Training Material

Helping a Child be a Witness in Court
Alison Cunningham & Lynda Stevens (2011)

This guide is a convenient overview of essential information needed to support a testifying child. It could also be a training tool for people entering the victim-support field or for victim-support workers who have historically worked with adults. The Centre is grateful for funding from the Department of Justice to support the development and distribution of this resource across Canada.

On-line Learning Curriculum for Cognitive Behavioural Intervention

With so much good research supporting cognitive-behavioural approaches, we were pleased to partner with Huron House Boy's Residential Home to develop an on-line curriculum for front-line staff working with at-risk youth. Over six months, students of the e-Learning Cognitive Behavioural Intervention Curriculum (eCBIC) combine instruction on theory with opportunities to practise skills using both in-the-moment strategies and in one-to-one times with youth clients. Instruction is delivered using live workshops, interactive on-line modules, readings, quizzes, homework, graded assignments and a final exam. Successful program completers receive a certificate from the Centre. For more information, contact Michelle Van Grunsven.

The Journey to Justice: A Guide to Thinking, Talking and Working as a Team for Young Victims of Crime in Canada's North
Alison Cunningham (2009)

This 90-page guide it takes the principles of helping children and teenagers testify in court and adapts them for use in Canada's north. Taking into account contextual features of northern justice -- including circuit-court parties travelling to far-flung and isolated communities -- the material is designed for judges, justices of the peace, prosecutors, police, witness coordinators, victim service workers, shelter staff and educators. Sections also address the needs of witnesses with diagnosed or suspected fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Also available in French.

Helping Abused Women in Shelters: 101 Things to Know, Say and Do
Alison Cunningham & Linda Baker (2008)

This is the second "Helping Hands" Guide on Skill Building and Tools for Helpers and Healers. Helping women in a residential program such as a shelter, refuge or transition house is a unique opportunity to provide intensive support at a time of crisis and transition. Building on the material in the "Helping Hands" guide called Helping an Abused Woman: 101 Things to Know, Say and Do, this second guide is written specifically for those who work in shelters, refuges, transition houses, safe houses and second-stage housing, grounded in an understanding of the unique context and the needs expressed by women. You'll find concrete "tool box ideas" for interventions with women, reference to the latest research, ideas for discussion as a staff team, and handouts to supplement your one-on-one or group work with women.

Helping an Abused Woman: 101 Things to Know, Say and Do
Linda Baker & Alison Cunningham (2008)

This resource, the first "Helping Hands" Guide on Skill Building and Tools for Helpers and Healers, can be used by anyone who supports women. Topics addressed give the reader insight into how abuse affects women and gives them concrete ideas to apply in their work. You'll find 10 assumptions about abuse of women in intimate relationships, the reasons all helping professionals should understand abuse dynamics, 10 principles informing work with an abused woman, the 5 paradoxes of abuse, 10 features of listening to abuse disclosures, 10 common control tactics used by abusive men, 10 points about rationalizations for abuse and the messages they send, 5 common characteristics of controling men, 10 points about coping with abuse, 10 thoughts and feelings blocking emotional leaving, and 10 promises not to make to women.

Training on Instrumental Peer Aggression in Custody
Linda Baker & Michelle Van Grunsven (2007)

Fear of peer assault is a common concern among youth entering detention or custody facilities. This train-the-facilitator manual creates champions and mentors to raise awareness about instrumental peer-to-peer aggression (IPA) in custody settings. Program content includes learning modules for both staff and youth. Attendees at the three-day workshop both experience and facilitate the modules they will use with co-workers and clients. They learn to recognize IPA, understand its nature and consequences, know how it is used in the facility culture and its connection to power/status/respect. Successful completers receive certification from the Centre. For more information, contact Michelle Van Grunsven.

"A Full and Candid Account": Using Special Accommodations and Testimonial Aids to Facilitate the Testimony of Children
Alison Cunningham & Pamela Hurley (2007)

Seven concise resources to help prosecutors, victim-support workers, judges, police and others understand and meet the needs of children who testify in court. The goal of these efforts is to help the witness provide complete and accurate evidence, or "a full and candid account." Topics covered are: overview of issues related to child testimony, testifying outside the courtroom (e.g., via CCTV), witness screens, video-recorded evidence, designated support person, hearsay evidence and children, and children and teenagers who testify in domestic violence cases. This is an initiative of the Child Witness Project undertaken with funding from the Department of Justice Canada.

