Following the initial ten serials offered to the Canadian Army (CA) and three regionalized serials with Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Command Teams by the Survivor Perspectives Consulting Group, interest in our training quickly increased and has outgrown the current ability of our small group to keep pace. The impact of this survivor-borne training cannot be overstated, and the post-training surveys and word of mouth are more than overwhelmingly positive – throughout the CAF, members are advocating and requesting our training through their respective Chains of Command. With currently one principal facilitator who is occasionally assisted by volunteer co-facilitators and peer support, SPCG has trained over 1300 members of the Defence Team.
The following data was taken from pilot serials occurring between 28 June 2021 and 1 December 2021. In total, 700 personnel participated in the SPCG Frontline Workshop for Military SexualTrauma (MST).
• 289 people gave permission to use their pre-course survey responses.
• 346 people gave permission to use their post-course survey responses.
The Highlights
80% of respondents reported taking previous training in sexual misconduct prevention. Specifically, Respect in the CAF course delivered by Personnel Support Services and a few longer-serving members also having taken Standards for Harassment and Racism Prevention (SHARP) training.
Prior to our training, 88% felt that they were not equipped to support a victim of sexual misconduct. This is not due to a lack of desire to support – commonly, the response is “I hope I could figure it out,” showing that our members would support survivors if given the right tools.
After the Front Line Workshop, 98% of members felt that they now knew what to say and what not to say after a disclosure.
83% of Course Respondents felt that they were more equipped to intervene as a bystander following the workshop training.
84% of survivors reported believing this training could have positively influenced their case had they taken the course earlier.
99% of respondents said that they would recommend this training to others.
58% said it should be taken by every person within DND, while the others identified that it should prioritize those coming into the CAF or prior to going on leadership training (PLQ/BMOQ).
