Allied Agency Program

Gillian’s Place has developed an Allied Agency Program, standardizing the training and education we already offer to agencies and organizations in our community. This program grew out of a demand for high-quality, evidence-based, and trauma-informed training from local organizations seeking more information about Gillian’s Place, about gender-based violence, and about ways to better support survivors. Our goal of this program is to provide learning opportunities and professional development courses for community-facing folks, building practical skills for improving our community’s response to gender-based violence. We believe everyone should have this information in order to create a safer and more compassionate community where everyone is free from abuse and violence.

GP’s Allied Agency Program provides training in the following areas, completed as separate courses or as one larger training workshop:

• Welcome to GP: An Introduction

  This course will provide a basic overview of Gillian’s Place mandate, our mission, vision, and values, some basic definitions/terms, and an intro to the services we provide to our community. 

• Gender-Based Violence: Beyond the Basics

  This course will dive deeper into gender-based violence (GBV), exploring various types of abuse/violence and risk factors, and the impacts of GBV on survivors.

• Serving Our Community
  This course will cover eligibility criteria for our services, how to make a referral to Gillian’s Place, and what service users can expect when entering shelter. 

• Being an Effective Ally
  This course will apply a trauma-informed, survivor-centered lens to responding to disclosures of abuse, and help you feel more equipped in supporting survivors.

• Safety Planning 101
  This course will provide a basic introduction to Safety Planning for survivors and service-providers, and a safety planning activity. 

Certificate Criteria 

Agency-Level
To earn a “GP Allied Agency” certificate for the entire agency/business:

• At least 75% of your staff/volunteers must have completed all 5 courses

• Re-training/refresher courses must be completed every 2 years to received renewed certificate

• A plaque-mounted certificate will be presented to your agency/business for you to hang in your space to show our community that you have completed training and are an ally in ending gender-based violence

Individual-Level
Individual staff/volunteers will receive certificates for each course they complete

Trainings and Workshops

Gillian’s Place is available to train and educate healthcare professionals, law enforcement officials, faith-based leaders, educators, students, community organizations, corporations, and professional associations on the dynamics of gender-based violence and the resources available through Gillian’s Place.

Topics Include...

• Healthy Relationships
• Red Flags for Abuse/Risk Factors
• Supporting Survivors & Being More Survivor-Centred
• Gillian’s Place Services & Referring to Our Services
• Customized trainings are also be available by request!

Note: Agency training and information sessions are available in the following areas: St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and West Niagara including Jordan, Vineland, Beamsville, Grimsby and Smithville. If you are in South Niagara, please contact Birchway Niagara (formerly Women’s Place of South Niagara).