New directory to aid frontline social workers and police officers
Imagine for a moment that youre a social worker, a counsellor in a womens shelter, or a police officer. The woman sitting in your office is on the verge of tears. She tells you that shes been threatened by her partner; maybe she has already been abused by this person. Perhaps its her children or an elderly parent who are threatened. Beyond offering a list of emergency numbers, what can you do? What do social workers, police officers and other frontline workers turn to when advising on domestic violence issues?
Until recently, very little resource material was available to these very busy and dedicated workers. In fact, one of the most common referral tools is still the emergency numbers listed in the front of the local telephone directory. Theres usually little time for a worker to research all of the different areas affecting her clients; and time can be a very precious commodity when a workers case load is heavy and the clients life might be at stake.
Thats why the McGill University School of Social Works Centre for Applied Family Studies and the Montreal Urban Community Police Service have developed a concise, yet thorough directory of family violence resources that can aid frontline social workers and police officers in making the right recommendations when they matter most: before a bad situation escalates beyond control. The Family Violence Resource Directory, co-edited by Iryna Dulka and William Rowe of McGills School of Social Work and by John Dalzell of the Montreal Urban Community Police Service, is perhaps the first resource of its kind in Quebec.
"Day after day, we hear tragic reports of domestic violence situations. We knew it was vital to compile a thorough listing of all services and resources available in the family violence network," says Ms Dulka. "This Directory is as much about preventing violence and averting tragedies as it is about how to deal with the fallout from violence." Produced in collaboration with the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) Police, it represents a special partnership between two very seasoned forces working in the family violence area.
Listing agencies, shelters, support groups and other key organizations in an easy-to-use format, it offers a comprehensive guide for busy workers in both English and French, making it an invaluable resource book for the Montreal area. It includes committees involved in family violence issues, a list of training resources for social workers and police officers, referral networks, and a listing of MUC Police Service programmes for prevention and intervention. Moreover, the section on ethnic, religious and other specialized resources helps workers address particular perspectives and provides consultative resources in these areas.
Other contact: John Dalzell, Montreal Urban Community Police Service, 514- 280-2310
