National Conference Program - UNB

National Conference Program

Integrated Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence:

Learning and Innovating Together

October 20-22, 2014 Wu Conference Centre

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GENERAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Venue Wu Conference Centre, 6 Duffie Drive, University of New Brunswick

Registration Upon check in, participants will receive a registration booklet and name tag. Please wear your name tag at all times as it is your admission to all sessions and lunch.

Smoking There is no smoking in the Wu Conference Centre.

Lunch Lunch will be served in the foyer and seating will be available in the Chancellor’s Room

Refreshment Breaks Refreshments will be provided twice per day on October 21 and 22. These will be served in the foyer (Wu Conference Centre). See agenda for refreshment break times.

Displays There will be a variety of display and information tables located in the foyer.

Translation Simultaneous translation will be available in the Kent Auditorium.

If you have any other questions, please see the registration desk located beside the Kent Auditorium entrance.

Integrated Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence: Learning and Innovating Together

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Wu Conference Centre – 6 Duffie Drive, Fredericton, NB

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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Members of the National Advisory Committee and Review Committee

• Rina Arseneault, Associate Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

• Carmen Gill, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

• Nancy Hartling, Director, Support to Single Parents Inc.

• Margaret Jackson, Professor Emerita, School of Criminology, and Director, FREDA Centre, Simon Fraser University

• Myrna Dawson, Canada Research Chair in Public Policy in Criminal Justice and Associate Professor,

Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph

Members of the Regional Organizing Committee

• Rina Arseneault, Associate Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

• Silke Brabander, Program Advisor, Violence Against Women, Violence Prevention and Community

Partnerships Unit, Women’s Equality Branch, Executive Council Office

• Carmen Gill, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

• Stephanie Sanford, Senior Consultant, Department of Public Safety

• Christine Stewart, Project Assistant, Canadian Observatory on the Justice System’s Response to IPV

• Martine Stewart, Director, Violence Prevention and Community Partnerships Unit, Women’s Equality

Branch, Executive Council Office

Thank you to our Contributors and Sponsors

• Government of New Brunswick

• Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation

• New Brunswick Crime Prevention Association

• Family Violence Initiative Fund, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

• University of New Brunswick


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On behalf of the organization committee of the national conference entitled Integrated Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence: Learning and Innovating Together, I want to welcome all the attendees here in Fredericton. We are pleased with our selection of sessions, workshops, panels and keynote presentations. Intervening in intimate partner situations require collaboration and partnership among various stakeholders and frontline workers. The theme of our conference focusing on learning and innovating together will certainly take us all in discussing and reflecting upon our interventions and research. As the principal investigator of the Canadian observatory on the justice system response to intimate partner violence I am delighted to welcome all of you to the fourth national conference. The justice system has an important role to play in intervening in intimate partner violence situations along with other services. This conference is an opportunity to share, discuss, and connect with people from diverse milieus. We are pleased to have you here and we wish you the best of experiences at the conference and in Fredericton Carmen Gill Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

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The MMFC Professional Development on IPV consists of two components: training for professionals and training for community of practice.

Training for professionals is intended for those who are working directly with victims, violent partners, their children and/or witnesses of IPV such as:

• crown prosecutors • mental health workers • nurses • social workers • police officers • probation officers • transition house workers

Community of practice training is intended for those that are not working directly with victims, violent partners, children and/or witnesses of IPV, but who encounter disclosures from their clients, such as:

• chaplains • clergy • cosmetologists • dental hygienists • dentists • hospitality industry • members of the legislative

assembly • massage therapists • physicians • community at large

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP Professional Development in Intimate Partner Violence October 20, 2014 1:30-3:00 Chancellor’s Room

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue that has wide ranging impacts. It is important for professionals to have the knowledge and tools to respond in a safe, effective and compassionate way. Successful IPV interventions are based on knowledge and effective practices. Professionals are not always able to recognize the signs of IPV as their direct practice may not be on the issue of IPV. The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research (MMFC) has developed professional development on IPV. This training is tailored to various occupations and provides professionals with an understanding of the dynamics of IPV, what it is, why it occurs, how to respond to situations of IPV, and the impact it has on the lives of individuals, including victims, children and violent partners. The objectives of the professional development are:

• To recognize and understand the complexity of the issue;

• To be aware of the trends, directions, and policies in relation to IPV;

• To be aware of the services available for victims, violent partners, and children;

• To know how to effectively respond to situations of IPV;

• To know how to influence and lead others in the prevention of IPV;

• To make professionals take responsibility and be accountable for the role they play in intervening in situations of IPV.

The pre-conference workshop will provide an overview of both components of the MMFC Professional Development on IPV.


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FREE PUBLIC EVENT October 20, 2014

Time Event Room

6:00 p.m. Registration Foyer

7:00pm Welcoming Remarks

Carmen Gill, University of New Brunswick

George MacLean, Dean of Arts, University of New Brunswick

Nancy Nason-Clark, Acting Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

David Parkinson, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation

7:15 p.m. Introduction of the Keynote Speaker

Rina Arseneault, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

7:15 p.m. Keynote Address

Family Violence: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain

7:45 – 9:00pm Reception

Cash bar and appetizers

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SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY October 21, 2014

Time Event Room

8:30 a.m. Coffee and Registration Foyer

9:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks


H.E.A. (Eddy) Campbell, President and Vice Chancellor, University of New Brunswick

Deputy Premier Stephen Horsman, Minister of Public Safety, Solicitor General, Minister of Justice

Linda Patterson, Chairperson, New Brunswick Crime Prevention Association

Nancy Nason-Clark, Acting Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

Kent Auditorium

9:15 a.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Martine Stewart, Women’s Equality Branch

Keynote Address

Multiple Court Proceedings and Intimate Partner Violence: A Dangerous Disconnect

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, Q.C. LL.M.

Time Event Room

10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break Foyer

Time Event Room

10:30 am –12:00 pm

Panel: Intersection Between Family and Criminal Justice Systems

Panelists:

Claire Farid, Counsel, Family, Children and Youth Section, Department of Justice

Linda Neilson, Professor, Department of Sociology and Law in Society, University of New Brunswick

Justice Geraldine Waldman, Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto Region

Concluding comments by Donna Martinson

Kent Auditorium

Chair: Jane Ursel, University of Manitoba

Time Event Room

12:00 pm – 1:00pm Lunch (provided) Foyer


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Time Event

1:00 pm – 2:30pm Concurrent Sessions 1-5

Session 1 Workshop: Alternatives to the Current Criminal

Justice Response to IPV Room 204

Alternatives to the Current Criminal Justice Response to IPV: Exploring Restorative Approaches to Justice

Tod Augusta-Scott, Canadian Forces (Atlantic)

Verona Singer, Halifax Regional Police

Session 2 Interface Between Family and Criminal Courts in IPV Cases

Room 208 Chair: Dale Ballucci University of New Brunswick

Non-communication of Risk in IPV Cases between Family Court and Criminal Court: A Risky Disconnect

Margaret Jackson, Simon Fraser University

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson Q.C. LL.M

Enhancing Safety: Addressing Legal System Challenges when Criminal and Family Law Collide

Linda Neilson, University of New Brunswick

Rehabilitative Remands and Recidivism Jane Ursel, University of Manitoba

Session 3 IPV in the Rural Context

Room 217 Chair: Martine Paquet New Brunswick Association of Social Workers

Rural Realities Faced by Service Providers and Women Survivors/Victims of IPV When Navigating the Justice System

Rina Arseneault, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

Youth Led Violence Prevention in Rural Communities

Suzanne Laver, Partners for Youth Inc.

Seeking Safety in Rural and Northern Regions of Canada

Cheryl Fraehlich, University of Manitoba

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Session 4 Exploring Interventions and Barriers to Women in IPV

Kent Auditorium Chair: Nadia Losier Accueil Ste-Famille

Recognition of rights and socio-judicial interventions: what rights and services for immigrant women and women from cultural communities who are victims of violence?

Manon Monastesse, Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes

A Qualitative Exploration of Maternal Identity Processes and IPV

Loretta Secco, University of New Brunswick

Erin Collins, University of New Brunswick

An innovative consultative approach in responding to children exposed to family violence and their parents

Anne-Sophie Germain, Laval University

Session 5 The System’s Response to Women and IPV Chancellor’s Room

Chair: Liz Lautard Women’s Equality Branch

Do Muslim women’s experiences with the criminal justice system in Australia deter them from reporting their experiences of IPV?

Nada Ibrahim, Griffith University (Australia)

Attentive Surveillance: A Theoretical Understanding of Mothering Through IPV

Kelly Bentley, University of Maine at Farmington

IPV Against Women with Serious Mental Health Concerns: the Justice System's Response

Kate Rossiter, Simon Fraser University

Time Event Room

2:30 – 2:45 Refreshment Break Foyer

Plenary Session

Stand-Up Comedy Kent Auditorium

2:45 – 3:15 Presented by Sally Wells, Workplace Consultant and Entertainer

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Time Event

3:15 -4:45 Concurrent Sessions 6 -10

Session 6 Dating and Family Violence Chancellor’s Room Chair: Jennifer Bennett Social Development

Stepping Up: Preventing Dating Violence in a Post-Secondary Environment

Dr. Gaye Watson Warthe, Mount Royal University

Carrie McManus, Mount Royal University

Teen Healthy Relationship Programs as a way to Prevent Violence Against Women

Anuradha Dugal, Canadian Women's Foundation

Preventing and Eliminating Cyberviolence against Young Women and Girls Martine Paquet, New Brunswick Association of Social

Workers

Session 7 Community Response to IPV

Room 217 Chair: Miguel Leblanc, New Brunswick Association of Social Workers

Community Validation of a Safety Planning Tool for Women Living in Abusive Relationships

Deborah Doherty , Public Legal Education and Information Service of NB

The Intervention for Health Enhancement after Leaving an Abusive Partner (iHeal): A New Brunswick Partnership Project to Improve Women's Health and Quality of Life

