SMSRC Community Consultations
The Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) invites members of the wider Defence community affected by sexual misconduct to provide their feedback, advice and recommendations on support services and resources available to them.
New topics for spring 2024 consultations are:
- Terms of Reference for Communications Consultations
- Peer support services
On this page
Who can participate
You can participate in the Community Consultations if you were or are affected by sexual misconduct, 18 years of age or older, and in the wider Defence community which includes:
- currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)
- former members of the CAF/Veterans
- Department of National Defence (DND) public service employees
- former DND public service employees
- Cadets
- Junior Canadian Rangers
- family members of the above
- caregivers who support those affected
Why participate
The SMSRC created the Community Consultations initiative to provide opportunities for people in the wider Defence community affected by sexual misconduct to provide their expertise, advice, and recommendations.
The goal of the consultations is to inform support services and resources available to people affected by sexual misconduct so they align with and reflect the needs of the diverse community.
Your feedback is important to help the wider Defence community access the support services and resources they need today, and in the future.
It is essential that we hear from individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives from different locations.
Consultations
Each consultation session is structured around a specific topic, support service or resource. Participants are asked to provide and discuss feedback and recommendations on this topic.
Consultation options are:
- Virtual group sessions (anonymous and non-anonymous, on MS Teams)
- Individual discussion sessions (by phone or virtual, on MS Teams)
- In writing (by email)
Group sessions are small. Members of the SMSRC Partnerships Team facilitate the consultations with an SMSRC counsellor present to provide confidential, one-on-one support, as needed.
The facilitator promotes safety, confidentiality and open interaction in a trauma-informed approach.
Privacy and confidentiality
The MS Teams environment allows you to join group sessions anonymously.
Only those invited can access that MS Teams group session. Sessions are not recorded.
The SMSRC Partnerships Team members take notes for summary reports. No individual is identified in the notes and summaries. You will have the opportunity to validate the notes before they are forwarded for recommended action.
To help ensure that the initiative is effective and that participants are safe, some personal information is required. This information is used only for communication about the SMSRC Community Consultations. This information is safeguarded in a protected database (Protected B). For more information, please see the Privacy Notice Statement.
Privacy Notice Statement
The personal information on this form is collected under the authority of s. 4 of the National Defence Act and will be used by the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) for the purpose of creating a Consultation Group(s) which will provide input and recommendations on the development and improvement of SMSRC programs and services. The personal information collected on this form will be used to ensure the Consultation Group(s) is representative across various criteria, such as location, language, military experience, and gender/gender identity.
The personal information on this form will be used to determine and communicate your participation as a Community Consultation Group member. If you do not participate in an initial Consultation Group, the SMSRC will retain the information on this form so that it can be used in the formation of future Consultation Groups. If, after submitting your expression of interest, you wish to remove your name from the Community Consultation Group, you may do so by notifying the SMSRC at SMSRC.Partnerships-Partenariats.CSRIS@forces.gc.ca.
Personal information will be used for program administration and may be used for program development, program evaluation, reporting, research, and statistical analysis.
The SMSRC will not use the information you submit, including your contact information, for any purposes other than those described in this privacy notice statement without first obtaining your explicit consent, except when otherwise required by law, which includes the circumstances listed under ss. 8(2) of the Privacy Act.
If you participate in the Community Consultation Group, a program-specific consent form will be provided to you for review and signature. Program officials will review that consent form with you to ensure you understand its contents and how it impacts you.
Personal information collected, as well as its use, disclosure, and retention, is described in Personal Information Bank DND PPU 880 (Sexual Misconduct) which can be found on DND’s Information about Programs and Information Holdings (IPIH) page.
Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to access your personal information and request corrections to your personal information. Should you wish to exercise your rights under the Privacy Act, or have any questions about this privacy notice statement, contact DND’s Directorate of Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP) by submitting a Personal Information Request Form online, or send a written request to:
Directorate of Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP)
Department of National Defence
60 Moodie Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K2
Should you wish to lodge a complaint with respect to the handling of your personal information, you may do so by contacting the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Topics for spring 2024
The SMSRC Partnerships Team selected two topics based on input from the community and on SMSRC program needs.
Topic 1: Terms of Reference for Community Consultations. These will serve as one of the base documents for SMSRC’s engagement framework with the wider Defence community.
Topic 2: Informal Peer Support Group. The SMSRC is developing an Informal Peer Support Group service to complement the suite of options provided by the SMSRC Peer Support Program. We are also seeking feedback on other peer support services that the community of people affected by sexual misconduct and/or military sexual trauma might benefit from.
If you have not yet expressed your interest in the Community Consultations, please fill out a form.
How to participate
Please complete the online Expression of Interest form as indicated below.
Remember, by submitting an Expression of Interest, you are not making a commitment. Rather, it allows the SMSRC Partnerships Team to contact you to provide more information and discuss processes, safety, confidentiality, anonymity, and options for participation.
Contact us
For more information, send an email to: SMSRC.Partnerships-Partenariats.CSRIS@forces.gc.ca or call the SMSRC confidential 24/7 support line at 1-844-750-1648.
Page details
- Date modified: