Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence
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The Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence created Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence. Shift's goal is to significantly reduce and prevent domestic violence in Alberta. The name Shift represents the spirit of this innovative project designed to create transformational change using a primary prevention approach to stop first-time victimization and perpetration of domestic violence. In short, primary prevention means taking action to build resilience and prevent problems before they occur.
The purpose of Shift’s research is: to contribute to building a primary prevention framework in Alberta; and to enhance the capacity of policy makers, systems leaders, clinicians, service providers and the community at large, to significantly reduce the rates of domestic violence in Alberta. We are committed to making our research accessible and working collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders, to inform and influence current and future domestic violence prevention efforts, through the perspective of primary prevention.
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Browsing Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence by Author "Dozois, Elizabeth"
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Item Open Access Building a Provincial Positive Fatherhood Involvement Strategy: Results from the Nov 21, 2013 Consultation in Red Deer, Alberta(2013-12) Hansen, Brian; Wells, Lana; Dozois, ElizabethThis report summarizes the information gathered from a consultation session conducted on Thursday, November 21st, 2013, in Red Deer, Alberta. Participants included academics whose research areas include involved fathering, as well as service providers, and leaders in the community who work with fathers in a variety of capacities. Prior to the consultation, the report “Promoting Positive Father Involvement: A Strategy to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence in the Next Generation” was sent to each participant. This research paper focuses on positive father involvement as an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) prevention strategy, that is, a strategy to prevent IPV before those behaviors develop in the next generation. The report provides a rationale for new investments in positive father involvement strategies including specific recommendations in the areas of research, policy, and programming. This report is situated within a broader research agenda designed to build a comprehensive strategy to engage men and boys in violence prevention. The goal of this full day session was to disseminate knowledge about new research and trends in positive father involvement strategies in Alberta, as well as to explore recommendations and next steps in the areas of research, policy, and programming in Alberta.Item Open Access Calling in All Men: 26 Recommendations for Engaging and Mobilizing Men to Prevent Violence and Advance Equity(2022-05) Pascoe, Laura; Wells, Lana; Dozois, ElizabethThe purpose of the Calling In Men research project is to synthesize evidence-informed primary prevention approaches that engage and mobilize men to prevent and disrupt violence and inequalities, and to share these findings with those funding and working with men and male-identified people in Canada. As part of this project, nine rapid evidence reviews were conducted on promising approaches to motivating and engaging men in violence prevention and gender equality efforts. This report draws on findings from each of the rapid reviews to provide a high-level synthesis of emergent evidence for what works to engage and mobilize men to prevent violence and promote gender justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion. It includes a series of recommendations that were developed for a range of stakeholders, including governments, funders, researchers/evaluators, and practitioners. The findings also provide the foundation for identifying gaps in the field and formulating recommendations for the type and level of research, funding, learning, and action needed to make further progress in these areas.Item Open Access The Calling in Men Project FAQs on the 9 Promising Approaches for Practitioners Engaging Men in Violence Prevention and Gender Equality(2022-10-01) Pascoe, Laura; Wells, Lana; Dozois, Elizabeth; Baker, Elizabeth; Akbary, Hamid; Hansen, BrianNeed a quick overview of the latest research on the bystander approach? Or ever wondered if innovative approaches like the nudge approach, virtual reality, or gamification have a valuable place in work to engage and mobilize men for violence prevention and gender equality? This document answers all your questions about key established and emergent promising approaches for working with men. Dive in, and see what is possible for getting men excited, onboard, and equipped with the necessary skills to end violence and advance gender and social equality!Item Open Access Changing Contexts: A Framework for Engaging Male-Oriented Settings in Gender Equality and Violence Prevention – Practitioners’ Guide(2020-04) Dozois, Elizabeth; Wells, LanaChanging Contexts: A Framework for Engaging Male-Oriented Settings in Gender Equality and Violence Prevention – Practitioners’ Guide is an approach that was designed in partnership with the Engaging Men Learning Collaborative (2017-2020). The ‘Changing Contexts” approach complements current ‘changing minds’ approaches (e.g., psychoeducational) to engaging men in gender equality and violence prevention by highlighting ways that contextual changes can be used to influence behaviour, including changes to social norms, organizational design, sociocultural and physical design. This practitioners’ guide outlines ways that human service professionals can collaborate with constituents of male-oriented settings to change the contextual dynamics within those settings so that the culture, norms, processes, and physical design of those environments cue more prosocial, gender-equitable behaviours.Item Open Access Developmental Insights and Observations from Calgary’s Shift Project: What We’ve Learned about Social Change Initiatives(2014-03) Dozois, ElizabethThis report draws on selective findings emerging from Shift’s retrospective study