PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS
JASMYN BROWN, AURORA SMALEDONE & REBECCA HOFFMAN-FRANCES Strengthening partnerships between Domestic Violence (DV) programs and local mental health...
Findings from the Inaugural Cohort of SSAPC Demonstration Grantees
Between 2016-2020, approximately $20 Million was appropriated for the Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grant: Specialized Services to Abused Parents and their Children (SSAPC). The 12 funded projects piloted innovations to strengthen system responses, improve capabilities to serve domestic violence (DV) impacted children and youth, alleviate DV related trauma impacts among child and adult survivors, and deepen relationships between children/youth and parents.
Promising Futures, a project of Futures Without Violence was funded as the national capacity building center and was the primary technical assistance provider to the SSAPC grantees. Following the end of the first demonstration grant, Promising Futures undertook a systematic review and abbreviated outcome harvest of annual progress and evaluation reports with support from Strategic Prevention Solutions. This infographic
provides an overview, and examples, of the changes experienced by children and families and across the DV serving ecosystem that are attributable to grantees’ strategies, efforts, and actions throughout the grant period.
SAFE Alliance, TX
Foothill Family Service, CA
Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc., AK
Maine Behavioral Healthcare, ME
Domestic Violence Action Center, HI
Texas Council on Family Violence, TX
Boston Medical Center Corporation, MA
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, KY
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, AK
Durham County Department of Social Services, NC
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, ID
Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, KS
Evidence-Informed
Culturally Relevant
Developmentally Appropriate
Trauma-Informed
Addressed inequities and enhanced cultural relevance
Established collaborative, enduring partnerships across systems
Fostered supportive, trusting and warm relationships with families and providers
Improved access and capacity for effective DV service delivery and trauma-informed practices
Through practice innovation, grantees demonstrated measurable outcomes for child and parent relationships.
Due to the diversity of strategies implemented by grantees, the following is proportionate evidence of this outcome.
Provided referrals and resources enhancing access
Expanded access to DV specific mental health treatment services for families
Safety, support, advocacy, and guidance programming delivered to over 5,400+ children
Youth reported increases in comfort talking to their parents
Increased parental self awareness of how DV impacted their family
Youth more likely to get help when feeling scared
Youth reported benefits from mentorship relationships
Children were less likely to blame themselves for the violence
Parents reported gains in knowledge about how to help their children heal
Parents reported increase in knowledge and skills related to positive parenting practices
Accessed positive and protective parenting and DV supports
Parents reported confidence in planning for their child’s safety
Increased number of providers conducting safety planning processes with parents and child survivors
Grantees and their community partners implemented policy, practice, and environmental changes to prioritize the safety of families. Transformations and enhancements were trauma-informed, resulting in better access, increased safety, and assistance.
Proportion of grantees documenting evidence of this outcome.
Institutionalized Safe Rooms in court buildings
Updated common spaces to better meet families’ needs
Hired bilingual & bi-cultural providers increasing language access for programming and training
Created culturally specific materials and support groups
Developed cultural adaptations of evidence-based models
Supported safe reunification and reduced foster care placement
Established and offered new programs for people who use violence
Trained child welfare staff to improve responses to DV
Grantees worked with local agencies and experts to increase internal capacity and expand access to culturally relevant programming. Intentional partnering across systems equipped professionals to better identify and respond to families.
Proportion of grantees documenting evidence of this outcome.
Expanded cross-sector learning collaboratives
Convened and trained community and state-wide leaders
Increased access to services through new and improved referral systems
Implemented 24-hour text and chat lines
Trained providers in DV specific evidence-based therapeutic interventions
Utilized co-located DV advocates in non-traditional settings
Institutionalized child specific staffing positions and children’s programming
1,000+ staff trained in trauma-informed responses
Increased trauma-informed supervision for staff working with families
Enhanced organizational strategies to address secondary trauma
Used feedback from families on accessibility, relevance, and gaps in services and made changes as needed
Hosted listening sessions with Indigenous and culturally specific communities
Increased the use of relationship-based universal education strategies instead of screening
Child serving providers gained understanding, knowledge, and confidence
Increased knowledge of the effects of experiencing DV on children and strategies to support healing and resilience
We know that the SSAPC inaugural grantees improved services available to families impacted by DV through the use of…