REPERE COURSE –Improving Experiences Through Effective Child

Participation

Online training on how to provide better support to child victims and witnesses of crime in Quebec

For over 25 years, the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (hereafter IBCR or the Bureau) has been working to improve the experiences of children in contact with the justice system as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders. The IBCR’s Guidelines on Justice Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime were adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2005. The guidelines led to the creation of various plain-language documents, a report on the Guidelines on Justice for Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime in Quebec (2011) and Canada (2013), and a study on the experiences of children in contact with the Quebec justice system (2017)*.

Continuing on this path, the Bureau has initiated the creation of the REPERE online course. REPERE is the French acronym for Improving Experiences Through Effective Child Participation. This initiative was made possible with financial support from Quebec’s Ministry of Justice, through the Victims of Crime Fund (FAVAC), the Department of Justice Canada and the Chamandy Foundation. The course is intended for all professionals who accompany children through the judicial process, including individuals working in law enforcement, the legal system, social workers, and the public, private and non-profit sectors.