A Community Together – Violence Threat Risk Assessment and DCAFS
Sixty-six community partner participants attended a two-day training to build their knowledge of Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) to strengthen community safety for children and youth. Participants included staff from local school boards and multiple community and mental health agencies, with additional partners (police services, youth justice, French-language school boards, and various support organizations) also trained in VTRA. Trainers included one from DCAFS, along with four additional trainers from partners CMHA-WW, Compass Community Services, Wellington Catholic District School Board, and Upper Grand District School Board. We sincerely thank all the VTRA trainers for their insights and passion!
VTRA—guided by a trauma-informed framework from the Centre for Trauma Informed Practices (CTIP)—treats serious violence as an evolutionary process and helps organizations identify, monitor, assess, intervene, and prevent pathways to violence. The Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin VTRA Protocol emphasizes ongoing training and cross-agency collaboration so that information held by different partners can be combined to proactively prevent violence, while adapting practices to changing technology, diversity, and equity needs.
By fostering resilience and positive outcomes for children and youth, this initiative aligns perfectly with our mission. Along with our DCAFS trainer, and four additional participants from DCAFS, we showcased our organization’s dedication to continuous learning and expertise in this critical area.
As we reflect on this training, we invite you to consider the profound impact that cross-agency collaboration can have in addressing violence. Together, we can inspire hope and reinforce DCAFS’s role as a trusted partner in ensuring the well-being and safety of children and families throughout our community.
