Ontario Network of Sexual Assault /Domestic Violence Treatment Centres

• A method to create deep discussion.

What is a World Café?

• A way to explore questions that really matter.

• An opportunity to change our standard questions, and so get different answers.

• To go beyond first-level conversation.

• To create new links among people.

• To share what is most meaningful to each participant.

• To give ourselves the gift of genuinely listening.

• To give each other the gift of being heard.

Why hold a World Café?

The purpose of this conference is

to engage in meaningfuldiscussions that

• challenge our practice, • stimulate choices for care and• change our understanding

of issues related to sexualassault and domestic violence.

What makes a good World Café?

1.Listen well.

2.Protect “safe space”.

3.Record what is most important to you.

How does it work?•3 rounds of conversation, with a different topic question for each one.

•Table hosts ensure everyone has a chance to speak.

•Use markers on paper table covers to record your thoughts and images.

•Hosts post the note sheets at the end of each round.

•Précis tomorrow afternoon.

3 Discussion Rounds

based on the conference theme:

• Challenges

• Choices

• Changes

Challeng

es

ChallengesWhat issues, opportunities, etc. are you facing?

• Nurses – recruitment, retention, shift coverage, ongoing education requirements.

• Skill and training – to avoid further trauma to child and women, while preserving the chain of evidence to pursue charges.

• Violence – effects of exposure; e.g., burn-out, emotional reactions, numbness: how achieve self-care?

• Funding cuts – reducing service, professional education, fewer shifts when violence occurs (weekends); no pay incentive to acquire additional certification and responsibilities.

• Systemic barriers – e.g., Union contract terms for on-call hours reduce nurses’ availability; little pay scale mobility, which reduces retention.

continued ...

Challengescontinued

• Cooperation and jurisdiction -- between and among agencies, professions; professional differences of opinion (e.g., HIV anti-viral protocol).

• Long-term effect – on victims (i.e. rape kit, repeated court appearances, abuser avoids punishment, women/children must relocate, etc.)

• Barriers for victims – language, culture, money, blame the victim attitudes, fear of further abuse as a consequence of reporting, shame.

• Societal circumstances – continuing pattern of violence against women (deaths); women emerging as abusers.

• “Issue creep”– mandate for one service, but other issues surface and become (more) important; e.g., help the individual or the family?

Choices• What choices have we made

to date to deal with our challenges?

• Are these “best practices” that we want to share with others in the room?

• Rise above details: Ask each other “deep”, probing questions.

Changes• What new choices would you

have to make to get the results you want?

• What changes in attitudes, actions, resources, arrangements, agreements, etc. would this require?

• You are creating a high-level action plan: brainstorm to help each other.

Carol J. Sutton Cert.ConRes. 604-946-3922 carol@cjscom.com

CJS Communications Inc., Delta, British Columbia