Webinar: Child / Youth Advocacy Centres

Date/time:    Wednesday 25 February 2026, 08:00 PST/17:00 hrs CET 

All organisational and individual members of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) are invited to join a webinar organised by the IAP on the use of Child / Youth Advocacy Centres (CYACs).

This presentation will examine how CYACs can serve as an effective tool for advancing trauma-informed justice in cases involving young victims of abuse and violence.  

Drawing on the Canadian CYAC model - which coordinates law enforcement, child protection, medical professionals and victim services - the session will examine how multidisciplinary, trauma informed approaches can improve prosecutorial outcomes while minimising harm to victims.  A brief video will be shown highlighting the inner workings of a Canadian CYAC, offering a visual understanding of how these centres operate in practice.  

The presentation will highlight how prosecutors and law enforcement can collaborate with CYACs to reduce re-traumatisation, support reliable testimony and foster trust in the legal processes.  By sharing practical strategies, this session will encourage prosecutors to consider how trauma-informed principles can be adapted to their own legal systems to better serve young victims.  

Speakers:
1.    Sgt. Jennifer Collins, Acting Staff Sergeant Major, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
2.    Menaka Giri, Crown Counsel, British Columbia Prosecution Service

Facilitator: Irina Beridze, Executive Programme Manager, International Association of Prosecutors

This one-hour webinar will be held in English. No interpretation will be provided. However, attendees can access live translated captions via the Zoom platform during the webinar. All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance. 

The webinar is open to all IAP organisational and individual members.

For more details, please contact Ms. Irina Beridze, Executive Programme Manager of the IAP, at epm@iap-association.org

We look forward to welcoming you at the webinar!