Our Story
Since its establishment in 2009, the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration (MRCSSI)’s work, through the development of culturally meaningful programs and partnerships with mainstream services, has demonstrated success at reducing the escalation of violence, the disruption within families, and the number of children entering the care of the child welfare system. In response to the increased need for culturally-informed family violence responses, the MRCSSI developed the Culturally Integrative Family Safety Response (CIFSR) By utilizing this CIFSR model, MRCSSI facilitates community-coordinated collaboration to effectively respond to the needs of women and children impacted by family and gender-based violence and their families.
Lessons learned from the implementation of CIFSR will be shared through our new initiative, the Centre for Culturally Integrative Responses (CCIR). CCIR seeks to address gaps in policies and services with the development and implementation of evidence-informed and culturally-integrative family violence practices and responses in diverse cultural communities, including newcomer and immigrant communities.
WHAT WE DO
Vision
Mission
Goals
Enhance culturally integrative responses to family violence in diverse cultural communities.
Identify gaps in policies and services in relation to culturally relevant family violence practices and responses and bridge these gaps.
Support mainstream service agencies and culturally diverse communities to develop collaborative, coordinated, and culturally integrated family violence responses and practices to keep families safe, healthy and strong through preventing, managing, interrupting and reducing the escalation of violence, and the disruption of families.
Research
The CCIR aims to provide evidence for the benefits of culturally meaningful responses to family violence, drawing upon responses enacted nationally and internationally. Documenting MRCSSI’s practice will be an important source for future research programs. The CCIR aims to be on the reading edge of effective responses, bringing evidence-based practices that are culturally meaningful back to the communities in which we work.
Capacity
Building &Training
Showcasing best practices for effective culturally-informed and integrated responses to family violence. Having accessed external literature and with over 15 years of on-the-ground experience, we offer online and in-person resources, tools and workshops to build the capacity of
both mainstream service providers and diverse cultural communities.
Facilitating
Dialogue
Between mainstream services and cultural communities. The CCIR will create a safe space for bringing mainstream services and respected cultural communities together to address issues of concern from both parties regarding the impact of family violence on women, children and families. Our aim is also to facilitate conversations that would lead to building mutual respect and partnerships.
Consultancy
Each community is unique and requires individual attention paid to best practices. We will work directly with communities across Canada to help integrate culturally meaningful best practices in social and anti-violence services for newcomers and others coming from collectivist backgrounds.