Gaps identified

• The data is from the case notes of one social worker at Changing Together, creating limitations in the clientele and type of support given.
• Additionally, restricted funding and time allowance encourages DV social workers to practice within a crisis management model, where they focus on the woman’s highest priority instead of all of her concerns.

Key recommendations

• More robust and better funded services, training, and programs for supporting survivors of DV, particularly immigrant women, are required.

Key findings

• Three themes came out of the research: building independence, surviving abuse, and services to support surviving.
• Due to the interplay between domestic violence (DV) and immigration, women experienced barriers to building independence in their finances, employment, housing and community integration.
• Surviving abuse spoke to different forms of DV that the women experienced, the impact on their children, and decisions to leave and/or divorce.
• The authors suggested services for supporting surviving included immigration system navigation, healthcare for damage from DV, Canadian education and cultivating resilience.

Location

• Edmonton
• Alberta
• urban areas

Community organizations

Integration timeline

Key population

Open access – No