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The University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work is the largest school of social work in Canada. We are consistently ranked among the top 15 schools in north America in terms of research productivity. Our research contributes to a greater understanding of complex social issues while making a difference in the lives of millions of people local, nationally and internationally.
Our faculty’s research agenda often has a dual focus. Some of our researchers look to influence policy by addressing the social determinants that underlie so many social issues. Other researchers search for impactful solutions to advance the profession right now.
Our innovative, interdisciplinary research demands meaningful community engagement with a focus on social justice and human rights.
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Item Open Access Item Open Access Advancing Healthy and Socially Just Schools and Communities: An Interdisciplinary Graduate Program(2019-08) Corcoran, Lynn; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Wells, LanaAdvancing Healthy and Socially Just Schools and Communities is a four-course graduate certificate program collaboratively developed by an interdisciplinary team comprised of faculty from the fields of Social Work and Education at a Canadian university. The aim of this program is to facilitate systems-level change through enhancing the knowledge and skills of graduate students from disciplines such as social work, education, and nursing who work with youth in schools and communities. The ultimate goal of this systems-level change is promotion of healthy youth relationships and prevention of violence. The topics for the four courses in the program include the following: promoting healthy relationships and preventing interpersonal violence, recognizing and counteracting oppression and structural violence, addressing trauma and building resilience, and fostering advocacy and community in the context of social justice. The development and pedagogy of the certificate program are described, along with findings from a pilot study designed to examine the utility and feasibility of the initial certificate offering. Experiences with the program to date highlight the potential for improvements in graduate students’ attitudes, beliefs, and confidence regarding what constitutes violence and their role in responding to it.Item Open Access Benefits of On-Line Chat for Single Mothers(Haworth Press, 2006) Miller, PamelaItem Open Access Building a Case for Using “Coercive Control” in Alberta: Discussion Paper(2020-09) Lee, Lianne; Wells, Lana; Gray, Shawna M.; Esina, ElenaAs part of Shift’s collaboration with IMPACT (a provincial collective impact initiative to eradicate domestic and sexual violence in Alberta), a series of papers and trainings modules are being developed to help build an evidence-informed primary prevention framework in Alberta. This particular report was focused on helping members of IMPACT better understand the coercive control model and examine the potential of adopting the model to inform the development of Alberta’s primary prevention framework. A presentation of the findings was also developed and shared with IMPACT members. Findings from this review suggest that the coercive control model has many strengths; however, adoption of the model in Alberta will require additional research to address its limitations and understand the usefulness of the model in advancing primary prevention.Item Open Access Building a movement of men and boys committed to violence prevention and gender equality in Alberta: Informing the Alberta primary prevention framework collaborative(2023-01-12) Wells, Lana; Pascoe, Laura; Litviniuc, AnyaThis report informs Alberta’s next and exciting chapter of expanding work with men and boys to end violence and advance gender equality. It was written to support the Alberta Primary Prevention Framework Collaborative by providing clear and actionable strategies for Alberta’s anti-violence sector as well as the Government of Alberta. We have organized the information into three evidence-informed sections. The first section is the case for engaging men and boys along with foundational theories and approaches to help readers orient themselves in this work. The second section is directed towards the Government of Alberta, to whom we propose a much-needed provincial plan for investing in working with men and boys for a violence-free and gender-equitable Alberta. The provincial plan details how to support and advance this work in communities, organizations, and across Alberta, along with policy and legislative reforms needed to create the social conditions to enable more men and boys to prevent violence and advance gender equality. The final section is geared towards leaders and practitioners. Here, we clearly state what we aim to achieve through this work by articulating the specific change outcomes we seek and the behaviours that gender equitable, nonviolent men demonstrate. This is followed by concrete strategies, skills, and approaches for targeting men and boys, and the settings in which they live, learn, work, socialize, play, and worship to support and reinforce prosocial behaviours.Item Open Access Building a Movement: Mobilizing more men for violence prevention, gender equality, and social justice in Canada: Recommendations for the Government of