Little Eyes, Little Ears: How Violence Against a Mother Shapes Children as they Grow
Alison Cunningham & Linda Baker (2007)

A resource developed with funding from the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. We combined the most popular information from our most popular resources, included some new material, and added reference to the newest sources of information and updated statistics. Topics addressed include facts ∓ figures, ten ways a child can be changed by living with violence at home, and some myths about woman abuse and children. This is a concise source of information for anyone wanting to understand how children experience violence against their mothers and how those experiences may shape them as they grow, from infancy to adolescence.

Woman Abuse Affects our Children: An Educator's Guide
Linda Baker & Peter Jaffe (2007)

This Educator's Guide and its Facilitator's Manual were developed by an Expert Panel formed as part of the Government of Ontario's Domestic Violence Action Plan. The English-language panel developed these training materials to better support women and their children, and reduce abuse. The panel included representatives from provincial elementary teacher organizations, principal councils, school and Native guidance associations, Ontario faculties of education, community groups supporting immigrant and refugee women, and organizations from the violence prevention field.

Learning to Listen, Learning to Help: Understanding Woman Abuse and its Effects on Children
Linda Baker & Alison Cunningham (2005)

A concise handbook for students and volunteers entering the helping professions. Topics addressed include background material on the dynamics of woman abuse, the concept of power and control, facts and figures, how to support women and help them find appropriate resources, how children are affected by violence at home, how children cope, how to respond to child disclosure, standards of professional conduct, taking stock of your own attitudes, and suggestions for how you can make a difference to end violence. In one place, students find relevant and up-to-date information with directions to easily accessible resources for further study.

Disponible également en français : Apprendre à écouter, apprendre à aider.

A Handbook for Police Responding to Domestic Violence (2004)
This 32-page resource aims to increase knowledge about the dynamics of violence in intimate relationships, to assist officers to respond in ways that are most useful and supportive. It may also help officers understand why their best attempts to intervene are so often met with resistance, and to tolerate the reality that repetitive police interventions may be necessary. This is a Canadian revision of our popular trainer's manual for the U.S. (see below). Issues discussed from the police perspective include features of domestic violence crimes, understanding the impact of domestic violence on children and adolescents, special considerations for police officers, promising practices, distinguishing features of domestic violence crimes, recognizing the presence of children at the scene, and issues related to dual arrest.

Helping Children Thrive / Supporting Woman Abuse Survivors as Mothers: A Resource to Support Parenting
Linda Baker & Alison Cunningham (2004)

This 76-page resource, developed with funding from the Ontario Women's Directorate, is written for service providers assisting women who have survived woman abuse. Material addresses the needs of abused women as mothers, how abusive men parent, how abusive men affect family dynamics, effects of power and control tactics on mothers, the potential impact of woman abuse on children of different ages, and strategies used by young people to cope with violence in their homes. Guidance on parenting children who have lived with violence is also offered. Forty-four pages are designed as handouts, to be distribued as an adjunct to individual or group interventions on woman abuse or on parenting. Training on this material can include a focus on family roles, coping styles of children and adolescents, and basic or advanced skills for intervention.

Disponible également en français : Pour aider les enfants à mieux réussir.

Adolescent Suicide: Prevention and Intervention, Train-the-Trainer Manual (2004)
by Linda Baker & Michelle Van Grunsven. A three-day train-the-trainer training program is available with accompanying manual for people who work with high-risk and high-need youth in residential settings. Trainers will increase their knowledge of adolescent suicide, their ability to identify risk indicators and protective factors, and their skills for reducing harm and supporting young people. They will also learn facilitation skills and have opportunities to practise the training of peers. At the end of three days, trainers will complete an evaluation and those meeting the criterion receive certification from the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic.

Youth Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Handbook for the Juvenile Justice System to Enhance Assessment and Intervention Strategies for Youth from Violent Homes (2003)
by Linda Baker & Peter Jaffe. This is the fourth in a series of handbooks designed for professional groups with funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Topics addressed include signs a youth is having difficulty, responding to disclosures, abuse perpetrated by adolescents, guidelines for assessing risk and safety planning, community partnerships, promising practices, a model for group intervention, and where to go for help.

