Halton Trauma Centre:
Halton Trauma Centre (HTC) was first established in Oakville in 1983, by several volunteers who recognized that there was a need for counselling for children who had experienced sexual abuse in the Halton community. At that time, services were delivered by 3 volunteer social workers.
Between 1983 and 1999, most of the services that were provided were group based; initially only to those who had experienced sexual abuse and later expanded to include services for those who had experienced any form of interpersonal abuse or violence. By 1999, HTC had also worked to increase the range of services offered and began to provide individual and family modalities in addition to group, which continue to exist today.
In 2009, HTC introduced a program specific to sibling-on-sibling sexual abuse with intervention provided to the child/youth who had sexually harmed, the child who had experienced the sexual abuse and their family. Also in 2009, with funding support through the Ministry of the Attorney General, Halton Trauma Centre published a document titled “Responding to Adolescent Sexual Offending: Recommendations for a Regional Protocol” given the recognized need for a coordinated, systemic response to adolescent sexual offending in Ontario. This document outlines recommendations for a responding protocol by police, child protection services and judicial services from the point of allegations to referral for assessment and treatment.
Sexual Abuse Family Education Treatment (SAFE-T) Program:
The Sexual Abuse Family Education and Treatment (SAFE-T) Program, was established in 1982 in Etobicoke and began as a pilot project providing group therapy services for adolescent girls who had experienced intrafamilial sexual abuse. In 1985, it was established as an official program, expanding to include individual and family interventions. In 1987, the program grew once again to service adolescents who engaged in sexually harming behaviour and a research component was introduced.
In its 30-year history, the SAFE-T program published 24 studies that have been recognized internationally and have been cited in over 800 academic studies and book chapters around the world. In 2010, the SAFE-T Program released its most comprehensive study, a 20-year follow-up on the effectiveness of treatment for adolescents who had been sexual offended.
The mandate of the SAFE-T Program was to provide service to children, youth and families affected by intrafamilial sexual abuse, children under twelve with concerning sexualized behaviour and youth who had sexually harmed.
Radius Child and Youth Services:
In 2012, Halton Trauma Centre was selected by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) to assume operation of Thistletown Regional Centre’s Sexual Abuse: Family, Education, and Treatment (SAFE-T) Program and the SAFE-T Program officially became part of Halton Trauma Centre in the Spring of 2013.
In 2014, a new name, ‘Radius Child and Youth Services’ was chosen to represent the unification of Halton Trauma Centre and the SAFE-T Program.
In 2015, Radius Child and Youth Services introduced a centralized intake model that streamlined access for clients and referral partners to all direct clinical services regardless of the geographical region in which they live (Toronto, Peel, York, Halton, Durham).
Following a strategic planning process in 2016, Radius Child and Youth Services moved to one harmonized mandate accepting service for children and youth who have experienced any form of interpersonal violence, and youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviour.