to highlight key learnings about social change efforts and is intended for anyone who is working on large social change initiatives. This paper draws on Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence as a case study to illustrate some of the dynamics involved in social change efforts. It presents learnings in seven key areas: Managing complexity reactions Building in time for learning and preparation Building a knowledge structure that supports development Developing multidimensional strategies Identifying a niche Changing practice Changing policy We hope that by sharing our learnings, we can support the efforts of others to create positive change.Item Open Access Evaluation Findings and Recommendations for a Strategic, Coordinated Approach to Violence Prevention Programming for Children and Youth in Calgary, Alberta: 2012-2015(2016-01) Dozois, ElizabethViolence prevention programming in schools has proven an effective means of reducing interpersonal violence such as bullying, sexual violence and domestic violence. In Calgary, these types of programs are currently offered by over a dozen different service providers, each having developed or adopted a different approach. The need to coordinate these efforts has long been recognized in this city, with coordination initiatives extending back as far as 2002. To date, however, attempts to develop a more cohesive and strategic approach in Calgary have been unsuccessful. In 2012, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence approached two funders – the United Way of Calgary and Area and the City of Calgary’s Family and Community Support Services – to support renewed efforts to coordinate violence prevention programming in this city. The need for coordination was heightened by the fact that Fourth R (Relationship), a teacher delivered evidence-based violence prevention program for youth in grades 7-9, was going to be scaled by Shift across Alberta. Having been alerted to this change in the programming landscape, service providers were eager to come together to consider the implications for their programs. While the project produced a number of good resources for educators and service providers, stakeholder engagement in VPP steadily declined, and the initiative began to lose momentum. As a result, the project was placed on hold in the Spring of 2015, and an evaluation consultant was contracted to gather feedback on the initiative, document learnings, and develop recommendations for next steps. This report offers a brief summary of the findings and recommendations arising from the VPP evaluation.Item Open Access Half the Equation - Why fathers are just as important as mothers in preventing domestic violence in the next generation(2014-01) Wells, Lana; Cooper, Merrill; Dozois, Elizabeth; Koziey, LynneThis issue brief is intended to highlight the value of fathers in preventing domestic violence for future generations, and illustrate the unique and important role they play in the lives of their children. Research shows that fathers who are positively engaged take an active role in caring for their child's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health, and they promote their child's well-being and security. Positive father involvement also means taking on nurturing and caretaking roles, and modeling behaviours that promote gender equity and peaceful ways of resolving conflicts.Item Open Access How Public Policy and Legislation Can Support the Prevention of Domestic Violence in Alberta(2012-06) Wells, Lana; Dozois, Elizabeth; Cooper, Merrill; Claussen, Caroline; Lorenzetti, Liza; Boodt, CaseyThis paper proposes specific, evidence-informed program and policy amendments and initiatives to enhance the Government of Alberta's family violence prevention strategy. The report suggests an increased focus on primary prevention in policy, legislation and resource allocations, will support the objective of significantly reducing rates of domestic violence in Alberta.Item Open Access Informing a Government of Alberta Action Plan to Engage Men and Boys to Stop Violence Against Women(2015-12-29) Wells, Lana; Dozois, Elizabeth; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Cooper, Merrill; Esina, Elena; Froese, Ken; Boutillier, SophiaAt this moment in Alberta, Canada, we all have an opportunity to better support men and boys to play a positive role in the movement to end violence against women. For this reason, we have proposed recommendations specific to the Government of Alberta to inform the development of their Action Plan to positively engage men and boys to advance gender equality and promote healthy masculinities in order to stop violence against women. However, we envision this report as an interim strategy because once men have been invited into the movement in positive ways and they become true allies and leaders in stopping violence against women, they can then be included in a more general strategy to engage all genders in violence prevention. In this sense, engaging men and boys is a bit like preferential hiring or reverse discrimination policies – that is, something that is needed for a period of time to redress a particular oversight or injustice, but is relinquished once that issue has been addressed. As a result, this report was written with the following assumptions in mind: • That the work with men and boys must be done in partnership with women’s organizations. All genders must be engaged to achieve gender equality and stop violence against women. • Funds must not be taken away or diverted from existing women’s organizations in order to advance an engaging men and boys strategy. New funds and resources must be found. • Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation. As such, this work must be informed by a human rights based approach in order to empower all genders to claim their rights and to ensure accountability of individuals and institutions who are responsible for respecting, protecting and fulfilling rights. • Experiences of masculinity are affected by class, location, ethnicity, cultural background, sexuality and many other factors. We need to reflect this intersectionality in our analysis, funding, program design and evaluation strategies. • We live in a patriarchy that reinforces structural inequities and reinforces violence against women. We therefore must work