Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1991-1992

Reference period of change - 2022-2023 (snapshot day: April 13, 2023)

In the third iteration of the Survey, a couple minor updates were made to the questionnaire. First, there was an update to the English questionnaire where Aboriginal was changed to Indigenous. Second, questions pertaining to COVID-19 were removed from the Survey.

Reference period of change - 2020-2021 (snapshot day: April 14, 2021)

Collection instrument: In the second iteration of the Survey, a number of updates were made to the questionnaire: 1. A sub-question was added when asking for the number of units in a long-term facility, to ask how many of those units were occupied at the time. 2. A sub-category was added to where residents are departing to, to identify those departing into homelessness. 3. Gender categories were updated including the addition of two new gender categories. 4. References to spousal abuse and relationship to abuser were updated where opposite sex/same sex were changed to different gender/same gender. 5. Separate professional service categories for Mental health services and Addictions or substance use services were added. 6. A new question was added to capture prior history of homelessness. 7. A new question was added to capture proximity (living with or not) to the abuser prior to seeking shelter. 8. Harassment was added as a sub-category to the types of abuse that adults were protecting their children from. 9. Inclusion statement for the question on relationship to primary abuser was updated for dating relationship to include couples who do or do not live together. 10. Some new questions were added to the survey to measure the impact of COVID-19 on facilities.

Instrument design: Respondents for whom a valid email address is available are sent introduction emails prior to collection instead of letters by mail. Reminder letters are sent during collection for non-response cases for respondents who do not have a valid email address instead of fax reminders.

Reference period of change - 2017-2018 (snapshot day: April 18, 2018)

After the 2013-2014 cycle, a full redesign of the Transition Home Survey (THS) was undertaken in order to improve the relevance of the data, address on-going issues with particular questions, reduce respondent burden, and to modernize the collection and processing platforms. The title of the redesigned survey was changed to the Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA). The redesign represents changes to the survey frame, content, collection, processing and analysis. The scope of the survey has changed to target residential facilities primarily mandated to provide residential services to victims of abuse (abuse defined as on-going victimization). The collection instrument is now an electronic questionnaire accessed through a Secure Access Code that is either emailed or mailed to respondents. Interviewers in the regional offices conduct non-response follow-up. Several questions were either removed or edited for content, and some new questions were added. The question on facility types was simplified to cover short-term, long-term and mixed-use facilities. A new question was added to identify residents by Aboriginal identity. Due to the change in scope, questions were added regarding services for adult women, adult men, and accompanying children. The question of area of service was removed. Languages of service was simplified to cover official languages. SRFVA data should be considered distinct from THS data.

Target population - The scope of this survey has changed compared to that of the THS. The SRFVA population includes women, men, and accompanying children. It excludes homeless shelters (these are already captured by the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS)).

Instrument design - Prior iterations of THS used a paper questionnaire that was mailed to respondents. The questionnaire is now an Electronic Questionnaire rendered in EQGS and loaded into the Business Collection Portal (BCP). There is an i-EQ version for interviewer use in the regional offices, and an r-EQ version for respondent self-response via Secure Access Code.

Reference period of change - 2013-2014 (Snapshot day: April 16, 2014)

Collection instrument - New response category ("human trafficking") was added to question regarding reason(s) women residents came to facility; New question regarding whether facility admits children and/or youth and instructions regarding flow of questions after question asking about how admissions of male youth are handled; Rewording of response categories for number of women who have previously stayed at the facility; Clarification that admissions question refers to admission to residential programs only and that each woman and child are to be counted each time they were admitted (including repeat admissions), therefore annual admissions data for prior cycles of the survey are no longer available

Reference period of change - 2011-2012 (Snapshot day: April 18, 2012)

Annual admissions data - Reporting errors in the reporting of annual admissions were detected during processing of the 2012 data. As a result, annual admissions prior to the 2012 survey are no longer available for Canada, provinces and territories, for all shelter types.

Reference period of change - 2007-2008 (Snapshot day: April 16, 2008)

Collection instrument - New response categories were added to question number 8 (languages in which services are provided).

Reference period of change - 2005-2006 (Snapshot day: April 19, 2006)

Imputation - In 2005/2006, an imputation procedure was used for the first time to replace missing data for non-respondents on the THS.

Collection instrument - New response categories were added to questions appearing as follows on the 2005/2006 questionnaire: Questions number 6A (Services for Women), 23 (Repeat Stays), 24D (Resident with Disabilities), 30 (Reasons for 'Turnaways') and 48 (Future Challenges and Issues).

As well, three new questions (questions number 7, 43 and 44) were added to the survey instrument. Question 7 asks respondents to indicate the top 3 services currently needed but not offered or not offered at the level required to meet the needs of the residents, former residents or non-residents. Questions 43 asks respondents to identify the physical repairs and improvements they anticipate the facility will need within the next 5 years. Question 44 asks about the likely sources of funding for these anticipated physical repairs and improvements.

Reference period of change - 2003-2004 (Snapshot day: April 14, 2004)

Collection instrument - Two new questions were added.

1) Shelters were asked to identify the source(s) of referral for each of the women residing in their facility on snapshot day.

2) Shelters were asked to indicate how many of the women residing in the their facility on snapshot day had been there sometime in the past, as well as the number of times in the past year these women had been re-admitted to the shelter.

Reference period of change - 2001-2002 (Snapshot day: April 15, 2002)

Collection instrument - There were a number of minor changes to the design and/or wording for the following Questions: 1; 7; 8 to 12; 13 to 16 (formerly 14 to 16 on the 1999-2000 THS); 16; 17; 18 to 20; and 28 (formerly 28 and 29 on the 1999-2000 THS). The set of questions on Adult Males was moved to the beginning of Section 5 and two new questions regarding men admitted for reasons of abuse were added. The question (#15) from 1999-2000 THS on ventilated smoking rooms was deleted. Questions on revenues and expenditures, collected every second cycle were included on the 2001-2002 THS. A question was also added which allows respondents to indicate whether their financial numbers are estimated or audited.

Reference period of change - 1997-1998 (Snapshot day: April 20, 1998)

Target population - XXXXXXXXX

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