By Rosalind Russell – Dr. Isabelle Côté, a Laurentian University professor as well as the Associate Professor at the School of Social Work has launched the PEVC Institute (Protecting Children Against Domestic Violence) with her research partner, Simon Lapierre, a professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Ottawa.
She says the initiative is dedicated to safeguarding children living in domestic violence situations, with a focus on intervention, prevention, and professional training.
She adds the institute grew out of the duo’s five-year research project funded by a $1 million grant from Status of Women Canada in 2019.
She says children who live with domestic violence are at a high risk of developmental harm, so their goal is to ensure their safety, empower community professionals, and together, create effective intervention strategies, ultimately saving lives.
Cote emphasizes this research-to-front-line-training format is the first of its kind in this field in Canada.
The duo is expected to release preliminary results within the next three years.
Officials say the PEVC Institute provides comprehensive training for francophone professionals in youth protection, law enforcement, women’s shelters, perpetrator intervention programs, and legal services.
Community service professionals learn best practices directly from the researchers through a four-day training program.
Participants learn to handle complex cases of domestic violence, focus on the safety of children and their mother, and better understand accountability for perpetrators.
“Cases of domestic violence are some of the most difficult and dangerous to handle,” Dr. Côté explained. “We are shifting the paradigm with a rapid-response model that emphasizes both immediate safety and long-term change. To our knowledge, this research-to-front-line-training format is the first of its kind in this field in Canada.”
Officials say the PEVC model was successfully implemented in three pilot regions of Quebec, sparking interest from additional regions. Now offered in seven regions in both English and French, PEVC continues to expand to meet the needs of communities. The Institute has trained a growing number of police officers, lawyers, prosecutors, and social service providers throughout Quebec.
The team is committed to ongoing evaluation and adaptation of their model, ensuring it remains at the forefront of protecting vulnerable children.
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