Our Vision
Alberta is a leader in creating and mobilizing evidence to ensure the well-being of children.

Our Mission
To develop and integrate evidence to inform, identify and promote effective public policy and service delivery to improve the well-being of children, families and communities in Alberta, Canada and internationally.

What's Inside

  1. Indigenous Women Fleeing Domestic Violence Consultation Reports now available
  2. New Name and Chair Create Excitement
  3. PolicyWise' Inspiring Connections: Research and Practice Showcase is November 29. Register today!
  4. The Very Poor and Affordability of Housing
  5. Research in Progress with the Calgary Homeless Foundation

 



EconomicSecurity Indigenous Women Fleeing Domestic Violence, Housing and Homelessness Consultation

The Alberta Interagency Council on Homelessness (IAC) was tasked with providing transformational policy advice to the Government of Alberta through the Ministry of Human Services for the purposes of supporting the objectives of  A Plan for Alberta: Ending Homelessness in 10 Years . Alberta Human Services facilitated a partnership between the IAC and PolicyWise for Children & Families  to develop and implement  A Housing and Homelessness Research Strategy for Alberta

In 2014, the IAC approved the strategy and identified housing and homelessness issues experienced by Indigenous women fleeing domestic violence as a research priority. PolicyWise gathered stakeholders on March 11, 2015 to discuss the state of the evidence and identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for strategic research investments to improve housing outcomes for Indigenous women who have experienced domestic violence. 
 
PolicyWise then engaged in  a scoping review of existing policy recommendations related to housing and homelessness as experienced by Indigenous women who have also experienced domestic violence. The final report, Indigenous Women Fleeing Domestic Violence, Housing and Homelessness: Scoping Review, is available at www.policywise.com
 
As part of this process, PolicyWise held two consultations in May 2016 to present preliminary findings and get feedback from stakeholders on prioritizing and identifying other recommendations. A report on these consultations, What We Heard , is also available and were incorporated into the final report.
l-r: The Honourable Irfan Sabir, Minister of Alberta Human Services, joins PolicyWise' President and CEO, Robyn Blackadar, in welcoming Dr. James Talbot as Chair of the organization and thanking outgoing Chair, Dr. Roger Palmer, for his five years of service.

newnameNew name and Chair creates excitement

Two significant changes took place at the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research Annual General Meeting on Friday, September 23 in Edmonton. A new name, PolicyWise for Children & Families, was ratified by Members of the organization, and Dr. James Talbot, former Chief Medical Officer of Health for Alberta and Nunavut, was elected to replace Dr. Roger Palmer as the organization's Chair.

"The name PolicyWise emphasizes our organization's long-term role in creating and mobilizing evidence to inform social policy," said Robyn Blackadar, President and CEO of PolicyWise. "And, we will benefit from Dr. Talbot's extensive knowledge of the social determinants of health and his commitment to evidence-informed decisions to improve the well-being of Albertans."


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Showcase2Last chance to register for The PolicyWise Research and Practice Showcase 
 
November 29, 2016 ~ 8:15 am to 4:30 pm ~ Lunch provided
Edmonton and via live webcast

This showcase involves:
  • A facilitated conversation on the importance of evidence-informed policy with GOA Deputy Ministers; Dr. Carl Amrhein, Health, Dr. Curtis Clarke, Education and David Morhart, Human Services. This panel will be Chaired by Dr. Pierre-Gerlier Forest, Director and Palmer Chair, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
  • A group of Alberta researchers, whose work was supported by PolicyWise, will share their key scientific learnings and experiences engaging policy and decision makers. Research areas include: Maternal, Child and Family Health, Indigenous Populations, Child Development, Mental Health and Access to Services
     
  • Opportunity to connect, network and collaborate with researchers, policy makers and communities working in areas of similar interest
     
  • Launch of SAGE, a secure digital platform to share research and community data
     
  • Scientific Cafe: An opportunity to hear the evidence related to specific topic areas. These projects were also funded by PolicyWise
There is no fee to attend in person or via webcast.
All are welcome. 
Click here to register.








verypoorThe very poor and affordability of housing
Ron Kneebone and Margarita Wilkins

Considerable momentum has developed around the perceived need for a national affordable housing strategy. The design of any such strategy should recognize who is in need, the size of the need, and where that need is greatest. This report presents facts on the affordability of housing for those at risk of the most serious form of housing crisis, namely, the threat of homelessness.




CHFResearch in Progress with the Calgary Homeless Foundation
 

Dr. Katrina Milaney is collaborating with the Calgary Homeless Foundation on two projects: 

  • Understanding Homeless Women's Experience of Having, Raising and Losing Children It asks: what are the shared experiences of women with complex needs and high public systems interactions and what are the current gaps in policy and service delivery that have prevented an end to homelessness for these women and their children?
  • Understanding Intergenerational Dependency: Examining the Intersecting Issues of Homeless Families with Complex Needs

Results for both projects are anticipated in late 2016.


The Calgary Homeless Foundation's Senior Researcher, Dr. Ali Jadidzadeh, and Dr. Falvo, have been collaborating on a study on determinants of 'graduation rates' for clients in our housing programs.  Preliminary findings have been presented at three conferences so far, and there are plans to also publish journal articles and in a blog posting for broader dissemination. The researchers intend to use a similar methodological approach to look at patterns of use of Calgary's emergency shelter system for singles between 2007 and 2016. 


The Calgary Homeless Foundation has funded a review of the City Case Management Group's processes, client demographics, organization and how it fits into the broader health care system.  This research is being led by Dr. Alina Turner (Turner Research & Strategy Inc.). and will be complete in early 2017.

Dr. Falvo is Co-Investigator in a CIHF-funded research project led by Dr. Ghali (Community Health Sciences Department, University of Calgary) on "Social determinants of post-discharge readmissions, emergency department visits, and mortality in medical inpatients."  One key question this project will ask is:  what are the main determinants of a patient's return to the Emergency Department? 

Other research projects that The Calgary Homeless Foundation will be engaged in include: 
  1. Identifying needs and policy implications for LGBTQ youth
  2. The percentage of housed singles that were chronically homeless before being housed in Calgary Housing Foundation-funded housing between 2007-2016 
For more information, contact Nick Falvo at  nick@calgaryhomeless.com.
 



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