Children Who Witness Abuse Programs in British Columbia
by Shahnaz Rahman

Transition Houses have been providing safety, shelter and advocacy to abused women and their children for over twenty-five years in the Province of British Columbia . Over a decade ago, front line workers in transition houses identified the pressing need for services to children who had been exposed to their mother's abuse. A Statistics Canada Survey conducted in 1993 indicated that 59% of BC Women had been violently victimized compared with the national average of 51% Name of the survey and the literature? Studies have indicated that approximately 80% of children whose mothers have been abused have been exposed to violence against their mother. (Jaffe, Wolfe, & Wilson, 1989,1990, Children of Battered Women: Issues in Child Development and Intervention Planning. Newbury Park , CA : Sage) A positive indication from the research is that the right intervention at the right time can stop the cycle. As Peter Jaffe states in the video “Seen But Not Heard” (BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses [BCYSTH], 1993), “children who are exposed to abuse are not doomed to become batterers and victims”. Programs specific to their needs and their situations interrupt the intergenerational cycle of abuse.
The Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) Counselling Programs were first established in 1992 as an initiative led by the BCYSTH. Vancouver Foundation and United Way of Greater Vancouver provided the funds for research and development of these programs and the Ministry of Social Services provided initial operational funds. For two years the organization, spearheaded by the work of Sharon White, researched and developed the program that began operation in 1993. Historically the CWWA Program has been tied to services for abused mothers and the goal of the program remains true to date:
To break the cycle of intergenerational abuse by focusing on the children of the family, to teach them non-violent ways of resolving conflict and begin healing the wounds inflicted upon them.

Mandate and Description
CWWA is a community-based prevention program with a focus on children who have been exposed to the abuse of their mothers
•  The program provides group and individual counseling services for children 3 – 19 who are living in the community and who have been exposed to the abuse of their mothers. •  It provides information and support to the mother or other supportive adult, and includes a school based educational component focusing on violence prevention. •  The program description includes information to assist referring parents in deciding whether CWWA counseling is appropriate for their children. •  CWWA Counseling is not intended as a crisis response to the exposure to abuse. It is intended for when a child's situation has stabilized, when he/she is out danger and when there is better opportunity for intervention. •  CWWA counseling is based on a psycho-educational model with a feminist perspective. See if this description is appropriate for you: Psycho-educational groups aim to both provide a safe environment to express their feelings and give ‘information' to children. These groups help participants normalize their experiences. Program Evaluation BCYSTH received funding from the Vancouver Foundation in July 1998 to undertake an evaluation of the Children Who Witness Abuse Programs from the children's point of view. “Children Who Witness Abuse Program Evaluation: Pre/Post Program Questionnaire” was prepared by Valerie Oglov on behalf of the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses.
Children were given Pre/Post Test Questionnaires before or shortly after beginning the group or individual counselling. The Post-Test questionnaire was given at the conclusion of the groups. For children in individual counselling sessions, counselling continued after the post-test questionnaire was administered in most cases.
Children's Evaluation of Program findings were very positive. BCYSTH and the CWWA Programs which it coordinates now have specific and concrete feedback about what children have learned in the programs about definitions of abuse, safety skills, knowledge and attitudes about violence/abuse, identifying, expressing and coping with the feelings and self-esteem. In addition, children and mother's caregiver's evaluations of the groups or individual counselling was positive. It was noted that children enjoyed the programs and learned many of the skills the programs were designed to develop. Mothers or caregivers observed positive changes in their children after they had participated in the programs.

Copies of “A CWWA (Children Who Witness Abuse) Program Evaluations: pre/Post Program Questionnaire” are available through BC Yukon Society of Transition Houses at (604) 669-6943. Shahnaz Rahman is the Coordinator of Children's Services at BC Yukon Society of Transition Houses. In her current position, she coordinates 57 Children Who Witness Abuse Programs across B.C. and supports childcare workers in over 95 transition houses, safe homes, and second stage shelters. Shahnaz is a proud single parent of two amazing children.
REFERENCES Jaffe, P.G., wolfe, D., and Wilson, S.K. (1990). Children of Battered Women: Issues in Child Development and Intervention Planning. Newbury Park , California : Sage.

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