Authors: Lee, L., & Wells, L.

Date: May 2021

This research summary is part of a series of research briefs designed to inform the Alberta Primary Prevention Framework Collaborative, whose goal is to help the Government of Alberta and the IMPACT collective identify strategies and actions that are focused on primary prevention efforts to stop domestic and sexual violence before it starts.

Between March and June 2021, Shift and IMPACT led 18 community consultations with 198 professionals in the human services sector. The consultations focused on increasing community-based professionals’ knowledge about primary prevention, identifying and prioritizing root causes of domestic and sexual violence in Alberta, and understanding existing barriers and challenges to taking up primary prevention approaches. Findings suggest that the Alberta Primary Prevention Framework should focus on addressing systemic oppression to address the root causes of violence, prioritize strategies that promote changes to our structures and cultures, and continue to build the capacity of community-based professionals to understand the root causes of violence so they can better advance primary prevention efforts.