Teaming Up:

Supporting Home

Visitors in

Addressing

Domestic Violence

Erin Callinan

Training and Technical

Assistance Manager

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

• Identify the dynamics of power and control in DV

• Discuss reasons why people remain in abusive relationships

• Cite ways to address domestic violence with families

• Review home visitor safety cards

• Identify the ways domestic violence can impact parenting

• List ways that children are affected when they are exposed to violence

• Lessons learned and coping skills that children use

• Identify how you can help, resources, and community partners

A Federal/State Partnership that funds family support that takes

place in the homes of vulnerable families

A Voluntary program that empowers families with better

knowledge, better health, and better opportunities for their

children

Research shows that HV leads to increased family self-

sufficiency, lower health care costs, and reduced need for

remedial education

What is MIECHV?

Write down the 5 most

important things in your

life.

Home Visitation Goals

• Maternal health

• Pregnancy outcomes

• Children’s cognitive and emotional development and physical health

• Parenting skills

• Family safety

• Social support

I Have

To Ask

About Whaaaat?

Overview Of Domestic Violence: Definitions and Dynamics

Advocacy Definition

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors in any relationship that are used to gain and maintain power and control over another intimate partner.

Legal Definition

ARS 13-3601 Relationship Test

Why don’t

they just

LEAVE?!

Barriers to Leaving

• Housing

• Money

• Fear

• Shame

• Religion

• Children

• Geography

• Employment

• Lack of support

• Escalation of abuse

• Love

• Promises partner will change

• Further violence against children/pets

• Social norms

• Lack of resources

Domestic Violence is NOT…

• Anger

• Substance Abuse

• Mental Illness

• Genetics

• Stress

• Problems in the

Relationship

Domestic Violence IS…

• Through observation

• Reinforced in society

Learned Behavior

• Have the ability to control who their victims are Choice

• Gain power and control

• Instill fear in their partner Intentional

CHALLENGES and

SOLUTIONS

THINK TO YOURSELF ABOUT:

• Starting and ending conversations about difficult or stigmatizing issues

• We take care of ourselves by presenting questions and educational messages in a way that feels most comfortable to us.

Consider These Quotes from Home Visitation Staff

1 “No one is hurting you, right?”

2 “You aren't being abused, are you?”

3 “Have you been experiencing any domestic violence?”

4 “Are you being abused by your partner?”

5 “Are you safe in your home?”

Starting the Conversation:

Scripts can include

normalizing language:

“Many of our moms are struggling in their

relationships we have started asking everyone about their partners and

how they are being treated....”

Safety Card on Domestic Violence and Safety Planning

How does using the safety card support domestic violence screening?

Validation: First Step to Safety Planning

Can talking about abuse

make a difference?

Your recognition and validation of her situation is important. You can help:

• Reduce her sense of isolation and shame

• Encourage her to believe a better future is possible

What Should You do When You Get a Positive Disclosure of Domestic Violence?

• “I'm so sorry this is happening in your life, you don’t deserve this”

• “It’s not your fault”

• “I’m worried about the safety of you and your children”

Validate:

Amber Video Clip

The following video clip

demonstrates how to

screen for domestic

violence and educate

about safety planning

and referrals even when

the client isn’t open to

accepting referrals for

domestic violence.

Large Group Discussion

How does domestic violence impact women's perinatal health and their birth outcomes?

Impact of Psychological Abuse Psychological abuse by an intimate

partner was a stronger predictor than physical abuse for the following health outcomes for female and male victims:

• Depressive symptoms

• Substance use

• Developing a chronic mental illness

Women Who Experience Abuse Around the Time of Pregnancy Are More Likely to:

• Smoke tobacco

• Drink during pregnancy

• Use drugs

• Experience depression, higher stress, and lower self-esteem

• Attempt suicide

• Receive less emotional support from partners

Tobacco Cessation and DV

42% of women experiencing some form of DV could not stop smoking during pregnancy compared to 15% of non-abused women.

