Grant: Catalyst Gr.: Partnering for Impact - Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

Almost half (44%) of women in Canada report experiencing at least one incident of violence at the hands of a partner in their lifetime, and research indicates as many as 92% of those may have suffered a brain injury (BI) as part of the abuse. BI due to head impacts and/or non-fatal strangulation occurring in the context of IPV is a common but still significantly understudied public health challenge that can have chronic and devastating implications. Research by our team and others in Canada and internationally has created growing recognition and awareness of the links between IPV and BI in recent years. However, a large gap in knowledge and practice still exists amongst staff in various sectors (women's shelters and transition houses, social workers, healthcare providers, law enforcement, etc.). This creates barriers for survivors to get appropriate help if BI is not taken into account in the supports and services provided. The objective of this project is to train a cohort of service providers from a selection of these key, first-point-of-contact sectors to enable them to act as knowledge brokers within their communities of practice. In particular, we will work with the team at Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR), with input from research, clinical, and community partners, as well as a cohort of survivors with lived experience, to develop, implement, and evaluate a focused, proof-of-principle IPV-BI training program targeting a small cohort of participants. By this means, we will be better positioned to disseminate IPV-BI knowledge more effectively and efficiently, thereby, setting the stage for changes in practice with the ultimate goal of improving long-term outcomes for survivors.