Prince Edward Island Domestic Violence Coordination Framework

Provincial DV coordination and agency partnership framework for organizations in Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) Domestic Violence Service Coordination

Overview of the PEI Coordination Context

Prince Edward Island operates within a compact geographic and population context, which supports close coordination among domestic violence organizations, community-based agencies, justice partners, and government departments. This page outlines operational considerations for cross-agency collaboration, with a focus on small-province advantages, community-based models, and eligibility requirements for participation in coordinated initiatives.

Small-Province Coordination Strengths

The scale of PEI enables more direct relationships among service providers, coalitions, and funders. Agencies can leverage this environment to streamline decision-making, reduce duplication, and accelerate implementation of shared initiatives.

Key Structural Advantages

• Shorter coordination chains: Fewer layers between front-line organizations, leadership, and policy decision-makers, enabling faster issue escalation and resolution.
• High inter-agency familiarity: Staff across agencies are more likely to know each other personally, which can support responsive case consultation and operational problem-solving.
• Geographic proximity: Reduced travel time supports in-person working groups, joint trainings, and cross-agency site visits.
• Integrated provincial systems: Provincial justice, health, and social services systems can align policies and procedures more consistently across the island.
• Streamlined coalition representation: A more manageable number of stakeholders in multi-agency tables, enabling more focused agendas and clearer decision-tracking.

Operational Opportunities

• Develop island-wide protocols that are feasible to implement consistently across agencies of varying size.
• Use a single, shared calendar for inter-agency meetings, trainings, and consultations to minimize conflicts.
• Align intake, referral, and information-sharing practices through standardized forms and process maps.
• Establish rapid feedback loops (e.g., brief debrief sessions after complex cross-agency responses) to refine coordination practices.
• Support rotating leadership roles in task groups to distribute responsibility among agencies across the island.

Community-Based Collaboration Models

PEI’s strong community networks and local knowledge can be leveraged through structured collaboration models that connect domestic violence organizations, Indigenous and community-led programs, shelters, legal supports, and social service providers.

Core Community Partners

• Domestic violence service organizations and shelters
• Community health and primary care providers
• Legal aid and community-based legal clinics
• Indigenous-led and culturally grounded service organizations
• Housing and emergency accommodation programs
• Income support, employment, and settlement agencies
• Child and family services, including prevention and early intervention teams
• Community-based restorative or conflict-resolution programs, where applicable

Collaboration Framework Options

• Regional coordination circles: Regular meetings among agencies in specific PEI regions to discuss operational issues, referral pathways, and service capacity.
• Issue-focused working groups: Time-limited groups addressing defined topics (e.g., housing access, transportation barriers, interpreter coordination, technology-enabled service access).
• Sector liaison roles: Designated contact points in each participating organization responsible for inter-agency communication, information updates, and participation in coordination tables.
• Shared training and resource days: Joint training plans, delivered in central or rotating locations, to standardize practice expectations and terminology across agencies.
• Community advisory mechanisms: Structured feedback from community stakeholders (e.g., tenant groups, cultural organizations, youth-serving agencies) to identify service gaps and coordination priorities.

Principles for Community-Based Coordination

• Recognize and integrate existing informal support networks and community-led initiatives.
• Use consistent referral pathways that are clear to all partners, including small community programs with limited capacity.
• Embed culturally relevant and Indigenous-led perspectives in planning and review processes.
• Document agreements in concise memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to clarify expectations without creating unnecessary administrative burden.
• Ensure that coordination structures remain flexible enough to include emerging community partners over time.

Eligibility Requirements for Participation in PEI Coordination Tables

Participation in structured PEI coordination initiatives is typically based on organizational mandates, service relevance, and capacity to contribute to shared systems work. The following criteria can support transparent and consistent inclusion of partners.

Organizational Eligibility Criteria

• Relevant mandate: The organization’s services intersect with domestic violence response, prevention, legal support, housing, health, or related social services.
• Non-profit, public, or Indigenous governance: Operates as a community-based, public, or Indigenous-governed entity with appropriate oversight and accountability structures.
• Service presence in PEI: Provides services directly on PEI (in-person or virtually), or supports PEI residents through defined programs.
• Policy and protocol alignment: Willingness to align internal procedures with agreed inter-agency protocols where appropriate and feasible.
• Data and reporting readiness: Capacity to participate in agreed-upon data sharing and reporting frameworks, within applicable privacy and confidentiality constraints.

Participation and Governance Expectations

• Designate a primary and alternate representative for each coordination table or working group.
• Commit to regular attendance or to sending a delegate with decision-making authority where needed.
• Review and sign any applicable MOU or terms of reference outlining roles, responsibilities, and communication protocols.
• Participate in periodic reviews of coordination structures, including feedback on what is working and where adjustments may be required.
• Maintain internal processes to share coordination updates with relevant staff and leadership.

Onboarding New Partners

• Use a brief intake form capturing mandate, catchment, contact points, and areas of interest in coordination.
• Provide new partners with existing protocols, terms of reference, and contact lists.
• Offer an orientation meeting to clarify expectations, decision-making processes, and communication norms.
• Where capacity is limited, identify lower-intensity participation options (e.g., information-only distribution lists, ad hoc working groups).

Operational Coordination Practices for PEI

The following practices can support consistent, sustainable coordination across PEI’s domestic violence response network.

Standardized Inter-Agency Tools

• Common referral forms that capture essential information and clarify consent for information exchange.
• Shared service maps that identify agency roles, mandates, and eligibility criteria for programs.
• Standardized contact lists indicating preferred communication channels and escalation pathways.
• Jointly developed checklists for cross-agency case discussions or case conferences.

Communication and Information Flows

• Regularly scheduled coordination meetings with circulated agendas and brief written summaries.
• Use of secure channels for sharing sensitive case-related information, governed by agreed protocols.
• Clear processes for escalating systemic issues (e.g., housing shortages, transportation gaps) to provincial planning or policy tables.
• Agreed approaches to public communications during high-profile or complex incidents, as appropriate to each organization’s role.

Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

• Define a small set of shared indicators (e.g., referral acceptance rates, wait times for key services) to monitor coordination effectiveness.
• Use time-limited pilot projects to test new coordination tools or processes before island-wide implementation.
• Document lessons learned and update MOUs, protocols, and training materials periodically.
• Engage front-line staff and community partners in identifying practical adjustments that improve coordination.

Alignment With Broader Regional and National Frameworks

PEI agencies may find value in aligning local coordination practices with broader Atlantic and national domestic violence frameworks, particularly regarding data standards, evaluation approaches, and cross-border collaboration for mobile populations.

• Adopt compatible data categories to support comparison and collaboration with other jurisdictions.
• Participate in regional learning exchanges, communities of practice, or technical working groups.
• Coordinate with national networks on training standards, evidence-informed practices, and evaluation tools.
• Ensure MOUs address cross-jurisdictional referrals where individuals move between PEI and other provinces.

Recommended Articles

• Partnership Eligibility for Domestic Violence Collaboration
• Coalition Frameworks for Multi-Agency Domestic Violence Response
• Regional Data-Sharing Models for Domestic Violence Services
• Community-Based Coordination Structures and MOUs
• Funding Collaboration Models for Inter-Agency Initiatives