Penny McVicar

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT PENNY MCVICAR

Penny McVicar has been the Executive Director of Victim Services of Brant for the past 20 years. She is 1st Vice-Chair of the Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers (ONVSP). Penny is a graduate of Michigan State University and the Detroit Metropolitan Police Academy. Penny has experience working with victims of crime, tragic circumstance and disaster. She has worked extensively with domestic violence victims around safety planning. Penny also has a background working with offenders. Penny is currently Co-chair of BRAVE (Brant’s Response to Violence Everywhere). She is past Chair of the Brant Elder Abuse Committee and is a member of the Brant-Brantford- Six Nations of the Grand River Impaired and Distracted Driving Committee. Penny is also founding member of the Brant Community Response Team. Most recently Penny was a partnered with the Brantford Police on a 2016/20••••17/18 Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Safer and Vital Community Grant. The grant implemented Case Reviews of sexual assault investigations and to developed trainings on best sexual assault investigation practices based on the finding. Penny continues to sit on the Advocate Case Review Committee for the Brantford Police and is also a member of the Advocate Case Review Committee for the Western Region of the Ontario Provincial Police. Penny was instrumental in developing the Mobile Tracking System with Eyezon in 2012. With the end of the DVERS Program and with fewer clients having a landline phone the Mobile Tracking System was developed to provide a personal security device for victims of domestic violence, who have separated from their abuse partner but continue to be at high risk for domestic violence. The Mobile Tracking System is currently being used by many Victim Service sites across the Province. Victims of Sexual Assault and Criminal Harassment are also eligible for the Mobile Tracking System. In September 2016 Penny welcomed Eddie, a trauma support dog onto her staff at Victim Services of Brant. Eddie was among the first facility support dogs in Ontario. Eddie provides support to over 300 clients a year. As well Eddie is a great ambassador for Victim Services in the community. Penny is a certified trainer in Level I Violence Threat Risk Assessment by the North American Centre for Threat Assessment & Trauma Response.