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: An Early Childhood Educator's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (2002)
by L.L. Baker, P.G. Jaffe, L.M. Ashbourne & J. Carter. This resource helps early childhood educators learn about the impact of domestic violence on young children, recognize signs of difficulty in children, and learn ways to offer support and information to parents. Development of this resource was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Teacher's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (2002)
by L.L. Baker, P.G. Jaffe, L.M. Ashbourne & J. Carter. This 26-page resource helps educators understand how violence affects children at different ages, what teachers may see in the classroom, teaching strategies, handling parent-attended events, and supporting students who disclose. Development of this resource was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Also available, an interactive CD-ROM as a companion learning tool to the handbook, for individual study, classroom use, or training workshops. This project was a partnership with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the National Education Association.

Children Exposed to Violence: A Handbook for Police Trainers to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (2002)
by L.L. Baker, P.G. Jaffe, S.J. Berkowitz & M. Berkman. This 93-page training manual is designed to assist police officers in the U.S. to understand and effectively respond to children and adolescents who have been exposed to domestic violence in their homes. Frontline professionals contributed to the development of this resource which provides useful information on domestic violence, its impact on children at different developmental stages, and guidelines to assist police officers in responding to children where domestic violence is suspected or known. Features include case examples, "at-a-glance" information, community resources, answers to frequently asked questions and references. An interactive CD-ROM for Police Officers/Trainers is a learning tool for individual study or training workshops. Development of this resource was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. This manual was a partnership with the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Cognitive Behavioural Approaches to Treating Children and Adolescents with Conduct Disorder (2002)
by L.L. Baker & K. Scarth. The treatment of children and adolescents with conduct disorder is one of the greatest challenges for children's mental health programs. Failure to intervene effectively to assist these young people is costly for them personally, as well as for their families, other, and society. Research indicates promising interventions for conduct disorder include cognitive behavioural approaches. This book enable practitioners from a variety of disciplines and settings (i.e., residential, school, community-based treatment programs) to learn about cognitive behaviourism and its use in the treatment of conduct disorder with clients at different developmental stages. Specific intervention strategies are described and application steps are illustrated with actual case examples drawn from the authors' clinical experience. Challenges, frequently asked questions and barriers are addressed. Paper and pencil tools are included to facilitate the application of cognitive behavioural strategies with clients and their families. This resource was prepared for Children's Mental Health Ontario as part of their Evidence-based Practices Project.

Treating Child and Adolescent Depression: A Handbook for Children's Mental Health Practitioners (2002)
by L.L. Baker & L. Ashbourne (with consulting psychiatrist Margaret Steele). Child and adolescent depression is a serious condition that can have both short term and long term impacts on young people and their families. The handbook was prepared for Children's Mental Health Ontario as part of their Evidence-based Practices Project to promote the recognition and effective treatment of depression in children and adolescents. This user-friendly resource is designed to enhance knowledge about depression and the promising intervention strategies currently being used to treat it. Child and youth counsellors and other professionals will be able to use the strategies in residential and community-based settings. A tool kit containing checklists, treatment objectives, and worksheets is provided to facilitate risk assessment for suicide, safety planning, and interventions to manage and reduce depression.

Conferencing for Youth: Increasing Understanding to Enhance Intervention (2004)
by Robert Owens, Alice Lewis, Linda Baker & Cindy Male. A resource funded by Ontario's Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. In 17 pages, everything you need to know to convene and facilitate a case conference or a restorative justice conference including knowing when to use which method, who is invited, steps for preparation and follow-up, and tips for facilitation.

Peer-to-Peer Aggression in Residential Settings: Increasing Understanding to Enhance Intervention (2002)
by Linda Baker, Alison Cunningham, and Cindy Male. A resource funded by Ontario's Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services. Bullying in residential settings is serious and requires informed, pro-active intervention. Like the others in our popular SIGMA series, this 17-page booklet is a concise summary of the best research and lessons learned from practice. The target audience is front-line workers in residential settings for youth. Topics include impacts on victims, impact on perpetrators, and potential warning signs such as acting out to get relocated away from the aggressor. It contains everything you need to know to recognize and respond to bullying and aggression among youth, in group homes, mental health facilities, therapeutic care facilities, and custody or detention settings.

