About the Project:

The Social Services Workers on the Frontlines of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response study is a 2-year community-based research project aimed at learning and understanding the experiences of social service workers supporting survivors of GBV to inform policy changes that better support those on the frontlines of GBV, and by extension, survivors of GBV. 

Funded by Women and Gender Equity Canada (WAGE), this research project is implemented through a partnership between the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS) and the SFU Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS). 

The questions guiding this study are:

• What barriers or challenges do social services workers face in supporting survivors of gender-based violence?
• How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect social service workers and their work?
• What can be done at the community, industry, and government levels to support their work?

The Research Team:

• Anna Ratzlaff (Policy Analyst)
• Alice Mũrage (Research Lead, SFU) 
• Grace Kwan (Research Fellow, VAFCS) 
• Noemi Rosario Martinez (Community Engagement and Research Fellow)
• Julia Smith (Research Advisor, SFU)