Judith Wuest, University of New Brunswick

Marilyn Merritt-Gray, Université du Nouveau-Brunswick

Adding a seat for faith at the table: Encouraging bi-directional collaboration between faith-based and secular service providers

Dr. Barbara Fisher-Townsend, University of New Brunswick

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Session 8 The Justice System’s Response to IPV Part 1

Kent Auditorium Chair: Stephanie Sanford Department of Public Safety

When Family Violence Escalates: Exploring the History of Violence Perpetration and contact with the criminal justice and child welfare system among homicide offenders in Australia

Paul Mazerolle, Griffith University (Australia)

New Brunswick Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy

Anita Rossignol, Department of Public Safety

Piloting the Victim Pilot Grid - Assessing Information in Two Canadian Studies (Winnipeg / Vancouver)

Jane Ursel, University of Manitoba

Marta Krygier, University of Manitoba



Exploration of Police Officer's Understanding of IPV and their Perceptions of Risk Assessment Screening in New Brunswick: Working towards an Evidence-based Strategic Response

Mary Ann Campbell, University of New Brunswick


Dale Ballucci, University of New Brunswick

Session 9 Effects of IPV Room 208

Chair: TBD

Experiences and Consequences of Workplace Bullying for Men Sue O'Donnell, University of New Brunswick

Making the Link between Lifetime Violence and Cardiovascular Risk Among Women Kelly Scott-Storey, University of New Brunswick

Reclaiming Self After IPV: Using Reiki and Restorying

Janet McGeachy, Social Worker

Joanne Hansen, Reiki Master-Practitioner/Teacher

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Session 10 Workshop Women Victims of Abuse Protocol

Room 204

Women Victims of Abuse Protocols

Shelley Murray, Women’s Equality Branch

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SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY October 22, 2014

Time Event Room

8:30 a.m. Coffee and Registration Foyer

9:00 a.m. Welcome and Housekeeping

Carmen Gill, University of New Brunswick Kent Auditorium

9:15 a.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Brian Brown, Deputy Chief Coroner, Department of Public Safety

Keynote Address

Finding out what happens before an intimate partner homicide: The lens of domestic violence fatality review

Professor Neil Websdale

Time Event Room


Time Event

10:45 – 12:15 Concurrent Sessions 11 – 14

Session 11 Workshop Tensions in High Risk Case Coordination Protocols

Room 208

Tensions in High Risk Case Coordination Protocols

Verona Singer, Halifax Regional Police

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Kent Auditorium Chair: Lindsay Manuel Executive Council Office

Restorative Justice and Domestic Violence Tod Augusta-Scott, Canadian Forces (Atlantic)

Impact and consequences of recognizance 810 (CCC): The perspective of female victims of family violence

Adriana Bungardean, Crime Victims Assistance Centre (CVAC)

Action for Change: Empowering Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence to Build Healthier and Safer Lives for Themselves and Their Children Rina Arseneault, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre

Session 13

Understanding and Preventing Sexual Violence

Chancellor’s Room Chair: Jennifer Richard Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre

The Role of Alcohol Policy in Sexual Violence Prevention

Jennifer Russell, Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention

Assessing the Complexities and Implications of Anti-Violence Delivery in British Columbia

Joanne Baker, Ending Violence Association of British Columbia

Tracy Porteous, Ending Violence Association of British Columiba


Sarah Yercich, Simon Fraser University

Developing a Textured Account of Women's Sexual Violence Experience in New Brunswick: Challenges and Strategies

Sue McKenzie-Mohr, St. Thomas University

Erin Whitmore, Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre

Lorraine Whalley, Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre

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Session 14 Workshop Introduction to the Online Policy Library on IPV

Room 204

Introduction on the Online Policy Library on IPV

Brad Trivers, Sunrise Web



Time Event Room

12:15pm – 1:15pm Lunch (provided) Foyer

Poster Presentation

Masculinities, Lifetime Violence and Health Among Men

Foyer

12:15pm – 1:15pm Sue O'Donnell, University of New Brunswick

Kelly Scott-Storey, University of New Brunswick

Plenary Session

Jennifer’s Story: A Victim of Abuse

Kent Auditorium Chair: Anne Smith Fredericton Police Force

1:15 -2:15 Presented by Connie Saulnier, Municipality of Claire (NS)

Time Event Room


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Time Event Room

2:30 – 4:00 pm

Panel: Community Police Response to High Risk Offenders

Panelists: • Staff Sergeant Sean Armstrong, Domestic Offender

Crime Section, Edmonton Police Force

• Staff Sergeant Isobel Granger, Partner Assault Unit,

Ottawa Police Service

• Lisa Heslop, Supervisor, Family Consultant, Victim

Services, London Police Service

• Commander Vincent Richer, Montreal Police Force

Kent Auditorium

Chair: Constable Joan Harty,

Fredericton Police Force

Plenary Session

Moving the IPV Agenda Forward with Community Police

Kent Auditorium

4:00 – 4:30 Moving the IPV Agenda Forward with Community Police

Dr. Carmen Gill, University of New Brunswick

Chief Leanne Fitch, Fredericton Police Force

Time Event Room

4:30 – 4:45 Closing Remarks Kent Auditorium

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Keynote Speaker Abstracts and Biographies The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain

Family Violence: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow October 20, 7:15pm Kent Auditorium

Biography The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain was born October 1, 1934, in northern Quebec. Her father was a prominent mining engineer in the early days of the Quebec gold mining industry and her mother was Senator Margaret Norrie of Truro, N.S.

Mrs. McCain received her early education in public and private schools in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in History from Mount Allison University, Sackville, N.B., and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toronto. She has been presented with Honorary Degrees from a number of prominent Canadian universities.

Throughout her career, Mrs. McCain has been active in organizations that promote education, music and the arts at the provincial and national levels. She was a member of the Mount Allison University Board of Regents from 1974-1994 and served as Chancellor of the University from 1986-1994. She is a founding member of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation in New Brunswick which is devoted to the elimination of family violence through public education and research. Mrs. McCain chaired its capital campaign to endow a Family Violence Research Centre in partnership with the University of New Brunswick.

In 1955 she married entrepreneur G. Wallace F. McCain of Florenceville, N.B. who died in 2011. They have four children and nine grandchildren.

On April 28, 1994, Margaret Norrie McCain was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Brunswick - the first female to hold this position. She served in that role until April, 1997. At that time she moved to Toronto to re-join her family.

She is currently Chair of the Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation. The mission of this Foundation is to champion effective early childhood programmes across Canada; programmes that provide equal opportunities for all children, align with the school system and operate within a provincial or territorial framework. Margaret McCain also serves on the Board of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Child Study.

Photo Credit: Stephen MacGillivray

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The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, Q.C. LL.M. Multiple Court Proceedings and Intimate Partner Violence: A Dangerous Disconnect October 21, 9:15 – 10:15 Kent Auditorium

Where there are allegations of intimate partner violence (IPV), there can be more than one court proceeding taking place at the same time relating to the same people and the same allegations. Two of them are criminal proceedings and family proceedings. Traditionally these processes have operated separately, with one court not even knowing about the existence of another court proceeding, let alone knowing about what happened in that proceeding. This fragmented approach has significant and adverse consequences for those alleging IPV. Among them are the lack of sharing of information about and decisions made about the risk of future violence. It can lead to inconsistent approaches and exacerbate conflict. This fragmentation has been rightly called a dangerous disconnect as it can increase the risk of harm; there is an urgent need for coordination and harmonization of the separate processes.

However, such coordination and harmonization will not help if, in each separate proceeding, faulty processes are used to obtain incomplete or inaccurate information about IPV. Nor will it assist if the analysis used by the decision maker leads to an unjust result. The presentation will therefore address some of the problems with existing justice system approaches to IPV cases in individual proceedings, as well as when there are multiple proceedings. It will consider recent access to justice reports, including those initiated by the legal profession itself. These reports acknowledge significant challenges to accessing justice in Canada and make numerous far-reaching and forward thinking recommendations about how to remedy the situation. High level implementation strategies are being discussed across the country.

In those discussions emphasis must be placed on the requirements of a justice system that is effective in IPV cases both generally, and when there are multiple processes. Such a system must provide people with legal information and advice and produce timely, cost effective results. However, there is a danger of focusing too much on that “access” component of access to justice, and not enough on “justice”. Just results require competent legal analysis using effective decision making processes that are informed by equality and other human rights principles of law based on Canada’s constitution. This presentation will identify key components of such effective advice and decision making and then apply them to situations involving both family and criminal proceedings. Recognizing that there are differences between criminal and family proceedings, it will conclude by identifying the many similarities and suggesting some innovative ways in which courts can communicate to integrate the two proceedings in ways that lead to not just consistent solutions, but to the most effective solutions possible.

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Biography Donna Martinson was a judge for 21 years and now works on a volunteer basis as an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University School of Criminology, and as Visiting Scholar at the UBC Faculty of Law. She is Chair of the national Canadian Bar Association’s committee on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; and co-chairs, with Dr. Nancy Bell, the Children, Law and Human Rights Initiative, which they founded in 2013.

She was appointed as a Judge of the BC Provincial Court in 1991, the BC Supreme Court in 1998 and as a Deputy Judge of the Yukon Supreme Court in 2005. Before that, she was a full time faculty member of the UBC Law Faculty for two years, and practiced as Crown Counsel, criminal defence counsel and family law lawyer in Calgary for 14 years. She, along with Dr. Kathleen Helmer, started Calgary’s first all women law firm in 1981. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in Alberta in 1986 and obtained her LL.M from Cambridge University, England, in 1987.

In the mid-1990s she was seconded for 18 months to the National Judicial Institute in Ottawa where she co-chaired its social context education project. This involved developing and presenting intensive national judicial education programs for Canadian judges on equality issues, including issues relating to violence against women and children in both criminal law and family law proceedings. She also chaired the Provincial Court’s Gender Equality Committee.

While on the Supreme Court she chaired the Court’s Family Law Committee. The then Chief Justice described her work as being instrumental in changing the way that Court approaches family law matters. She was (and continues to be) a member of the Federal Department of Justice Advisory Committee on Family law and was appointed by the Chief Justice as B.C.’s representative on the Canadian Network of Contact Judges, which deals with international and national child abduction cases.

