Statement of Work
Title
Development of Saimaniik Training Resource including research, writing, design, layout, print and dissemination.
Introduction
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (Pauktuutit) fosters greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, advocates for equality and social improvements, and encourages their participation in the community, regional and national life of Canada. Pauktuutit leads and supports Inuit women in Canada in policy development and community projects in all areas of interest to them for the social, cultural, political, and economic betterment of the women, their families, and communities. Violence and abuse prevention has been among Pauktuutit’s top three priorities since 1984. Pauktuutit is committed to creating safe homes, schools and communities that support Inuit children, youth, and their families – and continues to advocate for the well-being, safety, and equal access to healthcare and education of all Inuit across Canada.
Background
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) continues to be a significant social and health issue affecting Inuit women. In Canada, IPV heavily impacts women living across Inuit Nunangat (IN). In fact, IPV is the primary cause of physical injury to Canadian women aged 15-44 years (Haag, et all, 2019).
It is also important to note the rate of violence experienced by Inuit women is higher than any other group of women in Canada and fourteen times the national average (Haag, et al, 2019). Family violence is further compounded by suicide rates for Inuit estimated from 9 to 20 times the national average, in addition to poverty and unemployment, substance abuse and overcrowding and housing insecurity (Haag, et al, 2019). The population is also very young and growing fast; more than 50 per cent of Inuit are 25 or younger (Haag, et al, 2019).
Women and children experiencing violence and abuse in their homes often have no
place to seek safety in their community. The Study of Gender-based Violence and Shelter Ser-vice Needs across Inuit Nunangat (2019) has identified more than 70 per cent of the 51 Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat do not have a safe shelter for women, and often the homes of family and friends are overcrowded. Although safe and secure homes, free of violence is paramount for children’s development, it is not a reality for many across the North. The violence experienced by Inuit women is contributing to multi-generational and inter-generational trauma.
The history of the justice system in Inuit Nunangat is a colonial one. Both police (RCMP) and the courts played a key role in ushering colonialism which continues to impact the North. This system clashed violently with traditional Inuit customs and means of conflict resolution.
In Inuit Nunangat Regions key concerns have been identified by Inuit women and gender-diverse peoples about their experiences with the Canadian justice system. These concerns have highlighted the need for more clearly defined and delineated roles for Court Workers and provision of appropriate-ate training to support them in their work (Environment scan, Dr. Elizabeth Comack, 2021). This project hopes to address these issues within the family justice system, as highlighted below:
- There are too few and inadequately trained court workers to prepare for trials; too few Justices of the Peace (JPs) to prepare for trials; too few JPs trained to conduct trials of summary conviction offences.
- Lack of resources for offenders (treatment facilities, community supervision, and alternative programs).
- Frequent RCMP rotations can be a problem “as the arresting officer must often fly to the site of a trial” (Department of Justice Canada, 2007).
Language and cultural barriers are also a concern (ex: proceedings of the court are conducted primarily in English, despite many unilingual court participants, especially accused and victims. While the courts try to overcome this barrier with interpreters and court workers, “when interpreters are present but of low proficiency, the effectiveness of the provision of justice may be there are also cultural gaps, especially since specific English words (such as “guilty”) do not have direct conceptual equivalents in Inuktut.
Inuit women offenders and gender-diverse people require culturally safe, competent, and relevant resources from a women-centered perspective. This is meant to ensure Inuit women’s social and cultural realities and context of their lives is recognized. Our project will deliver culturally and GBA+ sensitive workshops for legal professionals residing across Inuit Nunangat Regions to raise awareness of IPV among legal professionals with the aim of improving justice system responses that are engrained in Inuit social values. The importance of culturally- relevant training development is addressed in the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action “We call upon the Federation of Law Societies of Canada to ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal– Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.”
Goals of the Project
The overarching goal of this project is to enhance supports to survivors of IPV through the family law system by increasing opportunities for family law practitioners (legal aid, court workers etc.) to have access to training, guidance, and resource that support trauma-informed practice. By incorporating an Inuit-specific GBA+ lens, the project will improve coordination of services for Inuit women and gender-diverse peoples accessing and interacting with the family justice system.
This project will facilitate virtual discussion groups to identify Inuit knowledge, risks, and challenges regarding IPV within the family justice system. Learnings from the discussion groups will inform the development of workshops that will help legal professionals (legal aid, court
The long-term objectives of this project are:
- To establish the needs and priorities for survivors of intimate partner violence
- To help close services gaps; and,
- To strengthen the understanding of the legal service providers of challenges and risks faced by Inuit women.
