Women, Intimate Partner Violence, & Homelessness
Domestic Violence Education
The curriculum has been developed from the published literature and additional input from survivors and those who have worked closely with them. Topics addressed include rape myths, the neurobiology of trauma, and the varied behaviors and emotions that survivors may experience. The curriculum uses videos, case scenarios, and graphic cartoons to make learning both meaningful and engaging. Reflective questions and quizzes help embed the new learnings and consider applications to practice. To date, more than 650 individuals have accessed the module. Although far fewer have completed the evaluation, the results are gratifying. Of those completing the evaluation, 94% agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with the content compared with 3% who disagree or strongly disagree; 80% agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with the format compared with 6% who disagree or strongly disagree; 95% agree or strongly agree that the content is relevant to their profession (3% disagree or strongly disagree) and 94% would recommend the curriculum to others. Completing the curriculum will require approximately one hour and a downloadable certificate is available at the end. We encourage you to visit the module and share this resource with others in your workplace and beyond.
Building Credit and Assets: Helping Survivors Recover from Economic Abuse
In many cases of domestic violence, financial abuse is one of many tactics used by an abusive partner to exert power and control in the relationship. It might include controlling how money is spent, withholding money or giving an allowance, not allowing a partner to work or earn money, stealing their partner’s identity or credit, ruining their partner’s credit, depleting available assets, and more. The goal of this special collection is to help advocates better understand these important topics, how they intersect with each other, and how they can be leveraged to better support survivors.
Living in an Abusive Relationship: Strategies for Staying Safer
The tool offers women who stay in or return to, an abusive relationship, an opportunity to reflect on the situations in their lives that may put them at risk of serious harm by their partner. Although the tool promotes a self-assessment of risk, women will benefit from having the support and assistance of a trusted helper, in many cases, that will be the local Victim Services Coordinator. Each woman is the expert on the complexities of her life. This tool encourages women to develop strategies for safer staying by addressing those situations that she feels she can act on. The plan is not a static, one-time blueprint. Situations change over time and so should the plan. Women should keep their plan someplace safe and revisit it when possible. Developing strategies to mitigate risk does not replace risk assessments and danger assessments which may be used by police or professionals. Nor does it replace the need to have a traditional Emergency Leaving Plan for getting away safely in a violent or frightening situation.
Creating Safety Plans with Vulnerable Populations to Reduce the Risk of Repeated Violence and Domestic Homicide
The Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with Vulnerable Populations presents its sixth Learning Brief, Creating Safety Plans with Vulnerable Populations to Reduce the Risk of Repeated Violence and Domestic Homicide. Within this Brief, safety planning strategies are defined and the importance of protecting women and those close to them by creating a safety plan is discussed. Safety planning with vulnerable populations is discussed in detail including common challenges, promising practices, and emerging issues. Safety planning tools and resources are provided.
BC Society of Transition Houses Foundations in Violence Against Women Training
In this self-directed online course, violence against women is seen to reflect and reinforce women’s inequality made more difficult for many women by the additional forms of oppression they experience. This course provides an overview of definitions, frequency, severity, scope and effects of violence against Canadian women generally and domestic violence against Canadian women and their children specifically. A brief history of the transition housing and anti-violence advocates’ movement, gains made and lost through such issues as gender neutral language and discourses and services which reprivatize domestic violence against women. Finally, this course outlines the principles of an intersectional feminist framework as a grounding assumption for practices outlined in subsequent BCSTH courses/trainings. Approximately 5 hours (not required to complete in one 5 hour time frame) Fee: $40 for Full Members, $75 for Associate & Non Members
Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses Training Portal
OAITH has created a secure online portal that houses training and education material. Through the portal, users can access multi-media, interactive, self-paced training modules, films and videos, recorded webinars, and access live webinar sessions too. Users can keep track of the training they have attended, leave comments, discuss ideas with other users, and print certificates of completion where available. Topics available for training include Risk Assessment, Technology & Women Abuse, VAW Practice, and Harm Reduction. Price: Free
Making Connections: When Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Substance Use Problems Co-Occur Online Training Portal