She has written numerous family law decisions that have been referred to as ground breaking and have been followed by courts across Canada. Her Yukon Supreme Court decision on children’s legal rights to be heard in family law cases, BJG. v. DLG., (2010 YKSC 44) is one of them. Her decision on cross border direct judicial communication in child abduction cases, Hoole v. Hoole, 2008 BCSC 1248, has also been followed by judges in other countries. It was described by the Honourable Diana Bryant, Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia, as being “particularly noteworthy for its forceful and cogent articulation of the advantages of direct judicial communication.”

In 2007 she received the University of Alberta’s Distinguished Alumnae Award, for “her work on social justice and judicial education [which] has had a national impact and is being emulated and studied around the world.” In 2010 she received the Trial Lawyers of British Columbia Bench Award. Recipients “exemplify the finest qualities of a jurist while serving as a member of the bench” and are “well-respected among their colleagues and members of the bar, and also recognized for their courage, regardless of the wavering political and public climates of the day.”

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Professor Neil Websdale

Finding out what happens before an intimate partner homicide: The lens of domestic violence fatality review October 22, 9:15am Kent Auditorium Dr. Websdale explores the wide array of deaths caused by, related to, or somehow traceable to domestic violence. Drawing upon more than 20 years of reviewing domestic violence related deaths he highlights the importance of “wide-angled lens” death review, stressing the need to re-create cases through the lived experiences and compromises of the parties involved, particularly the decedents. In so doing, he addresses what happens before these community tragedies, what risk markers emerge, and how various agencies, organizations, and stakeholders communicated, collaborated and coordinated their interventions. Dr. Websdale concludes by discussing the complex links between risk assessment and management, domestic violence fatality review, and safety planning Biography Professor Neil Websdale is Director of the Family Violence Institute at Northern Arizona University and Director of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative (NDVFRI). He has published work on domestic violence, the history of crime, policing, social change, and public policy. Dr. Websdale’s five books include: Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System: An Ethnography (Sage), 1998, which won the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Outstanding Book Award in 1999; Understanding Domestic Homicide (Northeastern University Press), 1999; Making Trouble: Cultural Constructions of Crime, Deviance, and Control (Aldine Books, co-edited with Jeff Ferrell), 1999; Policing the Poor: From Slave Plantation to Public Housing (Northeastern University Press), 2001, winner of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Outstanding Book Award in 2002 and the Gustavus-Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights Award in 2002. His latest book, Familicidal Hearts: The Emotional Styles of 211Killers was published by Oxford University Press in 2010. Dr. Websdale is currently working on a new book, tentatively titled, The Tale the River Told: The Murder of Susan Casey. His social policy work involves helping establish networks of domestic violence fatality review teams across the United States and elsewhere. He has also worked on issues related to community policing, full faith and credit, and risk assessment and management in domestic violence cases. Dr. Websdale trained as a sociologist at the University of London, England and currently lives and works in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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Speaker and Panelist Biographies Sally Wells

Workplace Consultant and Entertainer October 21, 2:45pm Kent Auditorium Sally teaches in the Faculty of Arts, Sociology, at UNB. She has taught Law & Society for over ten years and has also taught Conflict Resolution, The Sociology of Law and Restorative Justice. In 2013 she taught Alternative Dispute Resolution at the UNB Law School. Sally is well known for her sense of humour, joie de vivre and her ability to make people laugh while learning. She can be in a hard hat and construction boots one day and be in a boardroom or municipality the next day. Her examples are all real and very practical, and she ties theory and practice together.

Connie Saulnier

Jennifer’s Story: A Victim of Abuse October 22, 1:15pm Kent Auditorium

This presentation is delivered by Jennifer’s mother, Connie Saulnier, telling Jennifer’s story of domestic violence and the long term effects that it has had on her life. An active, outgoing person, Jennifer was brutally assaulted by her boyfriend. The assault has left Jennifer a quadriplegic. Connie tells the story of the assault, Jennifer’s treatment, and the effects it has had on her life as well as her family’s. As the assault took place in Jacksonville, Florida, and as it left Jennifer unable to speak for several weeks and with amnesia for several months, the actual cause of her physical condition wasn’t known until after Jennifer had returned to Nova Scotia to continue treatment. Connie talks about the experience of working with local RCMP and Jennifer’s abuser being charged for the assault. The presentation ends with a message from Jennifer.

Biography Born in Clare, Nova Scotia, Connie Saulnier spent 13 years of her working career in New Brunswick as the CAO for the Village of New Maryland before returning to her native province of Nova Scotia with her husband Donald in 2007, to accept the position of CAO for the Municipality of Clare where she is still currently employed. Connie, who is the mother of 2 boys and 1 girl, is also an avid gardener and enjoys spending time on her Haskap Berry Farm in her spare time. However, most importantly today, Connie is simply “Jennifer’s mom”.

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Panel: Intersection between Family and Criminal Justice Systems October 21, 10:30am Kent Auditorium

Claire Farid, Counsel, Family, Children and Youth Section, Department of Justice Claire Farid articled in private practice, at Eberts, Symes, Street and Corbett and then clerked at the Federal Court of Appeal from 1998-1999. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2000 and worked at Status of Women Canada from 2002-2002 as a Legal Policy Advisor. In 2002, Claire joined the Family, Children & Youth Section of the Department where she has worked primarily in the area of family law. Claire’s work has focused on a number of issues related to family violence. She is a member of the FPT Ad Hoc Working Group on Family Violence, and co-chaired that Committee in 2011.

Linda Neilson, Professor, Sociology and Law in Society, University of New Brunswick Linda Neilson is a socio-law academic. Her fields include domestic violence, court systems, conflict resolution, family law, and sociology of law. Her research with P. English resulted in professional standards and certification processes for mediators. She is author, on behalf of the National Judicial Institute, of a peer-reviewed, national electronic bench book for Canadian judges on family law and domestic violence. Her most recent work explores cross-sector challenges and best practices when families confront multiple legal systems (family, child protection, criminal) in domestic violence cases. She serves regularly as academic consultant in court and conflict-resolution policy matters and teaches in the Law in Society, MPhil in Public Policy, Interdisciplinary, and Sociology graduate and under graduate programs.

Justice Geraldine Waldman, Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto Region Justice Geraldine Waldman has practised primarily in the area of family law in Toronto since 1976. Appointed as a judge to the Ontario Court of Justice in November 1991, she presided in the criminal court and family court from 1991 to the present. She was the Local Administrative Judge of the criminal court in Brampton, Ontario from 1994-1998, and has presided in the family court in North York (Toronto North) and Scarborough (Toronto East), and again in the North York Family Court from 1998 to present. Justice Waldman is the previous Chair and current member of the Chief Justice’s Advisory Committee on Family Law; one of the judges responsible for the development of the Integrated Domestic Violence Court in Toronto, and currently one of the two judges who presides in that court. In January 2015, she will be a member of the Board of Directors, Ontario Chapter, of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and currently member of a committee addressing issues of court reform and law reform for AFCC Ontario.

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Panel: Community Police Response to High Risk Offenders October 22, 2:30pm Kent Auditorium

Staff Sergeant Sean Armstrong, Edmonton Police Force Sean Armstrong joined the Edmonton Police Service in 1990. During his career he has worked on general patrol, neighbourhood foot patrol and Crime Scene Investigation Unit. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2006, eventually transferring to Sexual Assault Section where he was a detective for 4 ½ years. In late 2012, Sean was promoted to Staff Sergeant. He was assigned to be the member in charge of Domestic Offender Crime Section.

Domestic Offender Crimes Section (DOCS) has four parts. The DOCS detectives, the Domestic Violence Intervention Team, Senior Protection Partnership, the Senior Protection detectives and the Police and Crisis Team. All of these areas are designed to either provide investigative response to extremely violent or volatile domestic violence or intervention strategies designed to reduce the potential for further violence.

Staff Sergeant Isobel Granger, Ottawa Police Force Staff Sergeant Isobel Granger is currently the Staff Sergeant in charge of the Ottawa Police Service Partner Assault Section. She is an advocate on issues affecting women and children. She is the first black officer to join “white only” ranks with the British South Africa Police in segregated Rhodesia (which became Zimbabwe) and is one of the first five black female officers with the Ottawa Police Service. Her other roles have involved leading a platoon; supervision in the Ottawa Police Youth Section, the Diversity and Race Relations Section, and the Canadian Police College; delivering gender-based sexual violence training to UN personnel in peace operations around the world; and a lifelong commitment to empowering individuals towards better lives and social change. Isobel is one of a small group of people from around the world on the Justice Rapid Response Roster, a United Nations Women’s Initiative, who are qualified to investigate sexual gender based violence related war crimes against state leaders at the international level. Isobel has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Policing Studies and a Master’s Degree (MA) in Leadership. Lisa Heslop, Victim Service, London Police Service Lisa Heslop is the Supervisor of the Family Consultant/Victim Services Unit of the London Police Service where she has worked for the past 26 years. Her work with the Unit includes supervision of clinical staff, program development, public education, and research. Her research interests have included a multi-year study which defined the unintended consequences of deinstitutionalization of mental health services by measuring police involvement with persons with mental illness; a number of projects exploring the impact of victimization; human rights issues related to police record checks and vulnerable position screening. Currently Lisa is working on the replication of a community model to respond to high risk men accused of a domestic violence offence in Ottawa, London, Strathroy, Woodstock, and Sudbury.

Commander Vincent Richer, Montreal Police Service Vincent Richer has been a Commander with the Montreal Police Service since April 2008 and is currently the Inspector for District 21 of South Central Montreal. He acquired his professional experience in various spheres of activity, including Anti-Gang, training, personnel selection, work methods and processes, as well as operational planning. He graduated from the University of Montréal in criminology and from HEC in human resource management. He also holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Public Administration.

