Former Detroit Red Wings forward and sexual assault victim Sheldon Kennedy is advocating for more collaborative child abuse investigation models across southwestern Ontario.
He says the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary assists with 125 investigations per month, across southern Alberta.
"We do child abuse investigations, but the reality is what we're dealing with from that point forward are damaged kids," he explains. "If we don't deal with them there, we're going to deal with them down stream, whether it's on the streets, in our prisons or in our hospitals."
Kennedy says it's going to take some time to evolve integrated practices in more Canadian communities, but he's working on a booklet to try to simplify the process.
He spoke to front-line child abuse investigators at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in Windsor, Friday morning.