Research Library

CCIS Family Violence Specialist and Apartment 1310 Annual Evaluation Report February 2020

Abstract

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) is a non-profit organization with expertise in providing settlement and integration services to immigrants and refugees. The Family and Children’s Services (FCS) Division of CCIS works to facilitate the integration of newcomer families and children into the community, enhancing the provision of community services for newcomers, and promoting the healthy development of children using a holistic strengths-based approach. The Cultural Brokerage Program facilitated through the FCS Division provides direct supports, services and referrals to culturally diverse families involved with Alberta Children’s Services with the aim of ensuring children are safe and families are able to flourish in Canada. Since its inception, evaluation of the Cultural Brokerage Program has revealed that the most prevalent concern leading to Children’s Services involvement within client families is family violence. At the same time, research and experience have shown that culturally diverse families experience significant barriers to accessing the mainstream family violence support services that are available in Calgary. In response to the specific challenges faced by culturally diverse families with family violence concerns and Children’s Services involvement, CCIS created Family Violence (FV) Specialist roles within the Cultural Brokerage Program team and the innovative Apartment 1310 Program for perpetrators of family violence. The FV Specialists are a resource for the Cultural Brokerage Program team to access when families are facing issues related to family violence. In response to the gendered nature of family violence, one FV Specialist is female and the other is male. Together, they work with both victims and perpetrators of family violence to increase understanding around the impacts of family violence, responses to family violence, expectations around family violence in Canada, and available community resources and options for families.