Scope
This is an open call to individuals, firms, or organizations to provide a comprehensive proposal for the development of a training resource in English, French and South Baffin syllabics to guide and provide family law practitioners, legal professionals (legal aid, court workers etc.) across IN Regions understand the unique challenges, goals, risks, and the needs of Inuit women to address instances of IPV in the justice system in a training toolkit.
Research resources will be provided as a point of reference to guide this work. The following requirements is expected from the contractor:
- Research/write,
- Training resource content development,
- Design and layout of the resource,
- Translation in French and South Baffin Syllabics,
- Resource print of 400 copies, and
- Dissemination to identified communities.
It is important for applicants to show an understanding of Inuit culture and the violence prevention realities in Inuit Nunangat. Applicants must also have experience working with Inuit communities, actors, and organizations, possess effective communication skills and method and have the proven expertise to produce culturally relevant work.
Additionally, the successful applicant/s will be required to:
- Participate in project meetings and teleconferences as appropriate;
- Provide progress updates as requested;
- Seek content approval at every stage with project team; and,
- Submit all final project documents upon completion.
Specifications
- Development of content to be addressed in the training resource
- Resource should include information on the following topics: Inuit historical context on the topic of IPV and gender-based violence, cultural competency, short-term and long-term effects of IPV, challenges and risks for IPV survivors in remote/isolated communities
- Development of resource in English, French and South Baffin Syllabics
- Design and layout for the training resource
- Print and disseminate 400 copies of the training resource as identified by the project team.
Timeline
The duration of the contract will be from:
- Bids are accepted until May 19, 2023.
- PHASE I:
- Contract begins, June 9, 2023.
- Development of resource, September 31, 2023.
- Research, Write, Revision, Design, and Layout
- PHASE II
- Revision of Resource, January 12, 2024
- Delivery of Resource, February 31, 2024
- Translation, Print and Disseminate
- Contract ends March 15, 2024.
Pauktuutit’s Roles and Responsibilities
The primary contact at Pauktuutit for this project is Nadia Noor, Manager of Violence & Abuse Prevention, Justice Department (nnoor@pauktuutit.ca). Pauktuutit commits to provide the information and materials necessary to complete the work and will respond to requests for information in a timely fashion.
Pauktuutit will provide a decision within 10 business days.
Confidentiality, Privacy and Copyright
resulting from activities undertaken under this project, nor shall the applicant disclose any information concerning Pauktuutit or their affairs where such information is obtained through this Project.
Pauktuutit and the successful applicant will agree to publicly and mutually acknowledge and accord appropriate credit for each other’s contribution in this project, including any products developed and disseminated as a result. Both parties will come to an agreement on how credit is attributed, depending on the nature and degree of each organization’s contribution.
It is understood that Pauktuutit retains ownership of any and all materials and intellectual property created, designed, or produced as a result of activities undertaken by the successful applicant when awarded this project.
It is understood that the successful applicant will generate original work for this project.
Proposal Instructions
- Applicants must submit their company name, and confirm their incorporation, references, and/or portfolio;
- Submit by email to nnoor@pauktuutit.ca;
- Provide submission in Word format or PDF;
- Estimates/budgets must remain firm until March 15th, 2024
- No payment will be made for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this RFP;
- No costs incurred before receipt of a signed contract can be charged to the proposed contract;
- Travel is not required for this scope of work and will not be paid for by Pauktuutit; and,
- Pauktuutit reserves the right not to award a contract as a result of this RFP.
Budget
The proposal must:
- Include a detailed budget not to exceed $70,060.00 Including HST and that demonstrates that the objectives and deliverables for the project can be met;
- Indicate the billing rate;
- List any other expenses that might be applicable; and
- Total bid MUST include 13% HST tax.
Rights of the Organization
Pauktuutit reserves the right to:
- Enter into negotiations with one or more bidders on any or all aspects of this proposal.
- Accept any proposal in whole or in part.
- Cancel and/or re-issue this requirement at any time.
- Award one or more contracts.
- Verify any or all information provided by the bidder with respect to this requirement.
Contact Information
Please direct the application to:
Nadia Noor
Manager of Violence and Abuse Prevention, Justice Department
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
520 – 1 Nicholas St. Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7