Canada(2022-10-01) Pascoe, Laura; Wells, LanaThe Government of Canada is committed to ending violence and advancing gender equality. To strengthen these efforts, a national strategy is urgently needed that will support the engagement and mobilization of more men and boys to stop violence before it starts and achieve gender and social justice. This report responds to Women and Gender Equality Canada’s interest in advancing this work and provides concrete and evidence-informed opportunities and recommendations to support the research, collaborations, partnerships, network-building, capacity building, processes, and funding needed to do just that. It was undertaken as part of the Calling In Men research project and builds on previous recommendations made to the Government of Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada.Item Open Access Building a Provincial Positive Fatherhood Involvement Strategy: Results from the Nov 21, 2013 Consultation in Red Deer, Alberta(2013-12) Hansen, Brian; Wells, Lana; Dozois, ElizabethThis report summarizes the information gathered from a consultation session conducted on Thursday, November 21st, 2013, in Red Deer, Alberta. Participants included academics whose research areas include involved fathering, as well as service providers, and leaders in the community who work with fathers in a variety of capacities. Prior to the consultation, the report “Promoting Positive Father Involvement: A Strategy to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence in the Next Generation” was sent to each participant. This research paper focuses on positive father involvement as an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) prevention strategy, that is, a strategy to prevent IPV before those behaviors develop in the next generation. The report provides a rationale for new investments in positive father involvement strategies including specific recommendations in the areas of research, policy, and programming. This report is situated within a broader research agenda designed to build a comprehensive strategy to engage men and boys in violence prevention. The goal of this full day session was to disseminate knowledge about new research and trends in positive father involvement strategies in Alberta, as well as to explore recommendations and next steps in the areas of research, policy, and programming in Alberta.Item Open Access Building capacity in Alberta to prevent domestic violence: Results from a community of practice project(2015-02) Wells, Lana; Claussen, Caroline; Aspenlieder, LauraIn 2011, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence entered into a formal partnership with the Government of Alberta to rebuild the recently released (November 2013) family violence prevention framework. Both partners agreed on the importance of ensuring that the research on which the prevention framework was based was accessible for practitioners, service providers, policy makers and system leaders throughout the province. Shift also realized that local communities would need to develop the capacity to implement the primary prevention strategies being proposed in the new provincial prevention strategy. As a result, Shift explored evidenced-informed models on knowledge translation, mobilization, and integration and (through a SSHRC Partnership grant and Canadian Women’s Foundation grant) engaged in a pilot project to test a particular Community of Practice (CoP) model in two regions in Alberta. The CoP model piloted was designed with the understanding that the best way to build community capacity for domestic violence primary prevention would be to work through the current research and support practitioners and system leaders to understand how it applies to their local context and communities. We believed this approach would support changes, not only at the individual practitioner level, but also support shifts in decision-making at the organizational, systems, and policy level.Item Open Access Calling in All Men: 26 Recommendations for Engaging and Mobilizing Men to Prevent Violence and Advance Equity(2022-05) Pascoe, Laura; Wells, Lana; Dozois, ElizabethThe purpose of the Calling In Men research project is to synthesize evidence-informed primary prevention approaches that engage and mobilize men to prevent and disrupt violence and inequalities, and to share these findings with those funding and working with men and male-identified people in Canada. As part of this project, nine rapid evidence reviews were conducted on promising approaches to motivating and engaging men in violence prevention and gender equality efforts. This report draws on findings from each of the rapid reviews to provide a high-level synthesis of emergent evidence for what works to engage and mobilize men to prevent violence and promote gender justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion. It includes a series of recommendations that were developed for a range of stakeholders, including governments, funders, researchers/evaluators, and practitioners. The findings also provide the foundation for identifying gaps in the field and formulating recommendations for the type and level of research, funding, learning, and action needed to make further progress in these areas.Item Open Access The Calling in Men Project FAQs on the 9 Promising Approaches for Practitioners Engaging Men in Violence Prevention and Gender Equality(2022-10-01) Pascoe, Laura; Wells, Lana; Dozois, Elizabeth; Baker, Elizabeth; Akbary, Hamid; Hansen, BrianNeed