Helping stop family violence before it turns into tragedy is the focal point of a comprehensive family violence initiative in Drayton Valley. Specifically it’s the work of ‘The Dragon Lady, the Cop and the Holy Roller’ – a.k.a. clinical social worker Rita Dillon, Const. Darryl Scott and Baptist minister Dwayne Henley.
The trio gave Slave Lake’s Interagency group a taste of their strategies last week, explaining their program was born as the result of a multiple murder/suicide in that community in 1997. Its goal is to curb the violence in abusive relationships by working with abusers and their spouses.
“This is not about blame, it’s about change,” reiterates co-ordinator Dillon. It’s about recognizing the elements in the cycle of violence and making sure they don’t erupt into a tragic end.
The 13-week session works with couples that need intervention.
“If the woman volunteers to take part, then the man must take part,” they explained. And conversely, if the man volunteers to get help, his spouse must also get involved. Women and men take part in separate classes for the first 10 weeks, and then join together for the final three sessions. That’s the time they have a chance to work on parenting and relationship skills.
Thus far the trio can boast a 97 per cent success rate, said Dillon. That is, very few participants re-offend after learning how to work with their spouse to resolve differences and avoid volatile situations. And their victims benefit from acquiring an understanding of what happened and how to avoid similar situations in the future.
The trio were brought to town by Slave Lake’s Partnership Council and the Town of Slave Lake’s FCSS (Family and Community Support Services) department.
Partnership Council spokesman Aaron Hachkowski says council members “take it back to the council to see if there’s an opportunity” to bring back the trio for a training workshop.
“If we have commitment from other agencies, it’s not a lot of up front cash,” he says.
The Partnership Council was formed in 2000 when a number of organizations and government agencies decided to pool their know-how and resources. It includes a variety of government agencies and organizations.

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