towards dismantling the existing structures and norms that breed men’s sense of entitlement and maintain their privilege, power and control over women. • Gender equality is in the best interest of everyone. This report is written with the intention of: 1) changing the discourse on men and boys from perpetrators to allies and violence disrupters: 2) promoting the inclusion of men and boys in efforts from which they have been largely absent, and 3) promoting the use of research and evidence to inform our violence prevention approach. Shift believes that working with men and boys can have a positive, transformative impact, not only on the lives of women and girls, but also on the lives of men and boys. Shift is committed to advancing this area of research and invites you to contact us to continue the dialogue and learning. Lana Wells, Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary (lmwells@ucalgary.ca)Item Open Access Men and Boys Violence Prevention Project: Informing a Government of Alberta Action Plan to Engage Men and Boys to Stop Violence Against Women(2015-12-29) Wells, Lana; Dozois, Elizabeth; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Cooper, Merrill; Esina, Elena; Froese, Ken; Boutillier, SophiaShift believes that working with men and boys can have a positive, transformative impact, not only on the lives of women and girls, but also on the lives of men and boys. As a result, we have been working over the past five years to advance this area of research, and in 2014 partnered with the Family and Community Safety Branch within the Ministry of Human Services-Government of Alberta (GOA) to build the first comprehensive government plan to engage men and boys in violence prevention. (This was undertaken as part of the GOA’s Family Violence Prevention Framework). Our research team (Lana Wells, Elizabeth Dozois, Deinera Exner-Cortens, Merrill Cooper, Sophia Boutillier, Elena Esina, and Ken Froese) conducted a literature review, consulted with leaders throughout Alberta and completed a provincial e-scan to understand both the evidence and current efforts in Alberta to advance a primary prevention approach with men and boys. From this, we identified specific recommendations to inform the Government of Alberta on an Action Plan to engage men and boys in violence prevention to advance gender equality and stop violence against women. These recommendations were compiled in the following report that was submitted to the Family and Community Safety Branch within Human Services in December 2015. The report is currently being reviewed by cross-ministry partners to explore opportunities to advance the findings. Follow the download link below to access a full report.Item Open Access No Man Left Behind: How and Why to Include Fathers in Government-Funded Parenting Strategies(2016-04) Dozois, Elizabeth; Wells, Lana; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Esina, ElenaIn December 2015, Shift released the Men and Boys Violence Prevention Project: Informing a Government of Alberta Action Plan to Engage Men and Boys to Stop Violence Against Women. One of the key priorities identified within this action plan was the need for new funding and support to increase positive fatherhood involvement as a key prevention strategy for domestic violence. To meet this need, Shift produced No Man Left Behind: How and Why to Include Fathers in Government-Funded Parenting Strategies (to download report, click on PDF below). This report draws on five different research methods to provide findings and recommendations specific to the Government of Alberta. It is our hope that this report will lead to a robust discussion along with policy, practice and investment changes throughout Alberta. For the details of the research that supported the development of this report, please see the Fatherhood Involvement Reference Report. Shift welcomes any feedback and would be pleased to present the research and recommendations to groups throughout Alberta.Item Open Access Promoting Positive Father Involvement: A Strategy to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence in the Next Generation(2013-09) Cooper, Merrill; Wells, Lana; Dozois, ElizabethThis research paper focuses on positive father involvement as an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) prevention strategy, that is, a strategy to prevent IPV before those behaviors develop in the next generation. The report provides a rationale for new investments in positive father involvement strategies including specific recommendations in the areas of research, policy, and programming. This report is situated within a broader research agenda designed to build a comprehensive strategy to engage men and boys in violence prevention.Item Open Access The Role of Alcohol Outlet Density in Reducing Domestic Violence in Alberta(2013-03) Dozois, Elizabeth; Esina, Elena; Wells, LanaIn this paper, we examine the relationship between alcohol use and domestic violence, and explore whether policy changes - in particular the regulation of liquor store density - can be effective in preventing and reducing domestic violence. This paper outlines a rationale for implementing liquor outlet density controls in Alberta and offers examples of effective research, policy and enforcement strategies from other jurisdictions. It concludes with a list of ways that municipalities in Alberta could take action.Item Open Access A Strategy to Promote Healthy Youth Relationships in Alberta to Prevent Domestic Violence(2014-04) Wells, Lana; Campbell, Kim; Dozois, ElizabethOver the past three years, Shift has worked to understand promising levers for change, and identify programs, practices, policies and initiatives that have been proven effective in preventing and reducing domestic violence. Much research points to children, youth and young adults as a key lever for primary prevention. Most of the precursors of domestic violence occur in childhood and adolescence. Children and youth learn relationship skills and social behaviours from their parents and other family members. A high proportion of children who witness or experience violent relationships in childhood go on to perpetuate these patterns in adulthood with their own children and partners. This strategy is aimed at building and promoting healthy relationships with youth populations across Alberta.