded approach, has the ability, said Tarasoff and Hurst, to help more people come forward.
“I think it probably is helping (people come forward), but the awareness needs to get better,” said Tarasoff.
“Not everyone wants to go straight to the police, but they might not go to one of the other agencies for fear that nothing will be done. What people need to realize now is that we are all at the same table.”
The police are required to offer victims services such as FSGV, which provides short-term, emotional and crisis support for the victims, including court accompaniment and explanations of the judicial process, if that’s the stage it’s at.
Essentially, though, it’s up to the client whether they want the help or not.
“The number one thing that women need to understand is that, we don’t need to involve the police every time,” said Hurst.
“We can explore their options and our resources; my team does that very well.”
Domestic abuse facts
Police-reported data shows that seven out of 10 victims of family-related violence in Canada in 2013 were female, with the most represented age groups being the 30s for women and 15-to-19 year olds for males.
Approximately 88,000 victims of family violence were reported by police, according to a 2011 study by Statistics Canada.
Flashback
In May, 2014, Jian Hua “James” Wu was alleged to have killed his wife in their apartment on Granville Avenue in Richmond.
Wu still awaits a court date, but the case came amidst a flurry of violent domestic abuse incidents across the province that sparked protests from women’s rights groups.
Who to call
In case of an emergency, or of an abusive situation unfolding in front of you, do not attempt to intervene directly. Call the police.
If you are a victim of domestic violence or would like to speak to someone about it, call 9-1-1 if you’re in immediate danger.
Otherwise, call FSGV on 604-279-7100 or go online to victimlinkbc.ca.
