The Redwood…For Women and Children Fleeing Abuse

Published purpose

Through this 30-month project, The Redwood will scale their Safety Assessment and Risk Management (SARM) framework Ontario-wide to strengthen the GBV sector. It will address the need for the Violence Against Women sector to uphold a higher standard of GBV screening and safety planning and address the fallout from the widening service gap by offering a tool that develops strategies to reduce violence and mitigate risks from a survivor-centred approach. To do so, the project will (1) identify service gaps and map coordination channels throughout Ontario; (2) conduct focus groups with survivors, service providers and subject-matter experts; (3) use gathered knowledge to develop a revised, more inclusive version of the SARM practice model in both official languages; (4) develop a comprehensive training curriculum and deliver SARM training to all project partners; and (5) conduct process and outcome evaluations. On top of delivering SARM training to partners, The Redwood will present the model at educational conferences and incorporate it into the organization’s online portal to share information on the promising practice with others so that they may replicate it or expand upon it.