The centre is a game changer in the way abused children are now handled. Currently, each case goes through a half dozen steps and agencies before protective action is taken. This can take months and subsequent to all of this, there is no follow up. At Toba Centre, all the necessary processing and investigation can take place right on site in a child and family friendly atmosphere. Christy also believes that follow up is just as vital to the ultimate health of the child.
That this is a community endeavour, paid for with money mainly raised privately, is just as important. People like to say that “it takes a village to raise a child”. The caring people of Winnipeg are demonstrating that they pay more than lip service to this concept. Relying on governments to do this kind of work may seem to be the easy way, but governments by their very nature are bureaucratic and intuitionally focused so that the child “client” becomes a mere commodity. It is not that there are uncaring people working in these jobs, it is that the system promotes process over result.
The Toba Centre will bypass that and allow a flexible, caring service to be rendered to kids and their families that will make us a better city for the future.
Congratulations to Christ Dzikowicz, the author of this plan. Without her energy and determination, Toba Place could not have happened. And congratulations to Premier Heather Stefanson and Minister Rochelle Squires for having the foresight and wisdom to support Christy.