Welcome to the free, self-paced learning guide for A Gender-Based and Sexualized Violence Community Risk Assessment for Post-Secondary Settings. This learning guide provides a roadmap for your engagement with the first non-forensic risk tool that considers the unique context of a post-secondary institution
Before you begin, we invite you to:
Download A Gender-Based and Sexualized Violence Community Risk Assessment Tool for Post-Secondary Settings. Please note that this is a formative assessment tool; it is not a checklist.
Download 2 copies of the Worksheet for the Community Risk Assessment Tool.
Watch Using Gender-based Violence Community Risk Assessments to Make Campuses Safer: Introducing the very first evidence-based, campus-specific community risk assessment to make campuses safer.
As you move through the materials, you will:
Acquire foundational knowledge on risk assessments and learn a frame of reference, principles, and instructions for engaging with this specific Tool.
Engage with each section of the Tool to understand the risk factors. You’ll then apply what you’ve learned to the two case examples.
Reflect on areas where your post-secondary institution can focus attention and resources to address the harm done and to prevent further incidents.
E-learning Guide
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In this Part, you’ll be given a frame of reference for the Tool, learning why the Tool is needed, when it should be used, how it was developed, who should use the Tool and what foundational knowledge users should have.
Read Introduction (pp. 6-11)
Read Appendix B: Existing Risk Assessment Tools—Establishing a Rationale for Developing a New Approach to Assess Gender-based and Sexualized Violence Risk (pp. 80-89)
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In this Part, you’ll be given instructions for using the tool, learning principles for using the Tool, how to apply it properly in the context of assessing risk for gender-based and sexualized violence, whom the Tool can be used with, how to score the risk factors, and what information should be gathered and how.
You’ll also be introduced to the case examples that you’ll engage with as you move through the factors in each section of the Tool.
Read Instructions (pp. 12-19)
Read the case descriptions for Examples A & B, found in Appendix D: Case Illustrations of the Tool (pp. 93 & 97)
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In this Part, you’ll be introduced to risk factors related to the survivor. Each risk factor includes a description and review of background literature, as well as some behavioural indicators to assist with identifying the likely presence of the risk factor and important notes on scoring the item accurately.
You’ll also be asked to apply what you’ve learned to the case examples you read in Part 2. For this, we invite you to use the Worksheet available in Appendix A, and to look to “Questions to Consider” and “Completed Community Risk Tool Worksheet” that are provided for each of the case examples in Appendix D.
Read Section 1: Factors Related to the Survivor (pp. 21-25)
Apply Factors Related to the Survivor to Examples A & B
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In this Part, you’ll be introduced to risk factors related to the community. Each risk factor includes a description and review of background literature, as well as some behavioural indicators to assist with identifying the likely presence of the risk factor and important notes on scoring the item accurately.
You’ll also be asked to apply what you’ve learned to the case examples you read in Part 2. For this, we invite you to use the Worksheet available in Appendix A, and to look to “Questions to Consider” and “Completed Community Risk Tool Worksheet” that are provided for each of the case examples in Appendix D.
Read Section 2: Factors Related to the Community (pp. 26-33)
Apply Factors Related to the Community to Examples A & B
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In this Part, you’ll be introduced to risk factors related to the incidence of gender-based and sexualized violence. Each risk factor includes a description and review of background literature, as well as some behavioural indicators to assist with identifying the likely presence of the risk factor and important notes on scoring the item accurately.
You’ll also be asked to apply what you’ve learned to the case examples you read in Part 2. For this, we invite you to use the Worksheet available in Appendix A, and to look to “Questions to Consider” and “Completed Community Risk Tool Worksheet” that are provided for each of the case examples in Appendix D.
Read Section 3: Factors Related to the Incidence of Gender-based and Sexualized Violence (pp. 34-39)
Apply Factors Related to the Incidence of Gender-based and Sexualized Violence to Examples A & B
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In this Part, you’ll be introduced to risk factors related to the person who has caused harm. Each risk factor includes a description and review of background literature, as well as some behavioural indicators to assist with identifying the likely presence of the risk factor and important notes on scoring the item accurately.
You’ll also be asked to apply what you’ve learned to the case examples you read in Part 2. For this, we invite you to use the Worksheet available in Appendix A, and to look to “Questions to Consider” and “Completed Community Risk Tool Worksheet” that are provided for each of the case examples in Appendix D.
Read Section 4: Factors Related to the Person Who Has Caused Harm (pp. 40-60)
Apply Factors Related to the Person Who Has Caused Harm to Examples A & B
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In this part, you’ll be asked to revisit specific parts of A Gender-Based and Sexualized Violence Community Risk Assessment Tool for Post-Secondary Settings and consider how the Tool can be used to address harm done and prevent further incidents, as well as limitations for its use.
You’ll be asked to apply what you’ve learned to the case examples you read in Part 2, reflecting on how the Tool might be used to address the harm done and prevent further incidents, as well as how you might prevent the Tool’s misuse in each case.
Read When should a community risk assessment tool be used? (pp. 8-9)
Read Intended application (p. 13)
Read Additional Uses of the Tool (pp. 12-13)
Read Risk and case formulation (p. 15)
Read How Not to Use the Community Risk Assessment Tool (pp. 17-19)
Apply what you’ve learned to Examples A & B
We’re so glad you’re here.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more. As you continue to enhance your knowledge and engage deeply with this content, we encourage you to consult with experts, and to seek out training, education, and professional development opportunities in relevant areas. Simply reading the materials provided here is not sufficient.
Additional resources to support your learning are listed in Appendix E: Further Learning and Resources (pp. 101-103) of the Community Risk Assessment Tool.
Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act project also has 70+ comprehensive tools for responding to gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions, freely available for download on the Possibility Seeds site.