This book offers a checklist for the victim of domestic violence, from obtaining restraining orders to getting the support network on her side. Here are steps on how to combat battering within families, within communities, within homes, and at the legislative level.

Over the past 25 years, developing coordinated responses to intimate partner violence and sexual violence has improved both perpetrator accountability, and victim safety and self-determination. However, preventing intimate partner violence and sexual violence from occurring is beyond the ability of any one type of organization. Preventing this violence requires a network of individuals, groups and organizations who coordinate and assess their efforts on an ongoing basis. This volume provides theoretical and practical guidance for the development of state and local prevention systems that hold the potential to eliminate persistent social problems. The development of prevention systems was informed by the data-driven public health model, systems theory and the ecological systems perspective. Strengthening Systems to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence offers guidance on how to gain participation of the right partners in developing a prevention system, and how to focus the work of that system on the critical areas of planning, implementation and capacity building. The guidance, resources and experience shared in this important collection will be invaluable to all those working towards the prevention of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. This book is based on a special issue of the Journal of Family Social Work.

Stop intimate partner violence before it starts Intimate partner violence touches everyone. With more than 1 million cases reported each year, this pervasive social problem has devastating effects on victims, families, and communities. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence presents a comprehensive overview of the wide range of efforts and approaches that have been successful in preventing physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. A growing frustration with the limits of therapeutic intervention and with the costs imposed on society by intimate partner violence has created a need for greater emphasis on state-of-the-art prevention programs that really work. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence addresses the challenges of conducting and evaluating such programs, gaps that exist in programming and research, and future trends in those areas. A panel of domestic violence experts, researchers, and healthcare professionals examines how to change the ways individuals and the current health care system think about, and respond to, intimate partner violence; how to change the ways young people deal with anger in intimate relationships; and the ways society can support families to reduce the occurrence of violence in intimate relationships. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence examines: identifying risk factors the cost-benefit of universal and targeted programs the effectiveness of parenting, stress management, and substance abuse programs community capacity theory community development social networks media and public awareness campaigns healthcare screening programs and much more Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence documents the effectiveness of prevention interventions, encouraging prevention specialists to use evidence-based interventions to enhance the effectiveness of their own work. This powerful book is an invaluable professional resource for social workers, family life educators, researchers, and practitioners.