Domestic Violence During Pregnancy is Associated With

• Lower gestational weight gain during pregnancy

• Low and very low birth weight

• Pre-term births

Definition: Reproductive Coercion

Reproductive Coercion

involves behaviors that a partner uses to maintain power and control in a relationship that are related to reproductive health:

• Explicit attempts to impregnate a partner against her wishes

• Controlling outcomes of a pregnancy

• Coercing a partner to have unprotected sex

• Interfering with birth control methods

Adolescent mothers who experienced physical abuse within three months after delivery were nearly twice as likely to have a repeat pregnancy within 24 months

Why is Reproductive Coercion Important?

Rapid Repeat Pregnancy

The following video clip

demonstrates an

approach to integrated

assessment for

postpartum depression,

reproductive coercion

and domestic violence

in a home visitation

setting.

Marta Video Clip

Helping Mothers Who Experience Reproductive Coercion

Use the Loving Parents, Loving Kids Safety Card

Adverse Childhood Experiences Study

One of the largest investigations ever done to examine the links between adverse childhood experiences and later-life health

4-12 fold increased risk for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempts

2-4 fold increased risk for smoking, poor self-rated health, having 50 or more sexual intercourse partners, and sexually transmitted diseases

Persons with four or more ACEs had:

DVD and Discussion

• 15-minute DVD

• For parents and caregivers

• Describes impact of DV on children

• Available at no cost from Futures Without Violence

(In English and Spanish)

www.futureswithoutviolence.org

Children are not just witnesses…

Children are actively involved in trying to:

– Understand the abuse

– Predict when it will happen

– Protect themselves

– Protect victimized parents and siblings

– Worrying about the consequences

• I feel alone and afraid

• Nobody understands Abuse is my

fault

• Fear is everywhere

• People are unpredictable The world is dangerous

• Afraid of what will happen

• I have to protect my family Isolation

Effects of Exposure

You might see in children…

• Sleep disturbances

• New found fears

• Post traumatic play

• Headaches, pains, stomachaches

• Changes in self identity

• Irritability or aggression

• Disturbances in feeding

• Anxiety

Coping Skills • Mental Blocking

• Fantasy

• Physical avoidance

• Looking for love in the wrong places

• Drugs/Alcohol

• Attention seeking behavior

• Reaching out for help

• Re-directing toward positive activities

Resiliency

• Only a third of abused children have grown up to be abusive parents.

• Number one factor present

among those who broke the cycle of abuse: empathy for self and others.

Children’s emotional recovery depends more on the quality of their relationship with

the non-battering parent than any

other single factor

Strategies to Strengthen Mother/ Child Bond

Moms can:

• Be willing to talk about the violence

• Respect their child’s feelings

• Acknowledge that these feelings are okay

• Help their child to find the words to talk about their feelings

• Be prepared to hear things that may be painful

Personal Safety Strategies for Home Visitors

• Meet with the client at the office if the situation does not feel safe

• Establish check-in times with the home office

• Park with the front of your vehicle pointed towards exit

• Observe and listen before entering a household

• Position yourself near the door/exit in the household

• Have emergency numbers programmed into your cell phone and set on auto-dial

“Little Eyes, Little Ears”

“How Violence Against A Mother Shapes Children As They Grow”

By: Alison Cunningham and Linda Baker

Center for Children and Families in the

Justice Systems

Resources

• ACESDV Legal Advocacy Hotline – 602-279-2900 (M-F from 8-5p) – Advocacy, resources, safety planning

• Child Help – 1-800-4-A-CHILD (not a reporting line) – Support, crisis counseling, services

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-SAFE (crisis line) – Crisis intervention, referrals, safety planning

Websites

• Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

www.acesdv.org

• Strong Families AZ

www.strongfamiliesaz.com

• Futures Without Violence

www.futureswithoutviolence.org

Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

Erin Callinan

Training and Technical Assistance Manager

erin@acesdv.org

Ellie Nierstedt

MIECHV Project Coordinator

ellie@acesdv.org

www.acesdv.org