More than 80 community and academic experts from across the country came together earlier this month to discuss challenges and to share best practices around safety planning, risk assessment and risk management in cases of intimate partner and domestic violence. The knowledge exchange addressed challenges around the lack of a common vocabulary in risk assessment tools and processes; the difficulty in communicating with other agencies that use different risk assessment tools; and obstacles to sharing information and collaboration (e.g. confidentiality) among stakeholders. The knowledge exchange also provided a forum for representatives in the area of safety planning and risk assessment/management to share best practices in their local communities and brainstorm potential training opportunities and dissemination strategies of research and education. Participants included shelter workers, police, court representatives, victim services; PAR agencies, child protection services and many others who work with victims of violence from all provinces and territories. The national knowledge exchange, funded by Department of Justice Canada, was co-hosted by Dr. Myrna Dawson, Director of the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence and Dr. Peter, Jaffe, Academic Director for the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children.
