First-ever seminar on family, domestic violence to be held in Saskatoon

It’s a first for Saskatchewan: a four-day seminar will be held from Jan. 14–17 in Saskatoon, specifically for professionals who work with families affected by domestic violence.

It’s called the “Safe and Together” model, and it applies to families who are going through separations or divorce.

Family lawyer and spokesperson Charmaine Panko said the seminar will be delivered by Saskatoon’s CommonSense Mediation Academy, in partnership with the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS).

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Panko said Saskatchewan has the “infamous” reputation of being one of the highest per capita locations for family violence, according to Statistics Canada.

Even with that dubious distinction, she said North America-wide statistics show that 70 per cent of domestic violence offenders will continue to see their children and the training for professionals helps them learn more about focusing on children and survivors while keeping offenders accountable.

“What that tells us is there’s something absolutely critical about making sure that the non-abusive parent has the supports that they need in order to continue to provide safety for their children, really capitalize on their strength as the survivor,” she explained.

Panko said they want to help service providers be as equipped as possible to help families in those circumstances.

That includes professionals working in health care, law enforcement, child welfare and substance abuse treatment – along with anyone else working with families affected by domestic violence.

The seminar content takes a strength-based approach.

“We have to be thinking, ‘Well how do we help these families continue to manage?’ The idea is to ask questions and help identify what the survivor of domestic violence is doing and can do to promote the child and family functioning in a way that’s a response to… the perpetrator’s behaviour pattern,” Panko explained.

That means learning pattern interruptions, and professionals developing skills to support the families in need.

“This is the very first time this particular training has been hosted in Saskatchewan. It is training that is provided around the world,” said Panko.

She hopes it will be offered annually. More information on the seminars can be found here.

The provincial government offers several resources for those who are experiencing abuse.