PREPARED BY: Healthy Families Department, Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program
DATE: 2026-11-12
SUBJECT: Strengthening Intimate Partner Violence Assessment and Response Capacity
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
The Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) Program is a voluntary home visiting and family support program funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS). Through this program, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) supports families during pregnancy and throughout the early years until a child's transition to school. HBHC promotes healthy child development and family well-being through health promotion, parenting support, early identification of developmental and family needs, and connections to community services.
Public Health Nurses provide individualized assessment, service planning, education, coordination, and support tailored to each family's strengths and needs, with additional services available from Family Home Visitors, a Lactation Consultant, and a Social Worker, as appropriate. As part of this work, HBHC staff routinely assess factors that may affect the health, safety, and well-being of children and families, including intimate partner violence, and facilitate referrals to appropriate community supports when needed.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that can have negative impacts on the health and well-being of individuals, children, and families. Exposure to IPV is associated with increased risks of physical injury, mental health concerns, chronic stress, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and negative impacts on child development (Government of Canada, 2025). The nature of HBHC service delivery places staff in a unique position to identify IPV, assess safety concerns, provide supportive interventions, and facilitate referrals to appropriate community services. This positions the program as an important setting for early identification and intervention.
Local and provincial data show a need for stronger IPV prevention and response efforts. In 2024, Ontario’s police-reported IPV rate was 278 victims per 100,000 population aged 12 years and older. The Windsor Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes Windsor, Tecumseh, LaSalle, Lakeshore, and Amherstburg, reported a higher rate of 348 victims per 100,000 population. Rates were substantially higher among women than men in both jurisdictions. In the Windsor CMA, the rate was 556 victims per 100,000 women, compared with 151 victims per 100,000 men. In Ontario, the rate was 433 victims per 100,000 women, compared with 120 victims per 100,000 men. Similar to the provincial trend, police-reported IPV rates in the Windsor CMA have increased over the past five years (Statistics Canada, 2025).
In addition, 798 individuals accessed services through the Intimate Partner Violence Specialist Response Program in 2025 (Windsor Police Services, 2025).
Addressing IPV aligns with priorities identified in the Windsor-Essex Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (2026-2029), which identified gender-based violence and family violence as key community concerns requiring coordinated, cross-sector action. Strengthening the capacity of health and social service providers to identify, assess, and respond to IPV supports the plan's objectives of improving safety, enhancing access to services, and strengthening collaborative community responses.
The HBHC Program has observed and increase an increase in IPV disclosures among clients participating in home visiting services. In response, the program identified a need to strengthen evidence-informed, trauma- and violence-informed approaches to assessment, safety planning, and referral practices.
DISCUSSION
The HBHC Program undertook a comprehensive initiative to strengthen community capacity to identify, assess, and respond to intimate partner violence by hosting a specialized IPV training event on October 22 and 23, 2026. The training was designed to promote a consistent, community-based approach to IPV assessment, safety planning, trauma- and violence-informed care, and referral practices among organizations serving individuals and families affected by IPV.
The event brought together participants from multiple sectors including public health, child welfare, women's and children's services, crisis and victim support services, policing, child and youth mental health, community health, and primary care. This cross-sector approach promoted a shared understanding of evidence-informed practices and strengthened relationships among organizations responding to IPV throughout Windsor and Essex County and neighbouring health units.
The training focused on increasing an understanding of intimate partner violence, increasing confidence in recognizing and responding to disclosures, enhancing skills related to risk assessment and safety planning, and improving awareness of available community resources and referral pathways. Emphasis was placed on applying trauma- and violence-informed approaches and assessment tools that promote safety, trust, collaboration, and person-centred care.
Participants also received local system information from the Hub Without Walls initiative and Legal Assistance of Windsor. A presentation provided local context regarding the prevalence and impact of IPV in Windsor and Essex County, and highlighted available community supports, coordinated referral pathways, and collaborative service models. Local perspective helped participants connect evidence-informed practices with the realities, resources, and service navigation pathways available within the community.
Anecdotal feedback from participants suggested that bringing together representatives from multiple sectors strengthened collective understanding of intimate partner violence and supported discussions regarding more coordinated responses across the local service system.
Training Initiative Outputs
Training outputs included:
- The delivery of a two-day specialized IPV training program to 103 multidisciplinary participants.
- Intersectoral collaboration among organizations responding to IPV across Windsor and Essex County.
- 103 participants trained on Danger Assessment-5 (DA-5) risk assessment tool.
- Certification of 40 participants in the Danger Assessment-20 (DA-20) risk assessment tool.
Participants were invited to complete pre- and post-training surveys to assess changes in knowledge, confidence, and perceived competency related to responding to intimate partner violence. A three-month follow-up survey will also be conducted to assess how participants have applied the knowledge and skills gained through the training and to identify any ongoing training or resource needs. Evaluation findings will be used to assess the impact of the initiative, inform future capacity-building activities, and support the continued implementation of IPV-related resources, tools, and practices within the HBHC Program and broader Windsor Essex community. Evaluation results will be reported to the Board of Health.
Next Steps
The training represents one component of a broader initiative to strengthen both the HBHC Program’s and the community’s response to intimate partner violence and enhance supports for families experiencing violence.
Key next steps include:
- Finalizing and implementing the IPV Standard Operating Procedure and staff toolkit.
- Integrating the DA-5 and DA-20 assessment tools into routine HBHC practice.
- Reviewing evaluation findings and incorporating lessons learned into program planning and continuous quality improvement activities.
- Monitoring implementation through established process and outcome indicators.
- Continuing collaboration with community partners to support coordinated responses to IPV and alignment with the Windsor-Essex Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
Through key next steps, the Healthy Families Department intends to strengthen staff capacity to identify IPV-related risks, support client safety planning, facilitate timely referrals to community services, and contribute to a coordinated community response for individuals and families impacted by intimate partner violence. This work advances the Healthy Families Department's commitment to providing safe, responsive, and evidence-informed services while supporting healthier outcomes for parents, children, and families in the community.
REFERENCES
Government of Canada. (2025). Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-based-violence/intimate-partner-violence.html
Statistics Canada. (2025). Victims of police-reported intimate partner and non-intimate partner violence, by gender of victim, province or territory and census metropolitan area. Retrieved from Victims of police-reported intimate partner and non-intimate partner violence, by gender of victim, province or territory and census metropolitan area
Windsor Police Service. 2025 Annual Report. Retrieved from https://www.windsorpolice.ca/about/wps-board/annual-reports
City of Windsor & County of Essex. (2025). Windsor Essex Community Safety & Well-Being Plan 2026-2029. Retrieved from https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/social-services/social-policy-and-pathway-to-potential/community-safety-and-well-being