Rowan House Society's fiscal year runs from April 1 - March 31, while our Annual Report showcasing the stats, trends and highlights comes out in June, prior to our AGM. It's a great way to see some of the quantitative impacts our programs and services are having on our communities.

In the meantime, I am joined by our new Research and Evaluation Lead, Stefanie to talk about the importance of data and data integrity and some of the stories it tells about our work and our sector.

Follow us on Facebook or sign up for our e-newsletter on our website to get further updates on our work.

Preventative Education must play an essential role in addressing domestic violence and abuse. Rowan House has said this many times throughout this podcast and does a lot of great work in schools and the community to that end.

But it's important to understand that it's not just this work that makes a difference - prevention comes in many forms and is intertwined throughout each and every program and service we offer. And in order to fully break the cycle, we must take a multi-faceted approach.

In this episode, I am joined by Rowan House’s Executive Director, Linette Soldan and Community Programs Team Lead, Angela Koenig to talk about sector trends and the importance of wholistic prevention.

Infographic mentioned in episode: https://www.rowanhouse.ca/prevention 

What is the violence link? What can it tell law enforcement when they're approaching investigations that may be related to domestic violence and abuse? And can it get help for individuals in a more timely manner?

Acting Sgt. Dennis Smithson of the Calgary Police Service has been working hard to spread awareness about the Pet Abuse-Violence Link and joins me in this episode to help answer some of these questions.

Trigger warning: descriptions of pet abuse and domestic violence.

If you, or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, Rowan House is always available to provide trauma-informed crisis support, safety planning and program or community referral at 403-652-3311 (call/text)

It can't be said enough, education saves lives. And there are many people out there who are trying to find new ways to make a difference for those experiencing domestic violence and abuse; and strangulation.

In 2021, a working group was formed to bring various service providers to the table to figure out how to work together to ensure victims of strangulation could be recognized and properly supported in their unique and high-risk needs.

The panel includes shelter staff, including the Executive Director of Rowan House, health care providers, police and other responders, as well as friends or family members connected to someone who has experienced strangulation, focusing on the role of community in intervention, with the goal of doing 3-4 presentations each year.

In this episode, I am joined by one of the members of the panel, Dr. Pauline Head, who graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine in 1980 and completed a Fellowship with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Emergency Medicine in 1985. She has practiced Emergency Medicine in Calgary, since then and joins us to talk more about her experiences and why this panel is so important to saving lives.

Trigger warning for graphic descriptions of strangulation and abuse.

Taking a break from some of the tougher topics we've discussed this season, Episode 10 shares with you a short and sweet story of hope, to bring us back to what it's all about.

Rowan House Society has been a partner with Alberta Health Services Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) Program for about a year now. It's a program designed to be an important touch point for individuals experiencing domestic violence and abuse, who's first, and maybe only opportunity to learn about their options for getting help, may be at the hospital.

In this episode, I am joined by Registered Nurse, Nicole Smith and Social Worker, Diana Adamo to discuss how the program works and why it's so important.

Trigger warning: descriptions of injuries caused by physical domestic violence

Domestic violence and abuse truly are a significant problem, right here in our backyard, and it is costing people their lives. 

So how do we make change? How do we ensure the number of individuals affected and the number of deaths related to family violence doesn’t continue to rise? One answer is education. 

In this episode, Jill, the President of Lives in Transition, a program serving victims of domestic violence and moving them towards self-sufficiency, shares her personal story about the power of knowledge and how it might have saved her sister.

Trigger warning: this episode includes many descriptions of abuse and strangulation.

Other notes:
Rowan House 24-Hour Support Line: 403-652-3311 (call or text)
Alberta  Family Violence Info Line: 310-1818
Rowan House Family Violence Prevention Month Initiatives: https://www.rowanhouse.ca/fvpm
Rowan House Prevention Programs: https://www.rowanhouse.ca/prevention
Rowan House Educational  Resources: https://www.rowanhouse.ca/adult-resources

The emotional toll of violent and abusive relationships is a heavy one – for both adults and their children. There is a lot of damage to one’s self-worth that needs to be mended to move on to stable lives and future healthier relationships.

For the kids in these relationships who witness or even experience the violence and abuse, they may have an even more challenging time understanding or expressing how they feel, and it may burst out in similar ways to what they’ve seen to be the norm or the opposite where they retreat entirely inward. 

You can revisit Season 1, Episode 3 for more information on the effects of abuse on children, however, in this episode I am joined by Rowan House’s Children’s Program Team Lead, Carlee Marchbank to discuss how the program is implementing the Zones of Regulation curriculum to help our littlest clients address some of those BIG feelings.

Towards the end of the episode, I also have a little plug for our upcoming Breakfast with the Guys events. You can find more information about that HERE.