Developing domestic violence primary prevention capacity through a community of practice project: Learnings from Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Domestic violence practitioners and community organizations often lack the capacity to engage in primary prevention activities. In part, this limited capacity exacerbates the gap between evidence-based research and practice, necessitating innovative initiatives specifically aimed at user uptake. Using a community of practice (CoP) model within two distinct communities in Alberta, Canada, we sought to translate research knowledge on domestic violence prevention and build primary prevention capacity with practitioners. One hundred twenty professionals from various sectors attended CoP sessions, with 20 attending all six sessions. Data was collected using in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews. Interview findings include that face to-face learning was effective for deeper understanding and building networks across sectors, as well as supporting new aspects of prevention work that had not been previously considered. Findings also indicate that skilled facilitation increased CoP effectiveness, particularly where community context was considered in relation to the topics presented. Impacts include changes to discourse, priorities, and resource allocation to support primary prevention. Areas for improvement include a slower pace of information delivery, and increased focus on policy and system changes. Overall, using a CoP model seemed to support knowledge translation and practitioner capacity building in the area of domestic violence prevention. Considerations for future utilization of this model are explored.

Keywords:

• violence prevention
• community stakeholders
• knowledge translation
• socially situated learning

Public Interest Statement

The importance of prevention approaches to domestic violence has been recognized, although there remains a gap between research and practice. Our research findings show Community of Practice (CoP) models to be a promising way in which to build individual practitioner primary prevention capacity. Findings specifically highlighted the ways in which the CoP model built common language and develop shared meaning between practitioners in a variety of sectors as well as changes in resources allocation to support more primary prevention activities. More time between CoP sessions and building explicit content on policy and systems change were deemed important improvements to future iterations of this model. These findings are of particular interest to organizations working in the area of domestic violence primary prevention, researchers seeking to support primary prevention research translation and knowledge mobilization, and system leaders seeking to implement research-based findings in their local context of domestic violence prevention.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Caroline Claussen

Caroline Claussen is a PhD Candidate in the department of Sociology at the University of Calgary. Laura Aspenlieder is a registered Social Worker with Alberta Health Services, and Sophia Boutilier is a PhD student in the department of Sociology at Stonybrook University, New York.

Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence was initiated by Lana Wells, the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence. Shift is a community-based project aimed at significantly reducing, and eventually ending, domestic violence in Alberta. The purpose of Shift is to enhance the capacity of policy makers, systems leaders, clinicians, service providers and the community at large, to significantly reduce the rates of domestic violence in Alberta. We are committed to making our research accessible and working collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders, to inform and influence current and future domestic violence prevention efforts, through the perspective of primary prevention.