Best Practices in Working with Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Discussion

Instructions

Social workers providing services to vulnerable populations must apply their understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels; and also engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice.  Social workers also understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Conduct an interview with a professional in your community who works at a shelter, an agency/organization specifically for victims of intimate partner violence, or an advocacy organization. Be sure to discuss the following and take notes during your conversation:

Determine the available community resources for victims and any resource that may be lacking.

Identify the assessment process and any screenings conducted; be sure to include that Social workers are knowledgeable about theories of human need and social justice and strategies to promote social and economic justice and human rights.

Analyze the intersection of cultural and social factors that may impact how domestic violence is addressed.

POST

Family Assessment and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)Family assessment and interventions is contingent on the presenting problems of the family. In other courses, you have studied structural, cognitive, and strategic family therapy. This week, you will reflect on another evidence-based practice and systems theory in working with families. You will also delve into IPV and its impact on individuals and families.Systems theory postulates that a system is a complex set of elements with interactions, with these interactions being of an ordered (nonrandom) nature. They are self-regulating through a constant exchange of information feedback loops and holistic in nature- circular causality- part of a causal chain- each event influencing the other. These informational exchanges assume that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; change in one part will lead to changes in other parts. For families, this means they organize and develop over time, assume varying roles, are generally open systems, and individual problems often are reflections of an active emotional system. Behavior is also the result of the reciprocity of the interactions between the layers/systems and within the layers (Bourduin, Rowland, Cunningham, Henggeler, & Schoenwald, 2009).One such intervention is Multi-Systemic Family Therapy (MST) which is intensive and works to empower caregivers to utilize their resources and skills to address problems they are facing with their adolescent. It addresses the multiple determinants of serious antisocial behavior in children with complex mental health needs and juvenile offenders. MST places emphasis on agency and therapist’s accountability. It is up to the primary agency involved to help remove barriers to resources and services. Interventions are designed to be focused on immediate issues and concerns that will have the most impact on the problems presented. MST focuses on the family’s strengths and their community’s resources to address the challenges they face (Swenson, Schaffer, Henggeler, Faldowski, & Mayhew, 2010).The MST principles include assessing the fit between the problems presented and the larger community context, focus on the positive and strengths of the agencies involved, designed to promote responsible behavior, target specific problems, and be developmentally appropriate. Services and interventions are to be culturally sensitive to the family’s values, rituals, beliefs, customs, and ways of interacting between themselves and their community. Be sensitive to the inherent power of difference, and then alter your work to meet the need of culturally different families (Bourduin, Rowland, Cunningham, Henggeler, & Schoenwald, 2009).An important aspect of working with families is for social workers to have an understanding of the dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its impact on the victim as well as children who are in the home. Intimate partner violence is violence or aggression that occurs in a close relationship. The term “intimate partner” includes current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV can vary in frequency and severity and typically occurs along a continuum which can range from a single episode to chronic and very severe episodes that can have a devastating and lasting impact on victims and children. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy. There are four main types of IPV which includes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression (Centers for Disease Control, 2017).Spousal and partner abuse may be difficult to detect as often victims may be reluctant to disclose for a variety of reasons. A brief assessment often accompanies women who are visiting their primary care physician and emergency room visits. Simple questions are asked which assess whether (typically women) have been physically abused by their partner or are afraid of such. Research reflects that individuals with certain risk factors are vulnerable to becoming perpetrators or victims of IPV. These risk factors may contribute to IPV but might not be direct causes, and these include individual risk factors, relationship risk factors, community factors, and societal factor (Centers for Disease Control, 2017). Therefore, interventions should address these levels of risk factors as strategies need to include the protection of the victim, a safe place for the victim and children to reside, supporting the victim in accessing supports and services in the community, and being aware of societal or cultural factors regarding IPV.Be sure to review this week’s resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.References:Bourduin, C. M., Rowland, M. D., Cunningham, P. B., Henggeler, S. W., & Schoenwald, S. K. (2009). Multisystemic therapy for antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press.Centers for Disease Control. (2017). Intimate partner violence: Definitions [Website]. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention.Centers for Disease Control. (2017). Intimate partner violence: Risk and protective factors [Website]. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention.Swenson, C. C., Schaffer, C. M., Henggeler, S. W., Faldowski, R., & Mayhew, A. M. (2010). Multisystemic therapy for child abuse and neglect: A randomized effectiveness trial. Journal of Child Psychology, 24(4), 497-507.