Our Purpose
To ensure children, youth, and families impacted by child abuse receive the support they need to heal; to hold offenders accountable; and to build engaged communities where everyone plays a role in preventing abuse so that all children and youth are safe.
Luna’s multi-disciplinary team includes:
Alberta Health Services (Medical & Therapy)
Alberta Justice
Calgary Police Service
Children and Family Services
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Victim Services
Our Approach
Luna employs a multidisciplinary approach to support children, youth, and families affected by abuse. By uniting experts from various fields in a single, safe, and comfortable location, Luna facilitates seamless information sharing and case discussions. Our comprehensive process encompasses different stages such as advocacy, assessment, investigation, medical evaluation, prevention, therapy, and victim services. This integrated method ensures rapid response and access to essential resources, promoting healing and resilience among those they serve.
Our History
Over a decade ago, a small group of community-minded leaders came together with an ambitious vision to transform how child abuse is understood and addressed in Calgary. It was a turning point for our community that required immense barriers to be broken down, large complicated systems to work together like never before, and a fearless commitment to continuous innovation and change. The result of that shared vision and the hard work and perseverance that followed is the Luna Child and Youth Advocacy Centre.
Since first opening our doors in 2013 (then as the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre), Luna has supported more than 18,000 children, youth, and families and is recognized as a centre of excellence throughout Canada.
What is a CYAC?
Luna is one of nine Child and Youth Advocacy Centres in Alberta and forty across Canada. CYACs bring together multidisciplinary teams of experts to provide children, youth and their families with the support they need throughout the disclosure, investigation, judicial, and healing process.
CYAC teams can share information, expertise and resources in real-time. CYACs focus on research-based practices and ongoing training, constantly building the expertise and effectiveness of our teams in order to mobilize the strongest possible response for children, youth, and families so that they can heal and thrive.
As advocates, child and youth advocacy centres also have a collective goal to share our knowledge and expertise to build engaged communities where everyone is accountable for ensuring young people are safe.
Above all, we maximize our impact by working together - it is the best way to address the issue of child abuse, and to support the children, youth, families and communities we serve.
Child Abuse Is Everyone’s Issue
Child abuse is a pressing issue in Alberta, affecting nearly 7 out of 10 individuals before the age of 15. It’s a reality that can leave lasting impacts on young lives and entire communities. At Luna, we believe that every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and supported. By working together, we can address the root causes of abuse, provide meaningful support to those impacted, and build a brighter future where all children and youth can thrive. Through education, advocacy, and collaboration, we’re lighting the path toward hope and healing for Alberta’s children, youth and families who need our support.
Our Values
We are one team.
Working together is what sets us apart! We bring our individual expertise and focus while relying on collaboration and partnership to ensure the best outcomes for the people we serve. We build trusting relationships with each other and those we serve by showing compassion, being respectful, and believing we all have strengths to contribute. In a trying field, we are there for one another.
We make a difference.
We are a beacon of hope for the people we serve, helping them to see their own strength and the possibilities of a brighter future ahead. We are a catalyst for positive change, approaching every interaction with compassion and empathy, and providing a safe space for those we serve to be heard, seen, and supported. We leverage and share our combined knowledge and expertise to build informed, engaged communities where everyone plays a role in keeping children and youth safe.
We are committed to diversity.
Our commitment to diversity is our promise to each other and the individuals and communities we serve. We believe in the inherent benefits of an inclusive and diverse organization that recognizes, embraces, and values all forms of diversity. We strive to remove barriers to inclusion in all aspects of our organization and service delivery, so that we may support, strengthen, benefit from, and contribute to the richness and complexity that is our community.
We strive for excellence.
We are innovators and strategic risk takers who challenge ourselves and each other so we can continue to grow and evolve as leaders in what we do. We are deeply committed to continuous learning and development, to research and evaluation, and to sharing our expertise and knowledge so we can have a greater impact on those we serve and our communities.
