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Looking to the Past for the Future

by Jill Hightower and Derek Eaves

Over ten years have passed since the establishment of the BC Institute Against Family Violence. Dr. Derek Eaves, one of the Institute's original board members, and Jill Hightower, the current Chair of the Institute, recently spent some time reviewing the accomplishments and challenges of the Institute since its inception. They also shared their ideas on possible future directions.A major goal of the Institute has been to facilitate interaction between government, the universities and the community at large. Since its inception, the Institute has striven to build positive working relationships with its three constituents. Creating a bridge between academia, community and front-line service agencies has been an ongoing task of the Institute. This has been particularly true in regard to the many partnerships we've developed over the years with academics specializing in the field of psychology and with the many front line organizations that provide assistance and services for victims of child abuse, partner violence and elder abuse. In accordance with the mission and objectives of the Institute, the first event of the organization was a conference that focused on the inter-connectedness of all forms of family violence.

Looking at past and current research activities, Derek Eaves discussed the work being done on criminal harassment, the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide and the evaluations of treatment programs for assaultive men.

Jill Hightower felt that links with the community had been strengthened by the development of the Resource Centre. Providing access to books, reports and videos on family violence issues, particularly for individuals and organizations located outside the Lower Mainland has proven to be a valuable and appreciated service. Whenever possible, Insitute staff have helped enquirers find appropriate services and provided statistical and research information. Students and other members of the general public continue to be welcome to come to the Institute and utilize the library holdings.

While the Institute has engaged in many educational projects, "The Person Within", a project that focuses on emotional abuse of children and youth with disabilities, is currently a major priority. At this time, Dr. Sally Rogow, Project Director, and Institute staff are organizing and presenting workshops to caregivers and other interested parties in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.The Institute hopes to receive funding for a province-wide initiative.

What lies ahead? Both board members felt that at the beginning of the new millennium, becoming the Violence Affiliate for the Canadian Health Network has presented an exciting national opportunity. Locally, Derek Eaves saw the Insti-tute as being well-positioned to take a more active role in assisting community organizations in the development and evaluation of programs.There is a need for solid research as a foundation to policy and program development.

In discussing areas of future research, they both saw the need for research activities to inform program development and service provision in the area of abuse and neglect of vulnerable populations. A major component of this work must be an examination of the association between mental illness and the experience of violence. A similar challenge is the recognition of child abuse, partner violence and elder abuse as existing on a continuum of violence which stretches across the lifespan, a premise that over ten years ago was a major theme of the first conference of the Institute.

As with most community-based organizations, they agreed that funding for activities was a constant issue, and felt that this will continue to be a challenge in the coming years.

Looking back, we are pleased to be able to say that much has been accomplished, and the future holds many opportunities and challenges for the talented and experienced staff and at the policy level for the Board of Directors of the Institute.