CALGARY – A project launched four years ago in the hopes of helping to curb domestic violence has proved so successful that it’s being expanded.
The Domestic Conflict Response Team (DCRT) was created in 2009 to help intervene in high risk domestic conflict cases in northeast Calgary.
In its first year, the DCRT reviewed 3,514 domestic reports and reached out to 213 high-risk families.
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In their second year, the program expanded to south Calgary, and now they are moving to provide support to the rest of the city.
The specialized group is made up of police officers, social workers and other community partners.
It focuses on families who have had repeated incidents of domestic violence reported to police, and who want to make changes before the courts become involved.
“By intervening earlier, the DCRT is able to reduce the likelihood that families will require crisis response in the future,” says Kevin McNichol, HomeFront Executive Director. “The program is not only about saving families, but about breaking the cycle of violence.”
In a recent survey, 91 per cent of clients working with the DCRT said there had been no further incidents of physical violence in their homes.
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