Gender Matters was Ontario’s first provincial conference focusing exclusively on gender-centred best practices for women who have substance use problems. The conference was funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and hosted by the Jean Tweed Centre. It provided two full days of dynamic learning opportunities for service providers, planners, and policy staff from across the province.

Gender Matters welcomed close to 240 delegates from across Ontario and beyond. The conference was held on May 27th and 28th 2008 at the Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel in Toronto.

This groundbreaking event profiled best practices and tools for service planning and delivery. Over 30 conference sessions provided an array of conceptual and practical information delivered by over 45 presenters. Presentations highlighted the challenges of planning and delivering services for women and showcased best practices and promising program models.

Three bound documents were made available to delegates – these documents may also be downloaded from the links below:

• Best Practices in Action: Guidelines and Criteria For Women’s  Substance Abuse Treatment Services (2005) is a tool that service providers and service planners can use to ‘translate’ best practices into required actions.
• Review of the Women’s Substance Abuse Service System in Ontario: Executive Summary (2006) is an assessment of how best practices are being implemented in Ontario’s services for women and includes recommendations for further actions.
• Reaching Women, Reaching Children – Ontario’s Early Childhood Development Addiction Initiative (2006) is a 3-year landmark evaluation study of how ‘ECD Addictions’ programs have built new services for pregnant and mothering women and their children.

Documents for Download

• CONFERENCE DELEGATES
• DAY ‘AT A GLANCE’ SCHEDULE
• DETAILED CONFERENCE PROGRAM
• PRESENTERS’ BIOGRAPHIES
• CONFERENCE SLIDE SHOW CREDITS
• CONFERENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
• CONTACT INFORMATION – CONFERENCE SPONSOR

CLICK HERE for a complete list of conference presentations and handouts