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From the Executive Director - Penny Bain

The Institute is pleased to join with BC Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors and the SFU Gerontology Research Centre to produce this issue examining the abuse of older persons. The Institute works closely with these organizations to inform the public and to advocate for appropriate policies and services for older persons affected by family or caregiver abuse.

The Institute is also collaborating with the Vancouver Richmond Health Board and a large working group of health care professionals and community advocates to design and recommend a continuum of services for women and children who experience violence. The Executive Director is chairing the working group that will produce recommendations and an implementation plan for the Health Board by June, 2001.

In the area of family violence and child custody and access, the Institute has partnered with West Coast LEAF and Vancouver Custody and Access Support Association to deliver workshops to women's advocates around the province. Plans are underway to conduct workshops in Prince George, Victoria, and the Queen Charlotte Islands. If your community would be interested in sponsoring a workshop, please contact our Resource Centre Co-ordinator Jenny Fry. The Institute is also holding a number of workshops for caregivers of children with disabilities throughout the province. For information on "The Person Within" Workshops, please contact project manager Tracey Moropito or check the project's new website at www.thepersonwithin.org.

The Institute is pleased to act as the administrative body for the newly formed International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. The Association will hold its founding conference in Vancouver on April 19 to 21, 2001. Following this landmark event, the Institute will continue to administer the membership database and website for the Association. The Association plans to hold the 2002 Conference in Munich, Germany. For information, please contact project manger Tracey Moropito or check the website at www.iafmhs.org .

In the area of law reform, we have participated in the Attorney General's Advisory Committee on violence in video games and applaud the Minister's intention to legislate the classification and regulation of video games in BC. We have also continued to support responsible gun ownership through implementation of gun control legislation, the repeal of the Criminal Code section 43 that provides a defence to physical abuse of children, and the inclusion of family violence as a factor in determining child custody and access under the Divorce Act. We urge organizations to participate in the provincial consultations on proposed changes to the Divorce Act tentatively scheduled for this summer.

Finally, we are pleased to announce in this issue the availability of two new publications from the Institute: Custody and Access in the Context of Family Violence: A Review of the Literature and Annotated Bibliography by Joan Braun and Child and Youth Fatalities Reviewed by the British Columbia Children's Commission: A Family Violence Perspective by Mary Cooper. Please see the publications order form on page 25 of this issue for further information.