a quick overview of the latest research on the bystander approach? Or ever wondered if innovative approaches like the nudge approach, virtual reality, or gamification have a valuable place in work to engage and mobilize men for violence prevention and gender equality? This document answers all your questions about key established and emergent promising approaches for working with men. Dive in, and see what is possible for getting men excited, onboard, and equipped with the necessary skills to end violence and advance gender and social equality!Item Open Access Canadian Scan on Domestic Violence Prevention Policies at the Municipal Level(2018-10-09) Wells, Lana; Esina, ElenaThe purpose of this project is to conduct a preliminary national scan of municipal websites to identify council adopted policies, plans, frameworks, strategies or initiatives that focus on preventing domestic violence and/or sexual violence (referred to as “policies” in this report).Item Open Access Care for Older Adults in Canada: Strategies, Research and Societal Implications(2013-02-08) Lai, DanielThe increase of the aging population affects all members of different sectors in our society. In caring for the older adults, the role of the multiple sectors is crucial. This presentation will cover topics related to understanding population aging in Canada, policy level infrastructures that form the basis for care of older adults, theoretical bases and research that form the foundation of the care philosophy, caring role and strategies of various professional sectors, and relevancy of policies and programs in creating a more caring society for the older adults. The presentation will conclude by highlighting the unresolved issues related to preparing for a caring society for the aging population.Item Open Access A Case and Recommendations for Building Punjabi Community Health Services in Calgary, Alberta(2014-06) Abboud, Rida; Wells, Lana; Esina, ElenaA small steering committee of individuals (see Appendix 1) in Calgary is interested in exploring the feasibility of a community-service organization that would target South Asian communities. Coupled with interest from the Minister of Human Services, the Honorable Manmeet Bhullar, this group is interested in understanding the best practices of the Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) organization based in Toronto, Ontario, which delivers a comprehensive service delivery model. This model, developed by PCHS-Toronto, implements culturally appropriate interventions in the South Asian communities in the areas of addictions, mental health, aging, health promotion, domestic violence, and parenting (Punjabi Community Health Services, 2010). PCHS started in 1990 by delivering one service – a support service for men with addiction problems – and continued to build its service model by including research and community-level assessments.Today, the organization delivers 24 programs, to various South Asian communities, including public events, educational workshops, and cultural competency training. Shift is interested in supporting community organizations in their pursuit to prevent domestic violence in their communities. This report will support the Calgary committee to understand the essential components of PCHS-Toronto that are required to build a similar organization in Calgary. The model proposed in this report draws on PCHS-Toronto, but does not attempt to replicate it in its entirety because any organization in Calgary needs to be sensitive to, and borne of, the Calgary context.Item Open Access The Case for Reparative and Transformative Justice Approaches to Sexual Violence in Canada: A Proposal to Pilot and Test New Approaches.(2018-12) Boutilier, Sophia; Wells, LanaThe intention of writing this case and proposal is in response to the highly-visible #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have provided an opportunity to think about processes for healing from sexual violence and social change. Sexual abusers and harassers are being called out, but where do they go? Where do the victims of sexual violence go if they do not want to pursue a traditional justice response? At Shift, we believe that we need to be working on strategies and initiatives that create hope, healing, and opportunities to transform gender relations and norms. We hope this case will inspire and rally key leaders in communities, government, advocacy, and justice to design, fund, pilot, and evaluate non-mandated programs outside of the criminal justice system. We call for a non-mandated model that integrates restorative, reparative, and transformative principles to respond to sexual violence. We believe that this approach has the potential to meet victims’ needs, rehabilitate offenders, address injustice, and prevent future acts of violence.Item Open Access Changing Contexts: A Framework for Engaging Male-Oriented Settings in Gender Equality and Violence Prevention – Practitioners’ Guide(2020-04) Dozois, Elizabeth; Wells, LanaChanging Contexts: A Framework for Engaging Male-Oriented Settings in Gender Equality and Violence Prevention – Practitioners’ Guide is an approach that was designed in partnership with the Engaging Men Learning Collaborative (2017-2020). The ‘Changing Contexts” approach complements current ‘changing minds’ approaches (e.g., psychoeducational) to engaging men in gender equality and violence prevention by highlighting ways that contextual