A Team That Works for Children, Youth & Families

We have a dedicated and skilled multidisciplinary team that contributes individual and combined focus and expertise to helping children, youth and families. Included in this team are our Core Partners:

• Alberta Health Services

• Alberta Justice

• Calgary Police Service

• Children and Family Services

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Working together as one team from one location, we focus on the most complex, severe and urgent cases of child maltreatment. We rally every available resource to prevent abuse, investigate wrongdoing, support healing, hold offenders accountable, and build community awareness and engagement around the issue of child abuse.

What is a CYAC?

Luna is one of nine Child and Youth Advocacy Centres in Alberta and thirty 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.

This integrated model is a leap forward in child abuse intervention and prevention because 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.

Our Purpose

To ensure those impacted by child abuse receive the support they need to heal, build resilience, and thrive; and to create communities where offenders are held accountable, and all children and youth are safe.

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.