Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Alice House provide intimate partner awareness presentations and training?
Alice House believes in courage, safety, and opportunity. Education helps our community better support those who are impacted by intimate partner violence and gender based violence. Alice House has 35 years of subject matter expertise and staff members with a combined 7 decades of experience spanning areas of social work, shelter work, transitional housing, child and youth care, counselling, and adult education. We are deeply aware of the opportunities for safety that victim/survivors report have been overlooked by their family, friends, employers, neighbours, and supports and we seek to share our insights.
Why should my staff members and I receive Intimate Partner Violence training?
53% of individuals who experience intimate partner violence are victimized at work. Even if you were not aware, chances are that your employees, coworkers, and clients have missed work time to deal with the consequences of their partner’s abusive behaviour.
Intimate Partner Violence is falls under Violence in the Workplace regulation of Occupational Health and Safety legislation in Nova Scotia. Violence is defined to mean: ‘(i) threats, including a threatening statement or threatening behaviour that gives an employee reasonable cause to believe that the employee is at risk of physical injury, or (ii) conduct or attempted conduct of a person that endangers the physical health or physical safety of an employee.’ Section 13(a) of the Occupational and Safety Act provides that ‘every employer shall take every precaution that is reasonable in the circumstances to... (a) ensure the health and safety of persons at or near the workplace.’
Whether a case manager of 20 clients, an employer of 500 staff members, or a casual volunteer, we know you want to do your best to keep the people close to you safe.
Who should call us to book an awareness presentation or SmartAlice training?
Employers, case managers, health care providers, human resource professionals, community leaders, sports team coaches, religious groups, college and university students, and volunteers. Anyone and everyone who is interested in learning more about supporting victim/survivors of domestic violence and who could be responsible for their care.
What are the qualifications of the facilitator?
Our Domestic Violence Educator, Karen Spurr, is a community development geek with unrelenting passion for adult learning and education. She brings experience from work at emergency homeless shelters, community residential facilities for offenders, in outreach/navigator positions, and from case management within the Nova Scotia Housing Support Worker Initiative. Karen is finishing her Masters in Adult, Community, and Higher Education at MSVU and she is also a certified life coach.
What do participants have to say about the training?
We’ve asked our past participants this very question. Here’s what they said:
“I wanted to get a better understanding of Alice Housing programs and Karen 100% delivered. Honestly it was an excellent presentation. One thing that stands out is I felt Karen really cared about our well-being as service providers (even though we’re not ‘boots on the ground’). She’s incredibly knowledgeable and compassionate.” (211 presentation)
“Very helpful for me in moving forward with my clients.” (Nova Scotia Works)
“I believe a lot more organizations could and would benefit.” (Metro Regional Housing Authority)
“Some of it hit close to home after learning about the different types of abuse that there are. I learned a lot of different types of abuse that I wasn’t aware of and I am experiencing some of it.” (Success College)
“The presentation was great, but the discussions and anonymous case examples were most helpful.” (Nova Scotia Fitness Association)
Where will the presentation or training be facilitated?
A suitable facility will include Internet access, a projector, tables and chairs for participants, and a whiteboard. For our SmartAlice training, there will be a two breaks, and a lunch hour. Alice House does not provide lunch or refreshments. Our facilitator is able to travel across NS, NB, and PEI.
What will Alice House supply for resources and materials?
The facilitator will provide paper copies of types of abuse and warning signs lists as well as Alice House pamphlets and business cards. For SmartAlice training sessions, the facilitator will also supply bound handbooks, posters, materials for activities, individual certificates for participants, and a display certificate for the group/employer.
How many people may attend a presentation or participate in training?
There are no limits for the amount of people that may attend the Ally 2 Alice awareness presentation so long as the facility can comfortably accommodate the group. With respectful consideration for the life experience participants bring, the intensity of the subject matter, and the activities we have planned, we find it best to limit SmartAlice training sessions to 30 participants at a time.
How do I book a presentation or training?
To schedule a presentation or training session, please email education@alicehouse.ca. It would be greatly appreciated if you can contact us 4-8 weeks in advance and include the desired date, time, location, number of participants, expertise of participants (ex. students, medical professionals, landlords, etc). Due to the popularity of our educational offerings we book up quickly! Please give us as much notice as possible if you have a specific date/time in mind.