Component: Investing in Women's Futures

Legislation: N/A

Service description

  • The Investing in Women’s Futures (IWF) program funds women-centred organizations across the province to provide a safe space and wraparound supports for women who experience social and economic barriers to stabilize their lives, embark on a path to healing and wellness, and gain the skills needed to gain economic self-sufficiency and security.
  • The program provides employment readiness and violence prevention programming and services to women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals who self-identify as women. Services offered may vary service provider depending on location, community need, and population served and be delivered through both group workshops and individual sessions, offered in person or virtually

People served

  • Survivors of gender-based violence
  • Low-income women
  • Immigrant, refugee and newcomer women
  • Black women
  • Racialized women
  • Indigenous women
  • Francophone women
  • Rural women
  • Women aged 55+
  • Women with disabilities
  • Lone mothers of young children
  • 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals who self-identify as women

Program/service features

  • The Programs/Services contracted by the Ministry reflect employment readiness and violence prevention programming provided through both group workshops and individual sessions, offered in person or virtually
  • Wraparound supports are offered to help remove barriers for participants to access services. Wraparound supports vary based on participant need, are coordinated locally on a site-by-site basis and may include
    • Assistance with childcare
    • Transportation to and from the site
    • Food on site throughout the day, and
    • Referrals to counselling, housing, mental health, and legal support

Specific service provided

Programming and services may vary by site to include, but is not limited to the following economic and social services

  • Safety planning
  • Supportive counselling
  • Legal rights workshops and resources
  • Financial Literacy Training
  • Personal and professional coaching, mentorship
  • Systems navigation and referrals
  • Life skills and self-esteem workshops
  • Employment readiness workshops (i.e. resume writing, interview skills, etc.)
  • Entrepreneurship skills development
  • Occupational skills training

Program goals

Projects should give consideration to partnerships, cross-sectoral and innovative approaches

  • Project should be delivered in a manner that is intersectional in nature, responsive to the increased risk of GBV experienced by specific groups and are culturally relevant, localized, trauma and evidence informed
  • Projects should provide wraparound supports to assist participants access the programs and services offered

Addressing risk of lethality

All projects should reflect the risk of lethality in program delivery as recommended by both the Office of the Chief Coroner’s Domestic Violence Death Review Committee and the Domestic Violence Advisory Council. The Ministry requires that the transfer payment recipient regularly includes content on the following in public education and training materials:

  1. common risk factors for lethal violence*;
  2. steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of lethal violence and referral information for organizations that can provide support to women and their children (e.g., shelters, police, helplines); and
  3. participate in collaboration and appropriate information sharing among community agencies and the justice system to promote safety planning and risk management.

The Domestic Violence Death Review Committee 2017 report reviewed 311 cases, involving 445 deaths that occurred between 2003 – 2017. Of the cases reviewed, 65% were homicides and 35% were homicide-suicides. The top risk factors* identified were:

  • there was a history of domestic violence for the couple (72% of the cases), and
  • there was an actual or pending separation (67% of the cases).

The other top risk factors were:

  • a perpetrator who was depressed (50%)
  • obsessive behaviour by the perpetrator (46%)
  • prior threats or attempts to commit suicide (45%)
  • a victim who had an intuitive sense of fear of the perpetrator (44%)
  • perpetrator displayed sexual jealousy (41%)
  • prior threats to kill the victim (38%)
  • excessive alcohol and/or drug use (40%)
  • a perpetrator who was unemployed (40%)
  • history of violence outside the family (34%)
  • an escalation of violence (32%)

Reports must describe how this content was or will be addressed, and where.

Note: The Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children has developed online training modules for professionals to help them reduce the risk of lethal violence against women and their children (available in English only). The trainings address the unique challenges faced by newcomers and Indigenous women, women with disabilities, and in a workplace setting. Transfer payment recipients are encouraged to complete these free on demand training modules at: https://www.learningtoendabuse.ca/training_and_certificate/online-modules/index.html

Reporting Requirements

The following service data as well as expenditures will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Additional data may be requested at the discretion of the Ministry. Please refer to your Transfer Payment Agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Wellbeing and GBV Indicators
Service Data NameDefinition
Total # of service users who created a safety planThe total number of service users who created a safety plan. If safety plan development is not provided through your IWF-funded program, put “0”.
Total # of service users who received GBV supports or attended GBV activitiesThe total number of service users who received GBV supports or attended GBV activities. This can include individual or group counselling, peer counselling, workshops/other training and GBV supports.
Total # of service users that learn new ways to cope and heal from the violence in their livesThe total number of service users that learn new ways to cope and heal from the violence in their lives.
Total # service users that have an increased awareness of the cycle of violence, and safety and supports availableThe total number of service users that have an increased awareness of the cycle of violence and safety and supports available.
General Indicators
Service Data NameDefinition
Total # of unique service usersThe total number of unique service users who received any supports under the IWF Program.
Total # of service users who utilized wraparound supports to access IWF program servicesThe total number service users who accessed wraparound supports in order to participate in the IWF program programming/supports. These supports could include childcare, transportation to and from programming, food during the program day etc.
Total # of service users who received systems navigation support/referralsThe total number of service users who received systems navigation support. This includes referrals, case management and other connection supports provided to service users.
Total # of service users who attended life skills and self-esteem counselling or programsThe total number of service users who attended life skills and self-esteem counselling or programs (i.e. total number people who used these services).
Total # service users that have an increased knowledge of available resources and how to navigate the service systemThe total number of service users that have an increased knowledge of available resources and how to navigate the service system.
Total # of service users who have reported increased resilience and emotional well-beingUnique, or unduplicated, number of participants who reported via the client survey that participating in the program has increased their resilience and emotional well-being.
Total # of participants who reported increased confidence and ability to act towards goalsUnique, or unduplicated, number of participants who reported via the client survey that participating in the program has increased their confidence and ability to act towards desired change and goals.
Economic Indicators
Service Data NameDefinition
Total # service users who received employment supportsThe total number of service users who received employment supports. These supports could include resume writing or job readiness services. This does not include skills training.
Total # of service users who completed entrepreneurial/occupational skills trainingThe total number of service users who completed the entrepreneurial/occupational skills training program regardless of if they have employment.
Total # of service users who pursued further training/education following completion of occupational and entrepreneurial skills trainingThe total number of service users who pursued further training/education following completion of occupational and entrepreneurial skills training.
Total # of service users who became self-employed/employed following completion of occupational and entrepreneurial skills trainingThe total number of service users who became self-employed/employed following completion of occupational and entrepreneurial skills training. This can include people who began paid employment or started their own business.

Expenditures Service Data Name Definition Wraparound Supports Total expenditure ($) allocated for wraparound supports.