Join the VSU team

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

Michelle Woods has made a career working as a disability management consultant, helping people get through an illness or injury and recover. So it was almost a natural fit for her to take on the role of program coordinator for the Strathmore Regional Victim Services Society. “Victim Services is certainly a little bit astray from that but the work is similar, helping people kind of assess their personal situation and the barriers that are keeping them from moving forward or navigating their situation. The process is still the same so that’s really what was intriguing to me,” said Woods. Before joining the team seven months ago, she didn’t have a full understanding of what the volunteer advocates do day-to-day, and she admits it has been a steep learning curve. Her approximately nine years of non-profit leadership – working with a board, doing grant writing, and partnership cultivation – however, is lending itself well to her new role. The biggest challenge for now is waiting for the completion of the enhanced security clearance. Until then she is limited in her ability to help the staff and volunteers when it comes to working with victims and the files. “It’s not uncommon, it’s a challenge across all of Alberta with all of the Victim Service Units, that staff are in this loop. So we’re just doing the best that we can in the interim until that process is complete,” said Woods. The enhanced clearance involves a criminal record check, a look into your entire family, and the interview of family, friends, and acquaintances to ensure the person has the right personality for the role, and that there is nothing that would be a danger to the RCMP detachment. Woods, in the meantime, has been focusing on the policies, procedures and framework, making sure everything is the best it can be. “Essentially what I would hope for this department is that we’re able to grow our volunteer advocate group and kind of stabilize the training and support that’s offered to them to be able to complete their roles successfully,” said Woods. Because the advocates are out in the public as support in emotionally charged situations, she wants to ensure the systems and procedures are in place to allow them to do their job safely and to make sure they have the skills required.