 Facts
What
Can You Do?
Solutions
Facts on Domestic Abuse
- Woman battering and child abuse often occur in the same family.
- Large-scale studies show that approximately 50% of men who batter
their women partners also abuse the children in their home.
- One study showed that of 200 substantiated cases of child abuse, 30%
of the cases showed evidence of adult domestic violence.
- An in-depth understanding of how these two forms of violence are
linked and how, if at all, they interact to create greater dangers is
not available.
- Child welfare and domestic violence programs serve large numbers of
single-mothers and their children.
- Women separated from violent partners make up a large proportion of
battered women (44% in one Minnesota study). These women are often
mothers with children.
- Child welfare programs also serve single-mothers. Data show that
from 32.5% to 72% of those receiving child welfare services are
single, female-headed households.
- An estimated 3.3. to 10 million children witness domestic violence
each year.
- Multiple studies have found increased problems among children who
witness domestic violence.
- Current studies are inadequate: they focus on shelter residents in
crisis, don't separate abused from witnesses, and seldom focus on
resilience.
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What Can You Do?
Support Legislative Policy Makers
- Initiate legislation that recognizes and supports collaborative
efforts to create a comprehensive, coordinated community response to
Domestic Violence
- Sponsor and enact legislation that enhances law enforcement response
to Domestic Violence as a crime.
- Re-categorize funding to enable survivors of Domestic Violence and
their children access to appropriate services that ensure safety
Highlight system reform efforts:
Consumer driven,
culturally competent, respectful, flexible response
Transportation
Child care
Substance abuse services
Increase support for safe
in-home services
Support strength-based solution focused strategies for dealing with
child abuse, neglect, and Domestic Violence.
Promote public awareness and public information campaigns
- Prevention
- Early Intervention
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Solutions
Working group
Purpose of Group:
Find common ground goals for collaboration. Work together to increase
safety for Survivors of Domestic Violence and their children.
Action steps
- Share information/address myths about each program.
- Assess potential for resource sharing.
- Where are we compatible? Where are there inconsistencies/barriers?
How can we overcome those barriers?
- Training: Transferable? Adaptable
-
Committees: Finance, Training, Site
Development, Strategic Planning
Plan
- Five Demonstration Sites in Shelters serving 14 counties for in-home
services.
- Two Day Training for all FP Workers, eventually all Child Welfare.
- FP Training available to Domestic Violence Programs
- Consistent, high quality uniform training for Domestic Violence
Programs.
- More and consistent support/continuation of services.
- Provide respectful and culturally competent services.
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