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Concurrent Session Abstracts

Pamela Harrison, Coordinator, Transition House Association of Nova Scotia; Tod Augusta-Scott, MSW, RSW, Mental Health Services, Canadian Forces (Atlantic); Dr. Verona Singer, Coordinator, Victim Services, Halifax Regional Police This workshop will focus on the process we developed to discuss restorative approaches to intimate partner violence among men’s intervention programs, transition houses, other community partners and with those we serve. It will explore the conversations and outcomes among these groups that occurred in a two day workshop.

Questions will be explored such as: How can we make the system more responsive to individual victims? How can the system create greater responsiveness so there is increased safety for victims, whether they are low, medium, or high risk? When the state has to impose accountability, how can it minimize harms to victims and the family as a whole? Further, how can the wider community take greater responsibility for both holding the offender accountable and creating safety for the victim? How can those who create harms internalize accountability rather than having the state automatically impose it? The workshop will explore restorative approaches to intimate partner violence that focus on restoring the safety, respect, and equality of those involved in such an incident. Such approaches do not necessarily mean restoring intimate relationships, rather, it focuses on restoring respectful values and practices. Nor does such an approach necessitate face-to-face contact between the victim and the offender. Using restorative principles means that one-size does not fit all. It demands that justice be more responsive to the individuals involved in a particular incident and addressing their needs.

Non-communication of Risk in IPV cases between Family Court and Criminal Court: A Risky Disconnect Dr. Margaret Jackson, Professor Emerita, School of Criminology, Director, FREDA Centre, Simon Fraser University; The Honourable Donna J. Martinson Q.C. LL.M., Retired BC Supreme Court Justice, Adjunct Professor, School of Criminology, FREDA Centre, Simon Fraser University In March 2013, the BC Family Law Act (FLA) came into force. Of most relevance for this presentation are the sections relating to the assessment of risk of violence in IPV cases. Family Court judges must now consider whether family violence exists; how serious it is if it does exist; and also how recently and frequently it may have occurred.

This requires change to the traditional decision making of the family court judge in such cases. Communications about concurrent proceedings between the family court and the criminal law court are not common. Certainly findings arising from a criminal law court assessment to determine the risk of IPV reoffending would not normally be shared with the family law court.

Session 1 Workshop: Alternatives to the Current Criminal Justice Response to IPV

Room 204

Session 2 Interface Between Family and Criminal Courts in IPV Cases

Room 208 Chair: Dale Ballucci

University of New Brunswick

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Such barriers to communication can result in: inconsistent judicial interim release (bail) orders and restraining orders, which may lead to breaches of either order, and ultimately lead to increased risk; one court may not be aware of the existence of, the terms of, or the operative time length of the order of the other court; there may be contradictory disclosure orders. A pilot Observatory study on the issue is being conducted in BC; one in which family court lawyers and judiciary are interviewed as well as an examination made of relevant case law before and after FLA implementation.

The objectives of our presentation are to consider how the existence/risk of IPV was made known to family court judges (or not) prior to the FLA and how that is determined currently, for example, through information coming from criminal court, or, from the judge’s own awareness of IPV risk factors, etc., and finally to consider the development of innovative protocols for the sharing of such information between the two courts as well as educational strategies for family court actors on IPV risk factors.

Enhancing Safety: Addressing Legal System Challenges when Criminal and Family Law Collide Dr. Linda Neilson, Professor, Department of Sociology and Law in Society, University of New Brunswick Our legal systems were not designed with seamless, collaborative responses to IPV in mind. Thus research continues to document legal system failures in IPV cases. Structural divisions produce systems working at cross purposes, wasting scarce therapeutic and community resources. Numerous researchers have cited legal-system fragmentation as a leading cause of failure to protect adults and children in IPV cases. This presentation will teach invited participants best practice options to overcome legal-system fragmentation and to promote safety when IPV cases are involved in multiple proceedings (criminal and family). Dr. Linda C. Neilson, a lawyer and socio-legal academic, has been researching and publishing in the law and IPV field for three decades, much of it connected to judicial education on behalf of the National Judicial Institute. Dr. Neilson’s forthcoming federal Department of Justice report titled, in English (also available in French): Enhancing Safety: When Domestic Violence Cases are in Multiple Legal Systems (Criminal, family, child protection) laid the academic foundations for much of the work of the Federal, Inter-provincial, Territorial Governments on cross-sector issues. The presentation will end by engaging the audience in one or more collaborative exercises to address cross professional, cross-legal-system challenges. Rehabilitative Remands and Recidivism Dr. Jane Ursel, Director, RESOLVE, University of Manitoba In 1999 the prosecutors in the Winnipeg Family Violence Court implemented a Rehabilitative Remand (RR) Option into the Court process. Criteria: Accused selected for the RR Option are individuals who do not have a prior record for a domestic assault, who are accused of a non-indictable offence and whose partners are comfortable with the RR Option. In the past this constituted 7%-9% of all accused. The RR Option offers the accused an opportunity to attend, participate and complete an approved domestic violence treatment program, and if they receive a letter indicating they have successfully completed the program, the charges will be stayed. The incentive is no prosecution and no criminal record. The consequences are proceeding with the prosecution if the accused does not successfully complete the treatment program. A study conducted by Ursel and Hagyard (2008) documented that individuals who received the RR Option had the lowest rate of recidivism of all other accused with different court outcomes. In 2012 the D.V. Unit of prosecutions altered their selection process for RR Option candidates. This study will explore the implications of this new selection process to address two questions: 1. Is a higher percentage of accused now receiving the RR Option?; 2. Does this have an impact on recidivism rates? I propose to present the preliminary findings from this study.

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Rural Realities Faced by Service Providers and Women Survivors/Victims of Intimate Partner Violence When Navigating the Justice System Rina Arseneault, Associate Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre Victims of domestic/intimate partner violence (D/IPV) who live in rural areas face a number of unique factors that contribute to their vulnerability. Victims may be concerned about police response times in rural areas and the widespread use of police scanners, making their lives unbearably public. The nature of close-knit rural communities can make it more difficult for rural victims of D/IPV to seek and get help. Rural victims face unique and significant barriers and challenges to leaving abuse, including social and geographic isolation. Victims face higher levels of poverty, lack of housing, less access to health care, less access to human services providers, less access to legal services and little access to transportation. In this particular project, the focus is on the New Brunswick rural justice system response to situation of D/IPV, specifically in Restigouche County and Charlotte County. Many women living in these rural areas are extremely isolated, and as such have little access to services and programs. This presentation will explore with the participants the preliminary finding of this research project. The presenter will focus on the two themes of the research: the experiences and challenges that service providers face in rural communities when helping women victims/survivors of IPV navigate through all levels of the justice system; and, the experiences and challenges encountered by women victims/survivors of IPV in rural communities when navigating through all levels of the justice system.

Youth Led Violence Prevention in Rural Communities Suzanne Laver, Project Coordinator, Partners for Youth Inc. Status of Women Canada has funded Partners for Youth to deliver a 3 year project called “Community planning to reduce violence against girls and women in rural and remote parts of Canada”. The two communities we are working with are Campobello Island and Indian Island First Nations communities. With both communities we started with a group of high school students and developed a violence prevention team, in the second year of the projects they invited community partners to join the team and to help them implement the community plans they had developed together and deliver them in the final years of this project.

This presentation will walk through the stages of development of this project through research, training on abuse in relationships, developing discussion documents, developing community plans, use of surveys, establishing need, and working with and engaging community partners and will show how two very different youth-led community violence prevention teams have developed exciting, relevant, sustainable violence prevention work in their communities.

Though this presentation I aim to show you how we, as a not-for-profit organization, develop relationships at the ground level and through support, training, and working with external agencies and community volunteers, empower local people to make a difference.

Session 3 IPV in the Rural Context

Room 217 Chair: Martine Paquet New Brunswick Association of Social Workers

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Seeking Safety in Rural and Northern Regions of Canada Dr. Cheryl Fraehlich, Research Associate, RESOLVE, University of Manitoba A number of institutional and criminal justice system responses to address intimate partner violence (IPV) and provide safety and support to women and their children have been developed. While these much needed services and supports are important for women who experience IPV, they may not adequately meet the needs of women who live in rural and northern areas. “Rural and Northern Community Response to Intimate Partner Violence” is a study examining the unique needs of women who experience IPV in rural and northern regions of the Prairie Provinces and NWT and the gaps that exist in meeting these needs. The data for this study include qualitative interviews with a variety of services providers including RCMP, Victim Services workers, and shelter directors and staff who provide services to women in rural and northern regions. This paper presents an analysis of the interviews with Manitoba service providers. The contextual conditions that impact the strategies used by women who seek safety and by service providers assisting these women, as well as the consequences of these strategies, will be described. The paper will also highlight the suggestions provided by services providers for ways of creating non-violent communities.

Recognition of rights and socio-judicial interventions: what rights and services for immigrant women and women from cultural communities who are victims of violence? Manon Monastesse, Director, Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes (FMHF)

The objective is to present a portrait of the difficulty immigrant women who are victims of violence have in accessing socio-judicial services and rights (family violence, sexual exploitation, abuse, forced marriage, etc.). We will also talk to the audience about promising practices and solutions.

Recognition of rights: The government’s policy and action plan with respect to family violence (Quebec) states that all battered women have rights. However, battered immigrant women face many structural obstacles that prevent them from accessing socio-judicial resources. This state of affairs is all the more critical since the amendments to the Immigration Act (2012), which weakened their position (changes to sponsorship rules, immigration status, etc.). These barriers are an obstacle to the enfranchisement of battered women and they run counter to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms as well as a number of international instruments that have been ratified by Canada. This topic is more relevant considering the increasing legal constraints and complex realities of these women.

Access to services: In this context, the shelters have to deal with limited financial and human resources to ensure the defense of rights and to adequately address the complex needs of these women (translation of documents, interpretation costs, support during multiple socio-judicial visits (judicial and legal authorities, police, immigration officials, medical staff, social assistance workers, IVAC (crime victims compensation, etc.).