The Making Connections curriculum has multiple elements: a manual, a series of six online modules, a workshop, and discussion forum. The online, interactive training portal includes training modules that address Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Substance Use, The Complexities of Co-occurring Problems, Collaborating Across Disciplines, Sectors, and Locations and Self Care and Compassion Fatigue. Price: Free
Office for Victims of Crime Training (U.S. Department of Justice) and Technical Assistance Center- Sexual Assault Counsellor/Advocate Training
Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor Training (SAACT) teaches advocates about advocacy/counselling, the realities and impact of sexual assault, procedures to following common situation, techniques to support recovery, and compassion fatigue and self-care. The 2-day curriculum focuses on intervening with individuals in a crisis rather than long-term and group counseling. Price: Free
Office for Victims of Crime (U.S. Department of Justice) Training and Technical Assistance Center Victim Assistance Training
VAT Online is a basic victim advocacy web-based training program that offers victim service providers and allied professionals the opportunity to acquire the basic skills and knowledge they need to better assist victims of crime. Specific information is also provided to meet the needs of target populations. VAT Online includes seven modules. Price: Free
End Violence Against Women International Online Training Institute
EVAWI has developed the Online Training Institute (OLTI) to bring state-of-the art training to anyone who is interested, on the topic of criminal justice response to sexual assault. The OLTI provides the opportunity for interested professionals to expand their knowledge of cutting edge developments in the criminal justice and community response to sexual assault, with particular emphasis on those crimes committed by someone who is known to the victim (i.e., non-strangers). Participants in the OLTI can work through the various training modules to learn and review new information and then apply this newly acquired knowledge in realistic and interactive scenarios, as well as assessment methods such as quizzes, tests, and case studies. Price: Free
Western Education Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women and Children Online Training
This course is made of 12 lessons. Lessons 1-5 of the course focus on general issues related to assessment and management of risk for domestic violence including the use of domestic violence risk screening, triage, and assessment instruments. Lessons 6 and 7 focus on contextual issues related to newcomers, women with disabilities, children, and workplaces. Lessons 8-12 focus on sharing information and promoting collaboration, as well as a course wrap-up that discusses plans for implementation in respective systems and disciplines. The course will take about 6 hours to complete and is delivered in 10-45 minute lessons that you can complete at your own pace. You will have the opportunity to learn and practice skills using case vignettes. The course incorporates evaluations in the form of multiple-choice exams. Participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certificate of completion. Price: Free<
Child Trauma Academy-The Cost of Caring: Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working with High-Risk Children and Families
The purpose of this course is to present an overview of the topic of secondary trauma. The goal is to gain a better understanding of how to better serve the children we work with by making sure we are at our best. The better we understand how working with traumatized children affects us both personally and professionally the better able we will be to serve them. In order to remain emotionally healthy ourselves it is critically important that we understand how the elements of a child’s trauma can be absorbed. All professionals working with traumatized children can learn approaches and strategies to protect themselves from being emotionally overwhelmed by this work. In the end, the ability to help traumatized children depends upon our ability to stay emotionally healthy and motivated in difficult and often very frustrating situations. Price: Free
Human Trafficking: Canada is Not Immune – Online Training by BC Ministry of Justice
This is a free online training program for Canadian front line service providers on how to recognize, protect and assist a person who may have been trafficked. The online training program provides materials to help service providers and others identify trafficked persons. The course provides information on how to support trafficked persons and appropriate referral services for help and protection. The online training program has four modules and takes approximately 5 – 7 hours to complete. The course can be completed at your own pace. Produced in 2012. Price: Free
Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes – Violence Against Women Training
Each of the modules in the Violence Against Women Training was chosen to offer as much information as possible to those who work with women affected by sexual or domestic violence. The training is also intended for supervisors, managers and directors of agencies. It is a training tool that can be used by all as a means of awareness-raising and education. The principles on which this training bases itself are the use of a feminist approach, language accessibility, precise information on the theme of each module, and the delivery of the training in a practical and accessible format. This includes reflection exercises, self-evaluations, the use of a logbook resources offered based on the themes. Price: free [available in French only]