On November 3, 2006 30 community organizations from the justice, social service, child welfare, education, health and violence against women sectors agreed to a Community Response Protocol for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence It includes procedures in four key areas of work: safety planning, risk assessments, interventions and referrals, case management and community partner meetings based on a shared vision and principles to guide the work. Click to view or download the Community Response Protocol. A Train the Trainer Kit on the Protocol and is posted in the Working Together section of this website,

The Mental Health, Addictions and Abuse subcommittee of the GBVPCC has released the final report No Wrong Door - Creating a Collaborative Rural Response for Women with Abuse, Mental Health and Addictions Issues.

This report is the result of a one year research and community development project funded by the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat, Ministry of the Attorney General.

The objectives of the project were:
- to identify gaps in service for women with abuse, mental health and/or abuse issues;
- to hear from women how to better meet their service needs;

The outcomes, action items and next steps from the Weaving Our Communities conference that was held in September 2007 are presented in this report.

We will be evaluating community action and plans for action that are underway since the September conference that brought 165 people of all ages and backgrounds together to address racism, discrimination and violence in alls its forms.

For more information contact cpurdon@bmts.com

The province of Ontario launched a public education campaign to help people recognize the signs of abuse and know what action to take in June 2006. The Neighbours, Friends and Families Campaign is rolling out in communities across Ontario. The campaign includes new resources on How to Talk to Men Who are Abusive, Safety Planning for Women Who are Abused, and How You can Identify and Help Women at Risk of Abuse. The provincial campaign includes an excellent website with downloadable resources for community members: www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.on.ca

The Grey Bruce Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee has carried out four Report Cards on the Community Response to Domestic Violence. The report cards collected information from women and men who used community services because of domestic violence, and from service providers to provide a snapshot on how well we respond to woman abuse, and where improvements are needed. The findings and recommendations from the Report Card process are available on this page.