Federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter Announces Funding for Workplaces to

Federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter Announces Funding for Workplaces to Address Family Violence

FREDERICTON, Nov 29, 2002 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- The Honourable Wayne Easter, Solicitor General of Canada, today announced a Government of Canada contribution of more than $72,000 under the National Crime Prevention Strategy to support an innovative new toolkit that will help organizations deal with family violence issues in the workplace.

Source: Canada Newswire

Date: 11/29/2002 10:23

Federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter Announces Funding for Workplaces to

Address Family Violence

Story Filed: Friday, November 29, 2002 10:23 AM EST FREDERICTON, Nov 29, 2002 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- The Honourable Wayne Easter, Solicitor General of Canada, today announced a Government of Canada contribution of more than $72,000 under the National Crime Prevention Strategy to support an innovative new toolkit that will help organizations deal with family violence issues in the workplace. "The effects of family violence do not stop at the front door, there are also lasting effects on a person’s self-esteem, workplace relationships, and things like absenteeism and overall workplace performance," said Mr. Easter. "This project will go a long way to addressing an issue that touches more families than we know." The project will create a Family Violence and the Workplace Toolkit, which will include best practices and programs that can be used to address family violence issues in workplace settings. It will be designed to support employers’ efforts to develop a respectful and healthy workplace, and it will be delivered as part of a comprehensive social marketing strategy. The toolkit will include information on employee awareness workshops, training, and workplace safety, and will be complemented by a website that links users to additional resources. The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is leading the project with support from the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation, and other members of the Workplace Family Violence Committee. "Family violence has a negative impact on the workplace and we are happy to participate in this project," said Les Smith, President of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. "We hope to increase awareness of the issue of family violence and provide employers and employees with ‘tools’ to handle situations that spill over from the home into the workplace." "Family violence cannot be solved by one person or organization alone," added Pamela McKay, President of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation, which is a leader in family violence education and awareness. "When employees are affected by family violence, not only is there a need to recognize the signs of abuse and respond, there is also a need to develop a respectful, healthy workplace that emphasizes the value and integrity of the individual." Members of the Workplace Family Violence Committee that are working to develop the toolkit include the Cendant Canada, Inc.; Fredericton Chamber of Commerce; New Brunswick Power Corporation and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Muriel McQueen Centre for Family Violence Research; Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation; New Brunswick Department of Public Safety and the Office for Human Resources; Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick ; the River Valley Health (NB Health Region 3); and the University of New Brunswick. The Government of Canada is supporting the toolkit project with funding under the Business Action Program of the National Crime Prevention Strategy. The National Strategy is administered by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Martin Cauchon, and the Solicitor General of Canada. The Strategy takes an early-intervention approach to building safer communities by dealing with the factors that can place Canadians, especially young Canadians, at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system. The Business Action Program encourages and supports the involvement of business and professional associations in corporate/community partnership projects to prevent crime and victimization. In July of 2001, the Government of Canada announced the investment of a further $145 million over four years, in addition to the $32 million per year the Strategy already receives. Since its launch in 1998, the Strategy has supported more than 2,800 projects in 700 communities across the country. For more information, please consult the attached Backgrounder or visit www.prevention.gc.ca Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. BACKGROUNDER Family Violence and the Workplace Toolkit Family Violence and the Workplace Toolkit

Everybody deserves to have a safe, supportive, nurturing home, but unfortunately too many people cannot count on home as a safe haven. Family violence affects people from all walks of life, and has a serious impact on physical, emotional, and social well-being. When people experience family violence, the affects are not left at home when they go out to work. Having the understanding and support of managers and colleagues can make a world of difference to people who live with family violence, and may help them access resources they can use to change their situations. With funding support from the National Crime Prevention Strategy’s Business Action Program, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation for Family Violence Research’s Workplace Family Violence Committee are collaborating on an innovative pilot project designed to help employers integrate information about family violence into their efforts to create healthier workplace environments. The Family Violence in the Workplace Toolkit project will help to promote healthy, respectful workplaces by engaging members of the Workplace Family Violence Committee in increasing awareness of how family violence issues can affect workplace environments, identifying best practice tools and models, and developing a toolkit that can be used in workplaces throughout New Brunswick. A social marketing strategy will be developed to promote the toolkit, and it will be delivered and supported by Committee members and other interested partners. A website that provides information and links to complementary resources will be developed to help sustain the impact and extend the reach of the project.

Project Based on Solid Research

The idea to develop this toolkit arose from action research conducted by the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research in collaboration with business, academic, government and non-profit community partners. Among the research findings was a shared concern that many organizations lack appropriate training and education on how family violence issues affect workplace environments, and how stressful workplace situations are often catalysts for violence in the home. Most importantly, the study recommended that workplaces seek to create a corporate culture in which everyone value and respect each other. It concluded that workplaces have a social responsibility to assist in the prevention of violent and criminal activity, and to contribute to the elimination of a social problem that erodes quality of life. This project is a collaborative effort to develop products and processes to get this vital information into the hands and hearts of those people who can use it - both employees and managers. The Workplace Family Violence Committee The Workplace Family Violence Committee is working in partnership with federal and provincial governments, community-based organizations, and academics to support private sector organizations’ desire to implement policies, tools and practices that will make New Brunswick workplaces a key component in a broad network of support for families. Members of the Workplace Family Violence Committee, that is working to develop the toolkit, include the Cendant Canada, Inc; Fredericton Chamber of Commerce; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; New Brunswick Power Corporation; Muriel McQueen Centre for Family Violence Research; Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation; New Brunswick Department of Public Safety and the Office for Human Resources; Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick; the River Valley Health (NB Health Region 3); and the University of New Brunswick. The National Crime Prevention Strategy The National Crime Prevention Strategy supports innovative community- based solutions to promoting safer communities with initiatives that range from efforts to foster the development of healthy children and families, to promoting safer school environments by addressing factors that may prevent them, such as school problems, poor social skills, and substance abuse. The Business Action Program encourages and supports the involvement of business and professional associations in corporate/community partnership projects to prevent crime and victimization.

For more information on the National Strategy please visit: http://www.prevention.gc.ca

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http://www.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/inquiry.cgi?OKEY=30665 CONTACT: For further information: Dan Brien,Office of the Solicitor General,(613) 991-2924; Mark Stokes,National Crime Prevention Strategy,(613) 954-1721; Therese Murray, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation,(506) 472-5085News release via Canada NewsWire, Ottawa 613-563-4465 -GFCE- Copyright © 2002 CNW, All rights reserved KEYWORD: FREDERICTON Copyright © 2002, Canada Newswire, all rights reserved.