Victim Services Support in Home Care and Senior Housing

Victim Services

People who have been victims of crime can access victim service supports. A person does not have to have reported the crime to police to access these services. Victim services include:

• emotional support for older adults who are considering whether to report the abuse to the police;
• safety planning;
• information about the criminal justice system, including the process and roles of key parties;
• assistance in contacting police, doctors or other professionals about what happened;
• coordination with community partners in obtaining case specific information, such as the status of a police report and protection orders;
• form completion assistance to the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) and Victim Safety Unit’s (VSU) Victim Notification program; and
• assistance accessing social and community services such as shelters, transition houses, counselling, and adult mental health programs.

Seniors First BC offers victim services to adults over 50 years who have experienced a crime or abuse, or a person who has witnesses abuse of an older adult. You can access this by calling our Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) at 604-437-1940.

Province-wide victim services are available 24/7 through VictimLinkBC at 1-800-563-0808. VictimLink is available in 110 languages, including 17 Indigenous languages.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Seniors First BC, February 2024.

Under the old Divorce Act, the schedule of a parent's time with their children under an order or agreement, replaced with "parenting time" and "contact" in the new Divorce Act. Access usually referred to the schedule of the parent with the least amount of time with the child. See "contact," "custody" and "parenting time."