changes can be used to influence behaviour, including changes to social norms, organizational design, sociocultural and physical design. This practitioners’ guide outlines ways that human service professionals can collaborate with constituents of male-oriented settings to change the contextual dynamics within those settings so that the culture, norms, processes, and physical design of those environments cue more prosocial, gender-equitable behaviours.Item Open Access Comparison of social determinants of depressive symptoms among elderly Chinese in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Taipei(Hong Kong Geriatrics Society & Hong Kong Association of Gerontology, 2009) Lai, Daniel; Tong, H MItem Open Access A Comparison of Two Methods of Teaching Research to Master of Social Work Students(Sciedu Press, 2012-05-15) Walsh, Christine; Hewson, JenniferItem Open Access The connection between professional sporting events, holidays and domestic violence in Calgary, Alberta(The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, 2017-06) Boutilier, Sophia; Jadidzadeh, Ali; Esina, Elena; Wells, Lana; Kneebone, RonThere are some days in Calgary, Alberta when domestic violence is more likely to happen than other days. There is a statistically significant connection between higher rates of domestic violence and certain Calgary Stampeders’ football games as well as the arrival of the Calgary Stampede. During the 10-day-long Calgary Stampede, domestic violence calls on the seventh, ninth and tenth day of Stampede, were up 15 per cent compared to an average day. Weekends and summer months were also generally associated with the highest rates of domestic violence reports in Calgary. When it came to Calgary Stampeders’ football games, calls were higher only when the Stampeders faced off against the rival Edmonton Eskimos – with a 15 per cent increase in domestic violence reports. Grey Cup games in which Calgary played were associated with a 40 per cent increase in reports of domestic violence. However, games played by the Calgary Flames seemed to have no relationship to domestic violence calls, even those against the rival Edmonton team. Also, New Year’s Day appears to be associated with a significant spike in domestic violence, going by a four-year count of phone calls reporting domestic violence to both police and a local help line for those experiencing domestic and sexual abuse. There are also increases in calls associated with Good Friday, Easter, Canada Day, Labour Day, Valentine’s Day and Halloween. Meanwhile, the 2013 catastrophic floods in Calgary resulted in an increase in reports of domestic violence to police and the Connect help line, averaging an additional 6.6 reported incidents of domestic violence per day during the flood, 14 per cent higher than average.Item Open Access Consulting the Community on Advancing an LGBTQ Alberta Framework on the Prevention of Domestic Violence(2015-10) Hansen, Brian; Wells, LanaThis report contains the findings from a series of six consultations that Shift conducted throughout Alberta to better understand risk factors related to domestic violence victimization and perpetration within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities, as well as barriers to help-seeking. A total of 81 individuals from across Alberta were involved in the consultations, including representatives from the LGBTQ communities, the domestic violence sector, health services, school systems and law enforcement. Participants agreed that there is a need for improved capacity among government and community-based organizations to provide better services to LGBTQ victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. In particular, many participants noted that a lack of appropriate and informed services presents a significant barrier to LGBTQ individuals who are trying to exit unhealthy relationships and/or violent circumstances. Domestic violence service providers themselves acknowledged the limitations of their knowledge about the unique experiences of LGBTQ individuals; however, these providers also demonstrated a genuine desire to learn about, and improve, the provision of care to prevent domestic violence within the LGBTQ community. Specific recommendations directed at the Government of Alberta and community-based agencies are included.Item Open Access A Context of Domestic Violence: Learnings for Prevention from the Calgary Filipino Community(International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 2013) Wells, Lana; Hurlock, Debb; Antonio, Marichu; Lantion, Vic; Abboud, Rida; Claussen, Caroline; Lorenzetti, LizaThere is a lack of interpretive research in the domestic violence literature and, in particular, within an ethnocultural context. Interviews were held with four Filipina women in Calgary, Alberta who had previously been in violent relationships, in combination with a referral group of key informants with leadership and knowledge of community issues related to domestic violence. By adopting a phenomenological approach to the research, it was hoped that new understandings of what is identified in clinical paradigms as the “risk” and “protective” factors associated with domestic violence would be unearthed. This research study is at once exploratory and informative and is intended to contribute to the development of a province-wide plan to address and prevent domestic violence through the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary.