Domestic Conflict Response Team

Brief Description

The Domestic Conflict Response Team (DCRT) is a partnership between Calgary Police Service (CPS), Child and Family Services Authority (CFSA), Homefront, and Closer to Home Community Services. The project provides a collaborative, timely and effective assessment, intervention and connection to community services for people dealing with chronic and/or high-risk incidents of domestic conflict.  One of the key functions of DCRT is to connect families with existing community services to help stabilize the family situation over the short term and help the family increase their resiliency over the longer term.

The DCRT was implemented in phases in different areas of Calgary using two different service models.

Goals

The main goals of the DCRT program are to:

• Intervene promptly and as early as possible once a domestic violence situation comes to the attention of CPS;
• Offer support, follow-up and, where reasonable and possible, redirection from the major systems to appropriate community supports;
• Ensure a range of existing prevention and intervention services are provided effectively and in a timely manner to reduce the risk of harm and increase the safety of family members (adults and children);
• Bridge the gap between identification of risk factors and direct intervention by CFSA and CPS, thereby reducing the number of families “falling between the cracks; and
• Recognize/identify the overlap of CFSA and CPS clients, ensuring there is sufficient effective coordination of response between these two services.

Clientele

People dealing with chronic and/or high-risk incidents of domestic conflict are the targeted clientele for this program (adults, children, and families).  

Core Components

Two different models were piloted:

• North DCRT, managed from CPS District 5, focused on domestic conflict situations that were uncharged, chronic and/or high-risk; and
• South DCRT, managed from the South CFSA offices, focused on families with children, where the case did not meet the mandate for CFSA intervention.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: Strong organization, multiple partners, lots of documentation.
• Partnerships: The project has been successful in garnering many partners, such as; Crown Prosecutors Office, Alberta Health Services, Calgary Police Services, Calgary and Area Child and Family Services Authority, Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, HomeFront,  Peer Support Services for Abuse Women, Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, Awo Taan Healing Lodge and the YWCA, Distress Centre Calgary, and the RCMP.
• Training and technical assistance: Limited information on this topic.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

This project was implemented in Calgary, Alberta from May 2009 – October 2013. Participants included 565 families, 1088 adults, 735 children (60% adults, 40% children).

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) has been conducted on the DCRT program. The findings from this study have shown the following:

• The SROI ratio calculated indicates that over the course of three years, the overall social value of investment in the DCRT program is $2.67 for every dollar invested, with year 1 seeing $2.48 created, year 2 seeing $2.24, and year 3 seeing $3.31; and
• It should be noted, however, that the ratio presented through this SROI analysis is a conservative estimate of the overall social value created by the program.

Funding was provided by the Safe Communities Innovation Fund (SCIF), Government of Alberta.

References

Alberta Community Crime Prevention Organizations. (2015). Social Return on Investment (SROI) Case Study: DCRT. Recipient of Safe Communities Innovation Fund, Government of Alberta. Available from: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/safe-communities-innovation-fund-pilot-project-executive-summaries

For more information on this program, contact:

HomeFront Calgary
Kevin McNichol
Phone: (403) 206-2100
E-mail: kevin@homefrontcalgary.com