The Treehouse

The Treehouse Child and Youth Advocacy Centre helps children and youth who have experienced abuse get back to feeling like kids again. The Treehouse brings specially trained police detectives, social workers, and victim support workers together under one safe, comfortable, child-friendly roof to provide sensitive and immediate support to children and their non-offending family members. Trained in best practices in child abuse investigations and interventions, The Treehouse team keeps the needs of children and youth front and centre every step of the way.

THEIR VISION

A world in which no child experiences abuse and the cycle is broken for generations that follow.

THEIR RAISON D’ETRE

To get children and youth (ages 0-18) who’ve experienced abuse back to feeling like kids again.

HOW THEY WORK

The Treehouse unites community partners to create a child-centred response to child abuse, not only to achieve safety and justice, but to promote the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of every child they serve. They work with exceptional and highly experienced professionals to deliver timely, effective, evidence-based services and supports.

Their multi-disciplinary team is made up of VPD Police Detectives from the Special Investigations Section, Social Workers from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), Social Workers from the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS), and Victim Support Workers from Family Services of Greater Vancouver. The spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action are embedded in their work.

“Knowing all the professionals working with us were talking to each other made us feel like we weren’t being lost in the system chaos. This gave us great assurance that our child wouldn’t be forgotten. [Treehouse] is amazing.”

— Parent of a child interviewed at The Treehouse

FUNDING SUPPORT FROM SVP VANCOUVER

SVP Vancouver is providing The Treehouse with a three-year Capacity-Building Grant. A Year 1 grant of $50,000 will help The Treehouse to engage a fund development consultant, establish clear targets and strategies for revenue generation and growth, purchase access to a grants database, and develop a promotional video to promote their activities support fund development. Proposed Year 2 and Year 3 grants total $30,000 and $20,000 respectively.

CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORT

Treehouse’s specific capacity needs include leadership and board development, facility development, financial management, social impact measurement, growth and strategic planning. SVP staff will work with The Treehouse and Lead Partners to connect the organization with qualified SVP Partners who can help.

Grant Confirmed: October 2021

Lead Partner: Neil Duke