Search for solutions: We will present the promising practices and tools (in intervention, awareness, and integrated consultation) developed by the FMHF in order to adapt our services to the complex realities and needs of immigrant women. We will also be calling on the audience to discuss possible solutions.

Session 4 Exploring Interventions and Barriers to Women in IPV Kent Auditorium

Chair: Nadia Losier Accueil Ste-Famille

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A Qualitative Exploration of Maternal Identity Processes and IPV Dr. Loretta Secco, Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Nicole Letourneau, Director, RESOLVE Alberta, Faculties of Nursing and Medicine, University of Calgary; Erin Collins, Research Assistant, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick Objectives for this presentation are to: (1) describe findings from secondary analysis of data from a qualitative study on mothers’ perspectives of how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects maternal identity and the mother-child relationship, (2) highlight the complexity around the decision to leave the violent partner, and (3) offer recommendations for service providers working with mothers in IPV situations. The presentation is of interest to a variety of service providers who work with mothers in IPV situations. Unfortunately, few researchers have described how IPV affects maternal identity from the perspective of the mother herself. This qualitative study aimed to uncover the mothers’ perspectives about how (IPV) affects maternal identity. The research team recruited a sample of 49 mothers (of 51 children) from three Canadian provinces. All mothers, who had left the IPV relationship, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and line-by-line coding was completed with Eppi-Reviewer4 software. The analysis identified categories, subcategories and patterns within the data. Main categories included mothering during IPV, choice to leave or turning point, mothering after IPV, and effect of IPV on the child. Findings confirmed the negative influence of IPV on maternal identity and the mother-child relationship. Mothers reported how the final decision to leave involved several ‘turning points’ which led to restored performed mothering and relationships with their children. The ‘take away’ points from this presentation include recommendations for practice based on findings, suggestions on how to promote maternal identity within services, and to achieve an earlier turning point or decision to leave the violent partner.

An innovative consultative approach in responding to children exposed to family violence and their parents A.S. Germain, G. Lessard, P. Alvarez-Lizotte, M.E. Drouin, Laval University (QC) The concomitance of family violence and abuse has serious consequences on the security and development of children (Camacho et al., 2012), affects the conditions for the exercise of parental roles (Bourassa et al., 2008), and raises issues related to child custody (Lessard et al., 2007). It also raises significant challenges with respect to collaboration between the relevant support resources because domestic violence and abuse have evolved into separate networks (Potito et al., 2009; Lessard et al., 2010). Moreover, recent changes to the Youth Protection Act promote the idea that child protection is a responsibility that must be shared (Government of Quebec, 2006). In this context, it is essential to support the development of innovative projects for cooperation to provide more integrated and consistent services to the families concerned. This presentation is designed to: 1) briefly explain what this cooperation strategy involves and how it was developed; and 2) present the results of its evaluation in the Québec City region. The consultation strategy was tested on a sample of 115 responders working with 29 families experiencing family violence and abuse. These responders were working with various community and institutional agencies. The dimensions assessed by a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodology include: the effect of responder involvement in the consultation strategy on their understanding of the issues and the roles of other organizations, and the ability of responders to ensure improved consideration of safety issues for the children. The evaluation also documents the consultation process. A practical guide related to this project was produced (2014), which received a social innovation tribute from the Vice-President of research and development at the Université Laval.

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DDo Muslim women’s experiences with the criminal justice system in Australia deter them from reporting their experiences of intimate partner violence? Dr. Nada Ibrahim, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Observatory, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University (Australia) Due to the lack of research on Muslim women’s experiences, it is difficult to ascertain how the justice system response can effectively address intimate partner violence related issues for Muslim women. It is therefore necessary to solicit Muslim women’s views and explore past experiences with the justice system to inform future reforms that will better meet the justice response needs of Muslim women in Australia.

The current research presents preliminary findings of face-to-face interviews conducted with Muslim women about their positive and negative experiences with the justice system in response to their past intimate partner violence victimisation. The research investigates the constraints that have deterred Muslim women from seeking assistance from the criminal justice system, identifying how the Australian criminal justice system can better serve the needs of Muslim women and their families in Australia.

The findings of this research will give a voice to Muslim women’s past experiences with the criminal justice system. It is expected that the findings will influence practical outcomes that can facilitate strategies by the criminal justice system to promote inclusiveness among Muslim women to increase their confidence in the criminal justice system and enhance a coordinated response to deterring IPV amongst this group. This is necessary so that incidences of IPV can be reported voluntarily and Muslim women engage more positively with the criminal justice system. Identifying the cultural constraints that limit engagement with the criminal justice system is necessary to increase cultural sensitivity by the criminal justice system when dealing with Australian Muslims.

Attentive Surveillance: A Theoretical Understanding of Mothering through Intimate Partner Violence Kelly Bentley, Department of Community Health, Education & Recreation, University of Maine at Farmington The purpose of this presentation is to share the grounded theory of Attentive Surveillance undertaken by women mothering child(ren) while being abused. Findings and implications for practitioners and policy makers will also be discussed.

A community sample of fifteen self-identified English speaking women, living in New Brunswick separately from their abusive partner for at least 3 months, but abused when their child(ren) were 6 years or younger, were interviewed. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Women, when interviewed shared their experiences of mothering while being abused, the context surrounding them and its impact on how they prioritized mothering choices. The constant comparative method of grounded theory was used to discover the basic social process employed by women mothering while they are being abused. An intersectional feminist approach, which valued women as experts in their own lives, enabled me to see how class, income, geographic location, generation and support were reaffirmed and influenced variation in the emergent theory. Attentive surveillance, the basic social process employed by women mothering through IPV, provides a lens through which mothering in the context of IPV and a woman’s management of underachieving, a woman’s feelings when her abusive partner’s behavior prevents her from mothering according to her standards, can be examined and better understood.

This study, informed by intersectional and feminist perspectives, adds to knowledge of women mothering while they are being abused. Health and social service workers have a significant role in supporting abused mothers’ existing capacities to foster mother-child relationships and healthy child outcomes in the context of the many challenges of IPV. Findings from this study sensitize workers to the experiences of and surrounding context of women mothering through IPV and have implications for health and social programs and policy.

Session 5 The System’s Response to Women and IPV Chancellor’s Room

Chair: Liz Lautard Executive Council Office

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Dr. Kate Rossiter, Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Observatory & Associate Director, The FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University Intimate partner violence against women with serious mental health concerns: The justice system’s response Women with serious mental health concerns are vulnerable to intimate partner violence, and experience this violence in unique ways. The stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness may also limit their access to services and supports, and/or make them feel that they will not be believed if they disclose or report intimate partner violence to others, including authorities. Service providers may not feel equipped to provide services to women survivors who have serious mental health concerns; yet, if these women do not receive adequate support or protection from the criminal justice system, they may be more likely to stay with – or return to – abusive partners. Although there is strong evidence that women’s experiences of violence are closely connected to their mental health and substance use, little research has been conducted on intimate partner violence against women with serious mental health concerns and, in particular, the justice system’s response to this vulnerable population.

This presentation will report on findings from my postdoctoral research, funded by the Canadian Observatory. The study examined the justice system’s response to intimate partner violence against women with serious mental health concerns, and involved qualitative interviews with justice system representatives (police and Crown counsel), victim service workers (community- and police-based), and women who had intersecting experiences of intimate partner violence and mental illness. The objectives of the research were to identify barriers to justice and strategies to improve women’s access to – and engagement with – the justice system, with the goal of strengthening the justice system’s response in these cases, and enhancing the safety of women with serious mental health concerns who are experiencing intimate partner violence.

Stepping Up: Preventing Dating Violence in a Post-Secondary Environment Dr. Gaye Watson Warthe, PhD, RSW, Chair, Department of Social Works and Disability Studies; Carrie McManus Project Coordinator, Stepping Up: Preventing Dating Violence, Mount Royal University In January of 2010 and 2013, one-third of students at Mount Royal University reported victimization in one or more previous dating relationships. Based on this data a group of interdisciplinary researchers developed a dating violence prevention program based on Making Waves/Vague par vague, A Partners for Youth Project, which was developed for use with adolescents. Since the project’s inception, we have since ever increasing reports of dating/sexual violence on university campuses, thus showing the relevance of providing programming for this age group and within these institutions. Core components of Stepping Up include the active involvement of community domestic violence partners, student participation in adapting and creating the program and as peer facilitators, a weekend retreat, community prevention projects completed following the weekend, and a robust evaluative component. This interactive presentation will include the results of the two initial projects, lessons learned, and next steps. The presentation will delve into the challenges and strengths of running domestic violence programming from a peer perspective within a post-secondary institution. Audience members will be provided with an opportunity to participant in sample activities from project weekends as part of their hands on learning. Take-aways include new ideas and beliefs about the use of peer programming in domestic violence, and the importance of directing domestic violence programming at this highly underserved but greatly affected age group. We hope to open up possibilities of project adaptation within other unique institutions and groups. This presentation is directed at anyone interested in working from the peer perspective, working with a young adult clientele, or working within secondary or post-secondary settings.

Session 6 Dating and Family Violence

Chancellor’s Room Chair: Jennifer Bennett Social Development

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Teen Healthy Relationship Programs as a way to Prevent Violence Against Women Anuradha Dugal, Director, Violence Prevention, Canadian Women's Foundation Teen healthy relationship programs in schools have multiple benefits to the social and emotional learning of young people. Sixty percent of youth in the programs said they had changed their behaviour and understood healthy relationships better up to 18 months after the program. I will describe how the programs get these results, by examining the similarities and differences of the programs funded by the Canadian Women's Foundation. They have various approaches and may focus on Aboriginal cultural practices, or media creation, or art, but have in common that they include: 1) Gender analysis, 2) Youth leadership, 3) Universality, 4) All genders. Our presentation will include presentations from youth leaders who have been trained to lead and facilitate these programs. In 2010, Status of Women Canada funded the Canadian Women's Foundation to carry out a National Learning Strategy on the Teen Healthy Relationship programs, and we produced a guide in French and English to use as a starting point for establishing new programs, as well as a program module on critical analysis of media messages. These tools would be provided free to charge to participants, and they are available online at www.canadianwomen.org

We hope that participants will see the building blocks to establishing a community-based program that can work in partnership with a school to change the school climate. The importance of adapting to school needs and working with existing structures is a fundamental part of this kind of programming, and we are happy to discuss how to build successful school partnerships, how to address the schools board and finding a local champion. The new phenomena in online violence are of huge concern to schools. We will share examples of how these programs help schools meet the need to address online safety with a strength-based, non-punitive approach.

