Transition Home Survey (THS)

Detailed information for 2009-2010 (Snapshot day: April 15, 2010)

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Every 2 years

Record number:

3328

The objective of the Transition Home Survey (THS) is to collect data on residential services for abused women and their children during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of the clientele being served on a specific date. The THS is a census of all residential agencies providing services to abused women and their children across Canada.

Data release - June 27, 2011

Description

As part of the Family Violence Initiative, the Transition Home Survey (THS) was developed in order to address the need for improved information about services for victims of family violence. Historically, information about transition homes was collected by the Residential Care Facilities (RCF) Survey. However, data collected from the RCF were very limited. In 1991-1992, the Transition Home Supplement to the RCF Survey was developed as an interim survey in response to information needs under the Federal Family Violence Initiative. Since 1992-1993, the Transition Home Survey has been conducted as an independent survey.

The objective of the Transition Home Survey is to collect data on residential services for abused women and their children during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of the clientele being served on a specific date. The Transition Home Survey is a census of residential facilities providing services to abused women and their children. The THS is distributed across Canada to all transition homes, second stage housing facilities, safe home networks, women's emergency centres, emergency shelters, family resource centres and other residential agencies serving women victims of abuse.

The information collected is useful to service providers, non-profit organizations and governments in developing programs, policies and services for abused women and their children.

Reference period: Fiscal year, calendar year or a 12 month period of the respondent's choosing; snapshot date (mid-April of survey year)

Subjects

  • Crime and justice
  • Family violence
  • Victims and victimization

Data sources and methodology

Target population

This survey is a census of all residential agencies serving women who seek refuge due to situations of abuse and for other reasons. These may include, transition homes, second stage housing, safe home networks, satellites, women's emergency centres, emergency shelters, Rural Family Violence Prevention Centres (Alberta only), Interim Housing (Manitoba only), Family Resource Centres, and any other residential facilities offering services to abused women with or without children.

This survey is a census of Canadian residential facilities primarily mandated to serve victims of abuse. These may include short-term, long-term, and/or mixed-use facilities, transition homes, second stage housing, safe home networks, women's emergency centres, emergency shelters, Rural Family Violence Prevention Centres (Alberta only), Interim Housing (Manitoba only), Family Resource Centres, and any other residential facilities offering services to victims of abuse with or without children.

This survey is a census of Canadian residential facilities primarily mandated to serve victims of abuse. These may include short-term, long-term, and/or mixed-use facilities, transition homes, second stage housing, safe home networks, satellites, women's emergency centres, emergency shelters, Rural Family Violence Prevention Centres (Alberta only), Interim Housing (Manitoba only), Family Resource Centres, and any other residential facilities offering services to victims of abuse with or without children.

Instrument design

Consultations were held with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, various federal/provincial/territorial working groups, transition home associations, transition home directors, family violence research centres, the National Justice Statistics Initiative Liaison Officers Committee and management at the Canadian Centre Justice Statistics. These groups were asked to review and comment on the content and to identify any emerging issues and priorities which the Transition Home Survey (THS) could address. Furthermore, telephone conference calls were conducted with the members of transition home provincial associations and various transition home directors. Participants were given a copy of the questionnaire and consultation questions in advance and asked to comment on the content and identify emerging issues and priorities. Testing, re-design and refinement of the questionnaire were thus accomplished through this consultation process.

The THS questionnaire has four main components. A facility profile collects information on types of facilities, services provided to women, children and abusive partners, accessibility and services for male youth. A resident profile gathers data on the number of women and children receiving services, reasons for admission, age of residents, the relationship of the abuser to women residents, and involvement of the criminal justice system. Another section of the questionnaire collects information on the types of assistance available to ex-residents and others, such as outreach work activity. Finally, a section is devoted to information representing a 12-month period, and includes data on yearly admissions (including admissions of adult males), as well as information of facility repairs, revenues and expenditures (collected every second cycle).

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design and a longitudinal follow-up.

Data are collected for all units of the target population, therefore, no sampling is done.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2010-04-15 to 2010-09-01

Responding to this survey is voluntary.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

The survey frame for the Transition Home Survey is composed of all respondents from the previous Statistics Canada survey complemented by an up-to-date list from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Health Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Furthermore, provincial associations of transition homes are consulted to ensure that all facilities in operation at the time of the survey are included. Letters advising respondents of the arrival of the survey and survey questionnaires are mailed by Operations and Integration Division to shelters at the end of March/early April. Questionnaires are to be filled out manually by shelters shortly after snapshot day and returned to Statistics Canada in the envelope provided. Respondents are asked to return their completed questionnaires by the 2nd or 3rd week in May, approximately one month after the survey snap-shot day. Follow-up begins shortly after the submission due date. Typically, about 3 rounds of follow-ups are done, over the course of the collection period, with non-respondents contacted every 3 weeks or so, first by phone, then by fax and again by phone.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .

Error detection

Questionnaires are groomed by editors in Operations and Integration Division (OID) using a grooming guide devised by the Methodology division, the THS subject matter team and OID. Data are captured using the Anydoc program which performs real-time edits and had built-in verification procedures. Critical edit failures during data capture by OID result in follow-up with respondents. All questionnaires are keyed in independently by 2 different people and the system identifies cases which do not match. These discrepancies are then resolved. After 25 questionnaires are entered, a batch file is sent to the Methodology division. Methodology passes the file though a program which produces edit reports which highlight any problems present in the data. The edit reports are resolved by the THS subject matter team, and then the program is modified to correct the data and each edited observation is flagged.

Imputation

An imputation procedure is used to replace missing data for non-respondents on the THS. While the response rate for the THS has ranged from 87% to 92% since 1998, the use of a simple imputation strategy to treat non-response makes the THS estimates even more meaningful by having a complete micro-data file. In rare cases, where appropriate, respondents could have data from their previous year's questionnaire carried forward.

Potential THS respondents are grouped into three main categories based on the extent to which they had completed 12 key questions. Specifically, the three respondent groupings are defined as follows:

- Complete respondent: submitted a questionnaire and there was a response for each of the 12 key questions.
- Partial non-respondent: submitted a questionnaire but did not answer all of the key questions.
- Complete non-respondent: did not submit a questionnaire and only the province and facility type of the shelter were known.

After the procedure, the imputed data are tested for statistically significant differences from the data collected from respondents. The results from the test show no statistically meaningful differences between the imputed and respondent data.

Estimation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Quality evaluation

Time-series data are used to track changes over time and to identify inconsistencies in the data. Where inconsistencies are found, follow-ups with respondents are conducted to verify the data.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Preliminary results are not released or available to the public.

CCJS has a policy of not releasing any tables or cross-tabs that may identify a particular respondent.

No public use file is produced.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

This methodology does not apply to this survey.

Data accuracy

The response rate for the THS has typically ranged from 87% to 92%. Response rates vary by province and territory and by survey question. The imputed data are tested for statistically significant differences from the data collected from respondents using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The results from the test show no statistically meaningful differences between the imputed and respondent data.

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