Adolescent Relationship Violence: Increasing Understanding to Enhance Intervention (2002)
by Linda Baker, Anna-Lee Straatman, and Cindy Male. A resource funded by Ontario's Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services. Many student reports some form of violence in their dating relationships, either as a victim or a perpetrator. Yet, the existence and impact of dating violence is often under-recognized and minimized both by young people and the adults who could offer support. This SIGMA booklet includes information on healthy and unhealthy adolescent relationships, the warning signs of dating violence, why it is difficult to leave an abusive relationship, and intervention strategies.

Adolescent Depression & Suicide: Increasing Understanding to Enhance Intervention (2002)
by Linda Baker, Lynda Ashbourne and Cindy Male. A resource funded by Ontario's Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services. As many as 8% of adolescents are affected by severe depression. This booklet presents the indicators of depression, factors to consider when evaluating risk for suicide, approaches for supporting depressed adolescents, and intervention strategies. Factors to consider when evaluating risk for suicide include intent, plan, method, behaviour, substance use, history, and trigger events. There are two real-life testimonials, from a 14-year old boy and the mother of an adolescent girl.

Ambiguous Loss in Adolescents: Increasing Understanding to Enhance Intervention (2002)
by Lynda Ashbourne, Linda Baker and Cindy Male. A resource funded by Ontario's Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services. Loss that is unresolved or occurs in confusing situations can create uncertainty for young people that compromises their abilities to work through and cope with their losses. The challenges and negative impacts of ambiguous loss can be intensified by the accumulation of losses such as parental divorce, emigration/immigration, adoption, parental mental illness, witnessing family violence, pre-occupied parents, family illness, incest, or placement outside the family as in foster care or residential treatment facilities. This booklet helps us recognize and understand the impacts of ambiguous loss, especially relevant for staff of residential or custody facilities. Approaches for supporting young people and intervention strategies are outlined.

Understanding the Effects of Domestic Violence: A Trainers Manual for Early Childhood Educators (2001)
by Linda Baker, P.G. Jaffe & K.J. Moore. This training manual, with a corrollary 20-page handbook for participants in the training, was produced with the support of the Ontario Government, through the Ontario Women's Directorate. It was developed as a reference for Early Childhood Educators who may encounter children exposed to domestic violence.

Disponible également en français : Comprendre les Effets de la Violence en Milieu Familial: Un manuel de formation destiné aux éducateurs et éducatrices de la petite enfance

Understanding the Effects of Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Early Childhood Educators (2001)
by Linda Baker, P.G. Jaffe & K.J. Moore. An 18-page handbook designed specifically for the Early Childhood Education field. In one user-friendly source, ECE students and practitioners learn the most relevant information required to identify and assist children who have been exposed to adult domestic violence. Topics addressed include implications for the childcare setting, safety planning, reporting to the Children's Aid Society, and accessing community support. This handbook can stand alone or makes an excellent handout at the training sessions.

Disponible également en français : Comprendre les Effets de la Violence en Milieu Familial: Un guide destiné aux éducateurs et éducatrices de la petite enfance

Anger Awareness and Interpersonal Problem Solving: A Group Manual and Video (1998)
by Linda Baker. Twelve ready-to-use and stand-alone modules for group interventions with adolescents. The emphasis is on attitudinal change and skill acquisition through fun, activity-based exercises that include: role playing, games and exercises based on scenarios from The Party video. This resource is ideal for prevention and rehabilitation programs for female and male youths in custody or other residential settings, as well as parent education groups.

Effecting Change: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach to Working with Youths in Custody (1997)
An overview of the principles of cognitive-behavioral theory and its application, designed for staff working with youths whose anti-social behavior has brought them into custody facilities. This training manual and companion video can be used for individual study or group sessions. Emphasis is on how workers can incorporate tools into their existing skill bag, or modify existing skills, for use in daily interactions with residents. [available for purchase outside of Ontario only]

ASAP: A School-based Violence Prevention Program (1996)
A.S.A.P. is a complete resource package to get you and your school system started on violence prevention, and to support system-wide implementation. A special focus of this manual is on violence in relationships. A.S.A.P. will help you: mobilize support from teachers, students, parents, trustees and administration for violence prevention initiatives; get started with small steps, such as awareness session for students and teachers; deal with disclosures; develop a comprehensive plan for violence prevention, including policies and curriculum integration; and, access video, theatre, and curriculum resources by grade level through an extensive list of resources.