Preventing and Eliminating Cyberviolence against Young Women and Girls Martine Paquet, BSW, RSW Social Work Consultant, New Brunswick Association of Social Workers Cyberviolence has become a pervasive issue. Technology enables access and quick dissemination of images and information on a permanent platform. The fast-evolving nature of cyber-technology makes it difficult to address. Cyberviolence has negative impacts on health and wellbeing. There have been a number of tragic incidences in Canada where young women have died by suicide as a result of cyberviolence, an issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.

While there is extensive research on this issue on the national scale, there is no regionally contextualized information for New Brunswick on the nature and extent of cyberviolence. The issue is being addressed by some communities and service providers in New Brunswick and there is existing capacity to further develop new or existing initiatives. However, these efforts are often not coordinated and operate in silos both locally and provincially. This project will collect and analyse information on the nature and extent of cyberviolence within New Brunswick through an online survey and youth focus groups; it will facilitate the initiation of youth-led, community-based strategies that coordinate existing efforts, are built upon contemporary, relevant information and benefit from best practices both from within New Brunswick and from other jurisdictions; it will also give service providers tools to develop existing or new services and programs to best address this issue in the unique context of individual communities; finally, it will prompt dialogue among youth, with families, schools, communities, service-providers, and policy-makers on the issues of cyberviolence.

The New Brunswick Association of Social Workers, in partnership with the Muriel McQueen Ferguson Centre for Family Violence Research, and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, has initiated a two year project funded by Status of Women Canada to prevent and eliminate cyberviolence against young women and girls by helping communities respond through evidence-based, coordinated strategies that address institutional barriers and leverage existing capacity.

http://www.canadianwomen.org/

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Community Validation of a Safety Planning Tool for Women Living in Abusive Relationships Dr. Deborah Doherty , Executive Director, Public Legal Education and Information Service of NB This presentation provides an overview of research that was undertaken to explore the validity of a safety planning tool for women living in abusive relationships and to uncover ways to further its use. The new safety planning tool was created by Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick (PLEIS-NB). It was shaped by the findings of the former research team on family violence in rural and farm communities in New Brunswick, and by the Silent Witness Project research on female domestic homicides in New Brunswick. The clustering of several risk factors for lethality, such as the use of firearms, cohabitation status, and addictions varied considerably from the national statistics. The new tool reflects these differences and provides a way for women to assess the lived realities of staying in an abusive relationship outside a large population centre, reflect on their personal situation, and strategically identify areas where they could take action. In the spring of 2014, PLEIS-NB was contracted by the Research and Statistics Division of Justice Canada to explore the possibilities of furthering the use of the tool, by conducting focus groups and key stakeholder interviews to:

• Investigate the environmental context in which abused women, particularly those living outside of very large urban centres, might come to define their situations as abusive, assess their own risk, seek information and assistance, and finally make use of a tool such as the draft “Strategic Safety Planning for Women Living in an Abusive Relationship” to help mitigate their risks of increased violence; and

• Identifying community-based dissemination strategies and uptake models for safely sharing the safety planning tool with abused women.

The Intervention for Health Enhancement after Leaving an Abusive Partner (iHeal): A New Brunswick Partnership Project to Improve Women's Health and Quality of Life Dr. Judith Wuest Professor Emerita, Honorary Research Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Marilyn Merritt-Gray, Honorary Research Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick In partnership with the New Brunswick (NB) Department of Health and Women’s Issues Branch, and Liberty Lane Inc., university researchers conducted a feasibility study of the Intervention for Health Enhancement After Leaving (iHEAL), a primary health care intervention for women recently separated from abusive partners. Although the physical and mental health consequences of woman abuse are well established and costly to women and the health care system, interventions focusing on women’s health are scarce. Our previous research demonstrated the importance of addressing health within the context of other intrusions in women’s lives (e.g., work, child custody, housing). In four NB communities, using a social determinants approach and working in partnership, nurses and domestic violence outreach workers supported women to build capacity by naming, problem-solving and taking action on women’s priority issues over 6 months. Our goal was to determine whether the NB iHEAL was appropriate for further efficacy testing by examining feasibility in terms of acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation, integration, and limited efficacy using a mixed-method design. We conducted a one-group, pre-post-intervention study, measuring quality of life, health, capacity, and intrusion at baseline, upon completion of the iHEAL, and 6 months later with 42 survivors. Our hypothesis regarding limited efficacy was: quality of life, health and capacity will significantly improve and intrusion will significantly decrease from pre- to post-intervention, and changes will be sustained at follow-up (12-months). We gathered quantitative and qualitative data from participants, interventionists, partners, and researchers to explore elements of feasibility. Our findings show the benefits and challenges of partnerships in studies designed to determine whether further testing of a new intervention is justified. Two important lessons gleaned from this CIHR/NBHRF funded study are how integrated care and system navigation can be constructed to better support women abuse survivors in improving their health.

Session 7 Community Response to IPV

Room 217 Chair: Miguel Leblanc New Brunswick Association of Social Workers

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Adding a seat for faith at the table: Encouraging bi-directional collaboration between faith-based and secular service providers Dr. Barbara Fisher-Townsend, CAE, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick We regularly hear resistance in our work from people whose belief systems have set up boundaries to “screen out” information that does not fit within those boundaries. Personal boundaries are erected around belief systems and those boundaries can become impenetrable, almost like shields. Groups of people [collectivities] become committed to their stories and do not allow exogenous stories across their boundaries. Think of the phrase “we believe” – it often is the opening of a story that creates a boundary – in which “we” are defined and a boundary is set up. This presentation will address crossing boundaries through storytelling.

Permeability of boundaries is important – religious leaders need to know both that abuse happens in families of faith and how best to help those impacted; secular service providers need to know about the importance of religion/faith/spirituality in the lives of both victim/survivors and batterers as they provide for their needs. How can those with a faith perspective and those with a secular perspective successfully collaborate on the many difficult issues related to family violence?

I have come to realize that stories work well – actual, real life stories of people caught in the web of violence. Stories can permeate the barriers that envelop people within their own belief system, within their own worldview – those barriers that work to keep out ideas and beliefs that do not fit within their personal belief framework. Getting a real-life glimpse, through personal stories, of the needs of persons of faith who are either victim/survivors or abusers can help to shift outlooks, priorities, and principles.This presentation will focus on telling some of these stories in order to highlight the need for a greater understanding of the possibilities of bi-directional collaboration, of the need to break down boundaries.

When Family Violence Escalates: Exploring the History of Violence Perpetration and contact with the criminal justice and child welfare system among homicide offenders in Australia Dr. Paul Mazerolle, Pro Vice Chancellor, Director, Violence Research and Prevention Program, Griffith University (Australia) Family violence represents a serious public health and safety issue in Australia and internationally and places a significant burden on justice, health and social services and systems. A major area of concern involves the escalation from non-lethal to lethal violence. Current knowledge suggests that there are a number of possible points of intervention where lethal violence can be averted if risk factors and escalation scenarios were better understood. This paper examines prior violence perpetration and contact with the criminal justice system as well as the child safety system of over 300 individuals convicted of murder or manslaughter in Australia. Comparisons are made between homicides involving family members (including intimate partner homicide) and homicides involving non-family members. Additionally, we are particularly interested in exploring the prevalence of prior perpetration of partner violence, child maltreatment, as well as both forms of family violence in cases involving intimate partner homicide and family homicide. The presentation illustrates various pathways to intimate partner homicide in particular examining the links between prior partner violence and subsequent partner homicide. Opportunities for effective intervention are illuminated and implications for further research, policy and practice are discussed.


Kent Auditorium Chair: Stephanie Sanford Department of Public Safety

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New Brunswick Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy Anita Rossignol, Consultant, New Brunswick Department of Public Safety Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence (D/IPV) is a very real and prevalent problem in New Brunswick. In 2011, New Brunswick ranked last (worst) out of all four Atlantic Provinces and seventh in Canada for the volume of police-reported victims of violent crime within an intimate partner relationship. In addition, New Brunswick had the highest rate per million of domestic homicides in Atlantic Canada and ranked sixth in the country between 2000 and 2010.

Where no one organization has the sole mandate or resources to take on the responsibilities of crime prevention, the Roundtable on Crime and Public Safety was established to bring agencies and organizations together to collaborate on the planning and implementation of improvements to crime prevention policy and practice in the province. The Roundtable is chaired by the Department of Public Safety and brings together decision makers from community agencies, police, the private sector, academia, First Nations, and municipal, provincial and federal government departments.

The Roundtable developed the New Brunswick Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy in recognition of the need to balance current reactive criminal justice system responses with more proactive approaches that are focused on stopping crime and victimization before they happen. The vision of the strategy is that New Brunswick will be a world leader in crime prevention and reduction. The mission is to implement a comprehensive strategy based on proven practices through planning, education, coordination, innovative leadership, and evaluation. Outcomes of the strategy include the prevention and reduction of crime and victimization along with improved efficiencies. The strategy outlines several goals and activities to achieve these outcomes by focusing on the following priorities: Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence (D/IPV); Chronic Repeat Offenders (CRO); Youth at Risk (YAR). This presentation will discuss the backdrop for the strategy, the process used in its development, successes to date, challenges and next steps.

