PARTICIPANT INFORMATION LETTER

Title of study: Community Needs and Assets Assessment: Domestic Violence Intervention in Drayton Valley & Area

Principal Investigator: Sarah Stein - Master’s Student, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

snstein@ualberta.ca 

Supervisor: Dr. Maria Mayan - Vice Dean & Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

mmayan@ualberta.ca 

Co-investigator: Trisha Howes- Program Director, Pembina Crisis Connection Society, Drayton Valley, AB

(780) 621-2363, director@dvpccs.ca 

Invitation to Participate: You are invited to participate in this research study if you live and/or work in Drayton Valley and are over 18 years of age.  

Purpose of the Study: Alberta has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in Canada. Resources are not always available and do not always meet the needs of those affected. Understanding a community’s needs is best achieved by directly speaking with the community and getting a better idea their perspectives. That is why you have been asked to provide your input through participation in this study. From this research, we wish to learn about effectiveness of existing domestic violence supports in Drayton Valley, service gaps, and ways they might be filled.

Participation: If you wish to participate in this study, please complete the following survey. The survey should take you approximately 5 minutes to complete. Once you have completed the survey, select the ‘submit’ button.

Risks: Because the topic of this study is sensitive, it is possible that you may find the survey triggering or upsetting if you have previous traumatic experience. Your safety and comfort are of the utmost importance to us. If you are uncomfortable, you can end the survey at any time. 

You can access support at the following resources:

Pembina Crisis Connection Society: Call 780-621-2363

24/7 Family Violence Info Line: 310-1818 (call or text)

211 Alberta: Call, Text or Chat online at 211 Alberta for help taking the next step

Abuse Helpline: Call 1-855-443-5722 (1-855-4HELPAB)

Child Abuse Hotline: Call 1-800-387-5437 (1-800-387-KIDS)

Sexual Violence One Line: Call 1-866-403-8000 or Text 1-866-403-8000, or Chat online

Mental Health Helpline: Call 1-877-303-2642

Benefits: There is no anticipated direct benefit to participation in this study. However, this study will inform researchers about domestic violence services that would be most useful to your community. This means that your participation may contribute to a more supportive and safe community with better access to domestic violence resources.

Voluntary Participation: You are under no obligation to participate and if you choose to participate, you may refuse to answer questions that you do not want to answer. 

Should you choose to withdraw midway through the electronic survey simply close the link and no responses will be included.

Given the anonymous nature of the survey, once you have submitted your responses it will no longer be possible to withdraw them from the study.

Confidentiality and Anonymity: The information that you will share will remain strictly confidential. Data is de-identified, meaning it cannot be tied back to you in any way. 

In order to minimize the risk of security breaches and to help ensure your confidentiality we recommend that you use standard safety measures such as signing out of your account, closing your browser and locking your screen or device when you are no longer using them / when you have completed the study.  

Results will be published in pooled (aggregate) format. Anonymity is guaranteed since you are not being asked to provide your name or any personal information.

Data Storage: Electronic copies of the survey will be stored as secure, encrypted files on the University of Alberta's managed cloud storage, accessible only via password-protected university accounts for a period of five years. After the five-year period, the data will be destroyed. 

Information about the Study Results: Information about the study results will be available through a publicly available report at the end of the study. 

Contact Information: If you have any questions about the research now or later, please contact Sarah Stein (snstein@ualberta.ca) or Trisha Howes (director@dvpccs.ca). 

If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, you may contact the University of Alberta Research Ethics Office at ethics@ualberta.ca or +1(780)492-2615 and quote Ethics ID Pro00160074. This office is independent of the researchers.

Please keep this form for your records. A pdf copy of the form can be downloaded here. 

Completion and submission of the survey means your consent to participate.