Community of Practice

As with all forms of family violence and abuse, the motivation of actions and reasoning of responses surrounding elder abuse are profoundly complex, and no one organization has a broad enough scope to successfully address all issues of elder abuse in their entirety. A truly effective and transformative effort requires holistic community response involving many stakeholders working closely and strategically in compassionate collaboration.

The Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council works in this spirit of community collaboration to provide critical resources and recommendations to Albertans, and to encourage social change throughout the province.

Coordinated Community Response Community of Practice

In 2024, AEAAC focused on continuing to build a strong foundation to outline the work that Coordinated Community Responses (CCRs) carry out across the province. Our monthly gatherings brought together both current grant-funded communities, and those in the process of establishing CCRs. The intended outcome of this work is the development of a provincial template that clearly defines what a CCR is within the Alberta context, providing guidance and consistency for communities across the province. The case managers and service providers who participated played a key role in shaping this work.

Safe Spaces Community of Practice for Case Managers

The Safe Spaces Community of Practice (CoP) for case managers has been a vital space for learning, collaboration, and real-time problem-solving. Held monthly, the CoP brings together case managers across our safe spaces communities who are actively supporting, or preparing to support, older adults in need of safe, short-term housing as they navigate situations of abuse.

Through these sessions, we have collectively explored a wide range of topics, including how and when to offer Safe Spaces, risk assessment using the HOPE tool, post-stay planning, and how to navigate complex family dynamics. Case managers have shared emerging trends such as emotional and financial abuse, the barrier of pet ownership, and reluctance to leave loved ones who may also be the person causing harm. Together, we have developed shared strategies to address these challenges and strengthen client-centric responsive interventions.

We also use the CoP to introduce new tools, test draft processes, and to refine referral and placement pathways. The insights of case managers have directly informed updates to our Safe Spaces Policy and Procedures Manual and contributed to the development of resources such as intake templates, mediation supports, and transportation and placement coordination practices.

Safe spaces Community of Practice for Housing Providers

We also focused on strengthening the foundation for the Safe Spaces initiative by creating a dedicated Community of Practice (CoP) for housing providers. Our monthly sessions brought together lodge managers and frontline housing staff from across the province who are supporting, or preparing to support, older adults through Safe Spaces placements. These gatherings have served as a platform to share promising practices and discuss real-time challenges, training needs, and expectations concerning lodge readiness and timely admissions. The insights and feedback from housing providers have been instrumental in shaping operational protocols, and ensuring that the Safe Spaces initiative remains responsive, coordinated, and grounded in the realities of front-line housing support.

Neighbours, Friends and Family It's Not Right Community of Practice

The bi-monthly Neighbours, Friends and Family It's Not Right Community of Practice works to make presentation materials more useful and engaging for presenters.

A supportive network open to all presenters of the program across the province, presenters stay informed about the latest program updates, access materials, and gain insights into national initiatives through bi-monthly Zoom meetings.

These sessions provide a collaborative space where presenters can share experiences, exchange ideas, and work together to strengthen the program's impact. Whether troubleshooting challenges or exploring new ways to enhance engagement, the INR Community of Practice supports ongoing efforts to empower and protect older adults.

HOPE Community of Practice

Our warm thanks to Jennifer for training, and now supporting us to develop the HOPE Community of Practice in Alberta — serving case mangers and those who use HOPE.

What is a Community of Practice?

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic, and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals.

Communities of practice often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice. Interaction on an ongoing basis is an important part of this. Many communities of practice rely on face-to-face meetings as well as web-based collaborative environments to communicate, connect, and conduct community activities.

The first community of practice supported by Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPD) was a group of committed K to 6 teachers from across the province. This community piloted two teaching resources for students with significant disabilities. When asked 'what defines us?' these educators then praised communities of practice as "systems of collective critical inquiry and reflection focused on building a shared identity and collective intelligence garnered over time" and "made of people with a common interest who collaborate to do it better" with a "none of us is as good as all of us mentality".

The Characteristics of a Community of Practice include:

Domain: Community members have a shared domain of interest, competence, and commitment that distinguishes them from others. This shared domain creates common ground, inspires members to participate, guides their learning, and gives meaning to their actions.

Community: Members pursue this interest through joint activities, discussions, problem-solving opportunities, information sharing, and relationship building. The notion of a community creates the social fabric for enabling collective learning. A strong community fosters interaction and encourages a willingness to share ideas.

Practice: Community members are actual practitioners in this domain of interest, and build a shared repertoire of resources and ideas that they take back to their practice. While the domain provides the general area of interest for the community, the practice is the specific focus around which the community develops, shares, and maintains its core of collective knowledge.

Although the design of the community will look different depending on the purpose and needs of the participants, types of Communities of Practice include those being used to improve knowledge management and connect people within business, government, education, and other organizations:

Helping Communities provide a forum for community members to help each other with everyday work needs.

Best Practice Communities allow for the development and dissemination of best practices, guidelines, and strategies for their members' use.

Knowledge Stewarding Communities: Organize, manage, and steward a body of knowledge from which community members can draw.