Piloting the Victim Pilot Grid - Assessing Information in Two Canadian Studies (Winnipeg / Vancouver) Dr. Jane Ursel, Director, RESOLVE, University of Manitoba; Marta Krygier, Research Assistant, RESOLVE, University of Manitoba; Dr. Margaret Jackson, Professor Emerita, School of Criminology, FREDA Centre Director, Simon Fraser University; Dr. Kate Rossiter, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Observatory, Associate Director, FREDA Centre, Simon Fraser University The Canadian Observatory on the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), undertook the development of a Victim’s Grid. The grid was a template for data collection for information on victims of IPV whose partners were charged with their assault. This grid was very extensive testing to see how many variables we could collect. The designers of the grid proposed collecting the following number of variables: 25 on victim characteristics, 25 on accused characteristics, 16 on relationship between victim and accused, 11 variables on current incident, 9 on police intervention, 9 on court intervention and 6 variables on victim services. The grid was tested in Winnipeg and Vancouver. This presentation will report on our findings of how many of these variables could be retrieved and some suggestions about revisions to the grid. In Winnipeg we applied the grid to 24 criminal IPV cases, nine involving a guilty plea, three involving a guilty verdict, nine stayed, one acquittal and two court of Queen’s Bench cases. In Vancouver, 26 criminal IPV cases were examined, including ten guilty pleas, three guilty verdicts, ten stayed, two acquittals, and one dismissal.

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Exploration of Police Officers’ Understanding of IPV and their Perceptions of Risk Assessment Screening in New Brunswick: Working towards an Evidence-based Strategic Response Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, Director, Centre for Criminal Justice Studies, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Carmen Gill, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Dale Ballucci, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick This presentation will introduce the audience to a research project that is currently underway in partnership between researchers at the University of New Brunswick and three policing agencies in New Brunswick. The goal of this research is to understand police officers’ perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the use of risk assessment and risk management strategies to inform their response to IPV cases. In this presentation, preliminary information will be presented from a survey of over 200 police officers in New Brunswick about their understanding of IPV and the role of risk assessment screening in such cases. In addition to presenting these preliminary results, this presentation will describe the next steps of the project which will involve an examination of police-generated IPV case files to determine the value of risk assessment screening and the effect of associated risk management strategies on the reduction of IPV incidents. Collectively, this research is building towards the eventual development of an evidence-based template for a police-community strategic response to IPV.

Experiences and Consequences of Workplace Bullying for Men Dr. Sue O'Donnell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick Workplace bullying is a serious workplace health issue characterized by persistent and repeated offensive, unsafe, unwanted, degrading, or intimidating behaviours and the abuse of power and control. Although both men and women are bullied, few researchers have examined men’s experiences let alone varied experiences among men. To address this gap, a qualitative grounded theory method was used to interview a community sample of 20 Atlantic Canadian men with diverse employment experiences and backgrounds who experienced workplace bullying. Findings demonstrate that men experience physical, emotional, and social health consequences and, contrary to prevailing knowledge and assumptions related to men’s health and help seeking behaviours (e.g., overall men are less likely than women to seek help, particularly for their health), men want support and many seek help to address the problem and its consequences. Another important finding is that men do not always immediately recognize experiences as bullying and may question or blame themselves in response to the problem. Understanding of health symptoms and subsequent delays in seeking help was also a problem for some men. Because difficulty recognizing and understanding bullying and the related consequences negatively impacts health, raising awareness is critical. Due to the potential to reach a vast and diverse audience, I have worked with a professional videographer to create a video aimed at communicating these findings Because targets (including the men in this study) turn to online resources for help, and evidence based videos are limited, this is an important dissemination approach. Further, use of video format can convey the impact of this experience on men’s health and lives in a way that a list of consequences, presentation, or manuscript cannot. This presentation will detail how the findings of this research have been translated into video format and will incorporate a viewing of the completed video.

Session 9 Effects of IPV Room 208

Chair: TBD

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Making the Link between Lifetime Violence and Cardiovascular Risk Among Women Dr. Kelly Scott-Storey, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most serious health challenges facing women today. Investigations into CVD risk factors specific to women have focused primarily on sex-based differences with little attention paid to gender-based differences. Abuse, such as child abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault, is a serious gendered issue affecting one-quarter to one-half of all women within their lifetime. Despite beginning evidence that abuse is associated with CVD, the physiological, behavioural and psychological pathways by which abuse increases the risk for CVD has received little attention from researchers and clinicians. Using longitudinal data from the Women’s Health Effects Study (2004-2010), Structural Equation Modeling with Latent Growth Curve Analysis was used to test the direct effects of lifetime abuse (physiological changes) on CVD risk as well as its indirect effects through CVD risk behaviors (smoking and overeating) and through women’s initial level of depressive symptoms and changes in their depressive symptoms over time among 227 women who had left an abusive relationship. The model itself was significant, explaining 40% of the variance in CVD symptoms. Significant paths within the model offer new insight into the interplay between severity of lifetime abuse, CVD risk behaviors, initial depressive symptoms, change in depressive symptoms over time and CVD risk. Findings and their implications for practice and research will be discussed.

Janet McGeachy, MSW, RYT, Social Worker; Joanne Hansen, Reiki Master, Reclaiming Self Project Reclaiming Self After IPV: Using Reiki and Restorying Reclaiming Self is a community-based, healing workshop delivered in a small group format. Reclaiming Self acknowledges the multiple impacts of IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) and supports women from an empowering, strength-based perspective as they move forward in their healing journey. Reclaiming Self supports women’s healing through the use of Story Work, Reiki, and Art.

This project was developed through a mutually-based belief in supporting women to heal from an alternative perspective, to actively engage women in their self-healing, and in a belief in a collaborative approach to practice. Community partners were invited to refer participants, i.e., Victim Services, Fundy Transition House, or participants could self-refer. Reclaiming Self was delivered in rural Charlotte County New Brunswick in the fall of 2012. Workshop designers, and facilitators, Joanne Hansen, Reiki Master Teacher, and Janet McGeachy, Social Worker, will present an overview of the project along with a visual display of the Story Boards created by the Reclaiming Self workshop participants. The Reclaiming Self Project was presented in October, 2013 at the RESOLVE Alberta Research Day, held at the University of Calgary. Reclaiming Self was funded by the Fundy Community Foundation, the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation, the Karen & George Wolf Fund, and Ganong Nature Park. It was also made possible through in-kind donations, with the John Howard Society of Charlotte County, Inc. acting as the project’s charitable Fiscal Agent.

Participants will gain awareness of an innovative, collaborative approach that provides an alternative way to support women in their healing journey following IPV. The audience will be involved in a review of a story-board display of the project completed by participants. The audience will also be invited to a short Q&A following the presentation AND to view the visual story-board display created by project participants.

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Woman Victims of Abuse Protocols Shelley Murray, Program Advisor, Violence Against Women, Violence Prevention and Community Partnerships Unit, Women’s Equality Branch, Executive Council Office The Woman Victims of Abuse Protocols embody the spirit of a coordinated justice and community response to intimate partner violence. Elements of all of the themes of this response are within the Protocols which guide actions when a woman experiencing violence encounters government service-providers. The session will present the most recent version of the Woman Victims of Abuse Protocols which were published in April 2014 highlighting specifically the areas relating to the sub-themes i.e. collective response, information-sharing, interventions where IPV and court intersect i.e. FSOS, Sheriff Services, Public prosecutions and victim services etc. A new section on the experience of Aboriginal women will be highlighted as well. Through power-point presentation, handouts and interactive discussion the facilitators will share information contained in the protocols and emphasize the roles and responsibilities of the various government departments in responding to intimate partner violence. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the foundation of New Brunswick’s response to violence against women and identify links with current initiatives that enhance our capacity to meet the needs of victims of intimate partner violence.

Tensions in the High Risk Case Coordination Protocol Dr. Verona Singer, Coordinator, Victim Services, Halifax Regional Police The High Risk Case Coordination Protocol is a coordinated community response in Nova Scotia that addresses intimate partner violence cases where there is a risk of serious violence. The protocol mandates criminal justice and community agencies, such as police, crown, corrections, child welfare, women’s shelters and men’s intervention programs, to coordinate their responses and share information on intimate partner violence cases where there is a substantial risk of potential homicide of either partner. Services providers came together in communities across the province to develop processes and procedures to coordinate these high risk cases and provide support to the victim. Through interviews with victims and services providers, as well as reviewing the literature, my research examines the high risk case coordination protocol to determine what is working well, some of the dilemmas and challenges found in the program, and how service providers can respond to those challenges

Session 10 Workshop Women Victims of Abuse Protocol

Room 204

Session 11 Workshop Tensions in High Risk Case Coordination Protocols

Room 208

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Restorative Justice and Domestic Violence Tod Augusta-Scott, MSW, RSW, Mental Health Services, Canadian Forces (Atlantic) This presentation will illustrate how adopting an approach to intimate partner violence which combines both restorative justice and narrative therapy has been very helpful in the domestic violence work. The approach moves away from an oppositional approach with men and toward a restorative approach in response to many women’s dissatisfaction with our service and the broader adversarial legal response to them and their families. The restorative/ narrative approach has allowed for women to say what they want from their (ex) partners and others to restore her safety, dignity and respect. This approach involves men taking responsibility both to stop their violence as well as to heal and repair the harms they have created. The community is also able to participate in the restoration of women, hold men accountable and to take community responsibility to foster safe and respectful relationships.

These conversations may not involve face-to-face contact between the woman and man. There may simply be video conferencing, writing a letter or other possibilities. The conversations may not involve restoring intimate relationships. They may simply be about making arrangements for a woman to co-parent or separate and continue to live in a small community with the man who harmed her. The process may also involve incarceration for safety reasons. This process of developing “equality of relationship” or “relational equality” means fostering relationships that are intentional and where there is a mutually modifying articulation of respect, concern and dignity, where people become accountable to each other’s “well-being and flourishing”.

I will detail parts of the restorative process designed to prepare men to take responsibility in a restorative manner. I will also outline some of the restorative approach that prepares women and communities to engage restoratively in the context of domestic violence.

