It was my pleasure.
Evidence of meeting #43 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #43 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
First of all, I want to thank all the witnesses.
You have provided us with some great input that I think will be very useful in our study, in our role as parliamentarians and, even more importantly, in our role as mothers.
I would like to focus some questions on the trisector collaboration benefits, because a partenariat, a working partnership, always seems to achieve more results.
Leslie, would you be kind enough to provide a framework on how it works and how effective it is? I think of the young women who go to school and are possibly alone for the first time in their lives. I'm not thinking just of how it works administratively, but about how you are better able to help people. The first time away from home, potentially very vulnerable.... How does it work now and what more can we do in this vein?
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
The trisector collaborative partnership wasn't a concept we started with.
Conservative
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
It started with the Ministry of Community and Social Services and our program supervisor for central Ontario suggesting that all the service providers get together to start talking about what we could do. From that, we emerged with the strategic plan. Then we said, geez, we could benefit from the university, so the universities joined us.
Conservative
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
Of course, absolutely.
Now, let me be clear. It wasn't even just the case that we weren't sure where we were headed when we first met. Those 30 organizations were digging their heels in when we first met. I heard the organizations asking, “What's in it for me?” They were saying that this was a lot of time at the table and they were asking how it was going to make a difference. I honestly have to say that eight years later there is buy-in from those 30 shelters and organizations. That buy-in goes far beyond those organizations. Since that time, for example, we've also engaged all the child welfare agencies.
When you ask what has made the difference, all of our 30 agencies—the violence against women shelters and counselling agencies—have signed a collaborative agreement with the five child welfare agencies in our central Ontario region. It is very specific and very service altering. To get 30 agencies and five child welfare agencies to sign on the dotted line that they're going to do business differently when they encounter a child whose mother is experiencing intimate partner violence is huge.
Also, those intersection points in that agreement look at really tough issues like how to engage men, because we know that historically our services to men have been shaming and blaming. They've been punishment services—
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Actually, I encourage you.... I don't want to spend too much time on this, but we have had a whole program about involving men and boys in the prevention of violence against women—
Conservative
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
Yes, we're on to something. This also looks at high conflict and at custody and access. Those are very critical child welfare domestic violence issues.
That agreement is resulting in massive training across our region. Thousands and thousands of front-line people will be trained in this agreement.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
It is so wonderful that all of those cross-sector groups, as you say, have come together and put their signatures on the dotted line, but I'm very curious, given that the universities are involved. We read the headlines about various universities and there's room for improvement, so how can you...? You used the words “service altering”. How can we alter the service capacity so that the universities also have something in it for them?
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
In addition to the university providing us all these research studies and lit reviews, they came to the table and suddenly said, “Oh, my word, our Faculty of Social Work doesn't have a violence against women course.” They introduced one as a result of our collaboration.
Executive Director, Co-Chair VAW Forum, KW Counselling Services
They also have a deep commitment to community-based research, so they're not an ivory tower academic institution. They understand that their contribution and research need to make a difference on the ground.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
I agree with that, and I think that's very good, but how do we—
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you very much.
What a passionate exchange. I'm very unhappy to break it off, but I have to move on to Mrs. Truppe for five minutes.
Yes, Madam Bateman.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
I'm just curious; one of our colleagues forewent her time, and you gave it to Mrs. Truppe?
