Engaging the Community To Prevent Family Violence

In the past, domestic violence and child abuse have often been addressed as separate problems even though the issues are intertwined. In the past, child protection workers advocated for the safety of children and the preservation of the family, while domestic violence workers sought to protect women from their batterers. They did not always collaborate and rarely worked with the communities they served to develop family violence prevention strategies.

To make real change, community engagement strategies must be used to prevent family violence. Families and community members play crucial roles in preventing family violence. Abused women turn to extended family, friends, and neighbors before they reach out to organizations or professional service providers. Law enforcement, courts, and child protection agencies are usually last on their list. Community members also know the cultural values, traditions, and practices that support violence, as well as those that can be used appropriately to intervene and stop violence. Most community members are willing and able to develop the skills needed to conduct family violence prevention and intervention activities.

Preventing family violence in the community takes several steps:

• Raising awareness of the problem and changing social norms that make violence acceptable
• Connecting community residents to services
• Changing community and social conditions that contribute to violence
• Building networks of leaders in the community
• Making services and institutions accountable to community needs

Raising Awareness and Changing Social Norms

Raising awareness of family violence is the first requirement in a community mobilization effort. People are not going to get involved if they don't know there is a problem. Violence is often seen as a private problem, but raising awareness allows others to own the issue and do something about it.

In San Francisco , CA , the Asian Women's Shelter (AWS) provides emergency and long-term shelter to immigrant and refugee women. Recognizing that only a small percentage of women seek shelter services, AWS began community engagement activities to spread the word. One of these efforts, Shimtuh, mobilized the Korean community against domestic violence. Shimtuh began as an informal network of Korean women interested in preventing domestic violence. The Korean American community was educated about domestic violence through Korean-language newspaper articles, booklets, and networking. Korean media, businesses, and faith institutions helped to distribute surveys. Block parties, website campaigns, and forums have involved many community elements, including local stores, local churches and temples, and Korean-language newspapers.

Connecting Community Residents to Services

The first step in preventing and reducing family violence is awareness. The second step is to get the help to the families who need it. In the Community Partnership for the Protection of Children in Jacksonville , FL , residents and social service providers work together to identify families in need of help before problems reach the point of formal intervention. Families get referred to the partnership by community groups, such as the Boy Scouts, through management of housing complexes, or by residents themselves. Partnership staff work with families to put together a meeting of individuals and service providers to help them carry out a plan to prevent problems that could lead to family violence. Family team meetings include neighbors, friends, child welfare workers, domestic violence workers, the faith community, schools, or other social service providers.

Changing Community and Social Conditions

Poverty, urban decay, substance abuse, and mental and physical health issues sometimes contribute to family violence. It is important to change those conditions while helping individual families get the services to address their problems.

In San Bernardino , CA , the Central City Lutheran Mission serves an urban community where half of the population lives below the poverty level, high school graduation rate is 30 percent, there is a high rate of family violence and a serious methamphetamine problem. The Mission seeks out and builds on community strengths, offering many youth-run and youth-focused programs. Youth have developed a newsletter that features stories and photographs analyzing the variety of neighborhood problems; a Hip Hop mass of poetry, rap, and writing; and an afterschool program where teens tutor children. These programs help develop strong and resilient youth, giving them the tools they need to become leaders and decision makers in their community so that they can change the social conditions that contribute to family violence.

Building Networks of Leaders in the Community

Leadership development is an important part of any good community engagement effort. Finding and keeping new leaders helps raise awareness about family violence. These leaders mobilize individuals to action and engage them in activities to identify and prevent violence. Developing leaders also helps ensure that reform efforts will be sustained.

In Boston , MA , the Close to Home Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative is a resident- driven community organizing and public awareness campaign that seeks to create a broad-based community response to domestic violence. Community organizers speak about domestic violence at civic meetings, host discussion groups with community members, and work to change norms that support domestic violence. Monthly potlucks, arts and crafts events, and children's activities are some of the ways Close to Home builds community awareness about family violence and what a community can do to help prevent it.

Making Services and Institutions Accountable to Community Needs

Permanent change among state institutions and agencies that support families and protect children and communities is a necessity. Collaborating with grassroots organizations and placing workers in a neighborhood do not come easily to those working in the social service system. But that continues to change as more and more communities come together with service providers, institutions, and local and state agencies to combat family violence.

Moms Off Meth in Ottumwa , IA , began as a peer-led support group for women with substance abuse issues who risked losing their children to the foster care system. The group addresses women's experiences with domestic violence, sexual abuse, self-image, parenting skills, and economic and educational opportunities. Thanks to the advocacy of Moms Off Meth, these women now have a voice in the services they receive. Members testify to the state legislature's Human Services Committee and the State Probation Officers Association, sharing their experiences.

Here are some suggested guidelines when working with communities to prevent family violence:

• Help community members see family violence as a priority.
• Help local leaders and residents address family violence issues in ways that don't stigmatize individuals.
• Invite men in the community to participate.
• Make sure your work is compatible with the cultural traditions and attitudes of the community.
• Close the gap between social service providers and the community.