Impact and consequences of recognizance 810 (CCC): The perspective of female victims of family violence Adriana Bungardean, Intervention Agent, Crime Victims Assistance Centre (CVAC), Laval (QC) Recognizance 810 under the CCC is a measure currently used as an outcome of the legal process in cases involving family violence. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of recognizances issued in cases of family violence, particularly in Laval. Both a judicial and extrajudicial (out-of-court) measure, the "810" is a preventive, not punitive measure, so it does not create a criminal record for the defendant. The recognizance is intended to provide a safety net for the victim by imposing conditions that must be complied with by the accused.

The popularity of this recognizance leads us to question the impact of this procedure on the victims of family violence. Despite its frequent use, few studies have been done to determine whether recognizance 810 is a measure that is appreciated by the victims and whether their need for safety has been met. Since the use of section 810 is controversial, we are exploring the context in which the recognizance is applied and the reasons that women cite for accepting it. The objectives we have set for ourselves are as follows:

1. Understand the issues surrounding the use of the 810 2. The role of the victim in the decision-making process 3. The reasons cited by the victims who have accepted the 810 4. Does recognizance 810 meet the safety needs of the victims? To meet our objectives, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 victims of family violence who had accepted an 810. Of that number, 11 individuals participated in a second interview one year later. Other elements were also examined: the situation prior to the implementation of recognizance 810, the need for information and safety, and lastly, the expectations of the victims with respect to justice.


Kent Auditorium Chair: Lindsay Manuel Executive Council Office

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Action for Change: Empowering Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence to Build Healthier and Safer Lives for Themselves and Their SChildren Rina Arseneault, Associate Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre We live and work in a world where social structures and ideologies have a profound impact on all aspects of gender and family life experiences. We know this from our own experiences and from our daily intervention in the community, our profession, and our programs. Violence can occur in any family, regardless of ethnicity, social class, age or cultural group (Harwell, Casten, Armstrong, Dempsey, Coons & Davis, 1998, Gremillion & Kanof, 1996, Spath, 2003, Tilden, Schmidt, Limandri, Chiodo, Garland & Loveless, 1994).

This presentation will provide an overview of the project entitled Action for Change: empowering women victims of intimate partner violence to build healthier and safer lives for themselves and their children. This project’s goal was to create a process by which women are empowered in informing what they see is needed from the “formal helping system” to facilitate them leading healthier and safer lives. This presentation will illustrate how this process was undertaken and the ways in which we hope to help improve practices in the areas of safety, health, and cultural sensitivity to ensure that women receive improved services.

The presenter will reflect upon the struggles and challenges that were encountered during this project and elaborate on some of the solutions brought forward to address them.

The Role of Alcohol Policy in Sexual Violence Prevention Jennifer Russell, Executive Director, Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention In 2014 the Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention (ACIP) released a report titled the Role of Alcohol Policy in Prevention of Sexual Violence. The report is inclusive of intimate partner violence. This presentation will provide an overview of the report contents. The purpose of this report and the presentation is to examine the evidence regarding the impact of alcohol policies on sexual violence and explore the contribution that alcohol policy can make to sexual violence prevention, recognizing that it is just one aspect of a comprehensive prevention approach. The intent of ACIP is not to focus on individual alcohol use or perpetuate victim blaming in any way. Instead, it focuses at an institutional level and the impact of policies on the issue as a means of prevention.

Sexual violence is significantly under-reported. Although sexual violence can be experienced or perpetrated by anyone, females are significantly more likely to be the victims while males are more likely to be the perpetrators. The vast majority of perpetrators are known to their victims and in some cases sexual violence is a form of intimate partner violence. Available research and surveillance supports that alcohol use by the perpetrator and/or the victim is the most common substance associated with sexual violence. Estimates of the percentage of sexual assaults that involve alcohol range from 35-70%. Alcohol policies that govern the sale and marketing of alcohol have been linked in numerous studies to rates of sexual violence and thus have implications for prevention. These policies include density of outlets, alcohol pricing, the content and placement of marketing, and whether alcohol is sold under a government monopoly. This report recommends that provincial approaches to sexual violence prevention address the way in which alcohol is priced, accessed, sold, and marketed as a component of sexual violence prevention.

Session 13 Understanding and Preventing Sexual Violence

Chancellor’s Room Chair: Jennifer Richard Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre

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Assessing the Complexities and Implications of Anti-Violence Delivery in British Columbia Sarah Yercich, PhD Student, School of Criminology, SFU; Dr. Kate Rossiter, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Observatory, Associate Director, FREDA Centre, Simon Fraser University; Joanne Baker, Research & Project Manager, Ending Violence Association of BC; Tracy Porteous, Executive Director, Ending Violence Association of BC While the demand for anti-violence services has increased over the past 30 years, funding for anti-violence services has not kept pace, contributing to increased pressure on anti-violence workers, and unmet needs among survivors and their families. To assess the impact of the gap between funding and demands for service in the anti-violence sector, this study explored the complexities and implications of anti-violence service delivery in BC. The researchers paid particular attention to the increasing multidimensionality of working in this area due to legislation, policy, guidelines, and funding provided to anti-violence programs in BC over a 30-year period (1982 to 2013) and the impact of those shifts on anti-violence workers and the women they serve.

This study was designed to explore the complexities and time-related challenges associated with anti-violence service delivery in BC. The research involved interviews and focus groups with 22 participants: 9 key informants (e.g., program managers) and 13 front-line anti-violence workers with 10 or more years’ experience in the sector. In addition, the researchers updated a chronology of significant events (e.g., new legislation, policy, guidelines, funding cuts) in the anti-violence sector during the 30-year study period to determine important shifts in legislation and policy that may have had an impact on practices within the sector.The findings revealed that, over the last 30 years, policy and practice within the sector has become increasingly multifaceted, and adding to the complexity and time-related challenges is the fact that collaboration both within the sector and across sectors has become an integral part of the work. However, cuts to funding that have occurred in BC since 2002 have created gaps in services and a growing demand for service. Developing a Textured Account of Women's Sexual Violence Experience in New Brunswick: Challenges and Strategies Dr. Sue McKenzie-Mohr, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, St. Thomas University; Erin Whitmore Program developer, Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre; Lorraine Whalley, Executive Director, Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre; Jennifer Richard, Director of Community Development, Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre; Rina Arseneault, Associate Director, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre In this paper, members of the recently established Sexual Violence Research Team (Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre) will consider current challenges involved in studying sexual violence (SV). First, the dominant knowledge-production focus on developing prevalence estimates and monitoring levels of reporting to police and criminal justice outcomes has resulted in what is now being recognized as a homogeneous and incomplete picture of SV. Second, dominant discourses and societal attitudes surrounding sex, consent, and sexual violence have significantly influenced the nature of data collected. And third, due in part to limitations of quantitative measures of SV and narrow rape scripts dominating Western society, current measures not only vastly underestimate prevalence rates but also fail to capture the majority of women’s diverse SV experiences. New Brunswick’s unique cultural, linguistic, and geographic composition requires a more rigorous and context-rich examination of women’s SV experiences that attends to unique challenges posed by SV as a research subject in order that we may more aptly understand this serious societal issue and thus more confidently make recommendations for reform. As a response to these challenges, we will outline the initial project being carried out by the team, highlighting current efforts to overcome barriers to nuanced knowledge production in the study of SV. We will specifically highlight and discuss our efforts to:

Collaborate with varied community stakeholders (including service providers, policy makers, representatives of groups interested in SV against women, university-based researchers, and importantly women who have direct experience with SV); Create space for the largely marginalized voices of Francophone, Aboriginal, immigrant, and rural New Brunswick women, as well as women with disabilities, in same-sex relationships, in the military, and those experiencing SV alongside other forms of intimate partner violence; and Implement a multi-method, action-oriented approach with the goal of contributing to community mobilization efforts as well as service and policy innovation.

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The Canadian Observatory on the Justice System’s Response to Intimate Partner Violence (the “Canadian Observatory”) is an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers, practitioners and policy-makers. It undertook a scan of Canadian criminal justice policies relating to intimate partner violence, including the policies-at-large of Canada’s provincial and territorial governments, the operational policies of Crown prosecutors, specialized court process, and provincial and territorial legislation providing civil remedies to victims of intimate partner violence.

One initial objective of the Canadian Observatory for the policy scan exercise was to identify, examine and compare policies on IPV among provinces/territories. It was the desire of the Canadian Observatory that the results of the policy scan might also inform future research, and be of assistance to government policy-makers and other stakeholders. In this workshop we will present the policy library that was created following the policy scan.

Dr. Kelly Scott-Storey, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Sue O'Donnell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick CO-PRESENTERS: Dr. Judith Wuest, Professor Emerita, Honorary Research Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Marilyn Merritt-Gray, Honorary Research Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Judy MacIntosh, Honourary Research Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Dr. Marilyn Hodgins, Associate Professor Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Jeannie Malcolm, Research Coordinator, Women’s Health and IPV, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick; Erin Chisholm, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick Violence is a major public health issue. The harmful effects of violence on health have been well studied in women, yet little is known about the health effects for men, especially the effects of cumulative violence across the lifespan. Major causes of death and disability in men (accidents, heart disease, suicide, homicide) can be linked to violence through injury, stress effects, and health risk behaviours. Of late, men’s health has emerged as an area of research interest; however, violence has not been a priority despite its prevalence in the lives of men. Similarly, little is known about how gender and ideas about what it means to be a man affect patterns of violence and the relationship between these patterns of violence and men’s health. To explore how masculinities and lifetime experiences of violence affect the health and health behaviour of men, we planned a 3-stage study with a community sample of 600 Canadian men that involves self-report tools, biophysical measures, and interviews. Development work (NBHRF Operating Grant 2013-2015) is underway and involves the recruitment of 50 men (ages 19-65) to complete a survey about current health, lifetime violence exposure, and gender. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and height are also being measured. Findings from this research will inform a beginning understanding of the links among lifetime violence, gender, and health for men, specifically mental health, chronic pain, and risk for heart disease.

Session 14 Workshop Introduction to the Online Policy Library on IPV

Room 204

Poster Presentation

Masculinities, Lifetime Violence and Health Among Men

Foyer

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RENCONTRE NATIONALE 2010 DU CMMF - Programme

4

Documents

National Conference Program - UNB