How can you build effective partnerships to address domestic violence?

Cross-training and multidisciplinary collaboration are key to building bridges and creating synergy between partners who serve domestic violence survivors. Many organizations that work on the same cases don't have an awareness of one another's roles, challenges, and capabilities. Sharing information and providing liaisons between agencies increases communication and understanding, as it simultaneously facilitates effective community coordinated responses to abuse.

By taking preventative measures like educating the upcoming generation. We need to start early in order to inculcate healthy attitudes. Also by taking an 'Offender first' approach instead of making it all about the Victims. It's the perpetrators that need to be educated and given a reason to change their behaviour.

1. In DV partnerships, I found it helpful to identify the thematic areas and establish working definitions, including specifying what type of violence is being addressed based on the site in which it occurs. The site of violence is not the same as the type or types of violence, although there are linkages. Being specific, for example, "This partnership aims to educate residents of community 'G' about economic violence." Versus "this partnership will address all forms of domestic violence." Being specific fosters clarity and enables members to develop and realize goals and manage expectations.

Change yourself first. Personal transformation conveys to those you serve that change is not only possible but brings peace to the individual soul.

Focus on building psychological safety and scaling empathy. The world moves on in axis through storytelling. Make sure values are authentic and shared , focus on stakeholders with influence and integrity

A great strategy when creating a campaign addressing the issue of domestic violence is to first do an analysis of the status quo in society and subsequently to take into account your role and position. What I’ve found to be helpful is to tackle domestic violence campaigns as negotiations. First, analyse the needs of your target group. Second, acknowledge how your privilege or lack of experience / exposure might prevent you from seeing this multi-faceted issue clearly. Third, take into account external factors, and just then, clarify the message tou would like to convey.

Domestic violence & abuse (DVA) is a complex issue influenced by socio-economic factors, gender dynamics, regional disparities, & legal intricacies. These complexities foster polarising narratives & numerous myths. It's vital to recognise that the root cause, worldwide, often traces back to patriarchy. Therefore, frontline service providers (private or government), should be sensitised, well-trained, & well-networked to offer robust support to survivors without subjecting them to shame. Service providers must foster & sustain global connections. The challenge of addressing DVA is like a relay race, where the journey is difficult, barriers many, but reaching the finish line necessitates seamless passing of the baton at each new start

Know your community resources, invite those resources in to do lunch-n-learns, make sure it is well known what EAP resources are available to your employees, and reiterate time-off policies allowing for court hearings and such. Above all that, make sure your employees CLEARLY understand what is privileged and private information and what that means from a company perspective. If you want people to feel safe, you need to build trust through transparency.

The very first step towards helping domestic violence survivors from healing to economic progress is to understand all the partners that are needed in the ecosystem right from rescue, providing counselling support, identifying legal, all the way up to identifying shelter, job skilling etc and all the ecosystem partners need to have complete clarity on the goals, roles and responsibilities.

In building effective partnership to address domestic violence, one needs to know and understand the true meaning of this. Practice social and emotional relationship because these are the basics of partnership, walk and work with similar minded people who have the same goal, then identify the target Audience, where this act is proven more common and interact with both victims and non victims. Create an accessable platform where people can always reach out to in time for help and instil in people courage and strength to fight for themselves.

I agree! One thing I have found really helpful is to always communicate with empathy as it keeps team spirit motivated and high. Keep the goal in sight while communicating at all times.

Respectful communication creates an environment of trust and mutual respect among survivors and organisations. It is essential to value each other's perspectives, experiences, and expertise. By actively listening and acknowledging the opinions and concerns of others, we foster an inclusive and collaborative approach to addressing domestic violence. Moreover, respectful communication helps to maintain the dignity and well-being of survivors. By showing empathy and sensitivity, we create a safe space for survivors to share their experiences and seek support. Respectful communication ensures survivors are actively involved in decision-making processes affecting their lives.

There should be support from the legal system to victims. Temporary residential services to be provided along with some skill development training sessions to them.

What is helpful when you work with multiple partners especially on long term projects is to use a tool call the RASIC chart which is useful to define responsibilities and also differentiate between accountability and responsibility which is crucial to address critical emergencies.

One thing that can help you establish trust both in your partners and in the public eye is representation. Make sure to include people who are closely familiar with the topic (because of personal, professional or academic experience). Inclusion of individuals who can represent your target audience ensures a level of reliability and authenticity in your collaboration. If you are a private enterprise looking to establish a partnership in order to build action to counter domestic violence, you can look for an NGO to partner with. Such organisation would help you grasp the scope of the issue and to navigate the missing pieces that need to be addressed through your partnership.

Moving from a culture of “blame and shame” to a culture of accountability does wonders not only for establishing trust and rapport, but also for enacting real systemic change for victims and survivors. This approach is one of curiosity vs. judgement, asks questions like “what went wrong” instead of “who is at fault” and is focused on moving forward with improvements vs looking backward in search of fault. As the Director of the NJ Domestic Violence Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board, we incorporated tenets of this approach in our Guiding Principals, Handbook, and meetings. We saw an increase in trust, more buy-in from “the brass”, and results like AG’s adoption of policies to address and prevent DV within the law enforcement community.

Are you a company looking to develop a campaign about domestic abuse? Look to the experts to co-create rather than taking your fully-formed ideas to them (I can guarantee, if it's about mitigating or preventing abuse, they'll probably have thought of it) - the experts being the charities and NGOs who are doing this work on the ground, supporting survivors and developing behaviour change work to prevent harm. Can your collaboration involve paying towards core costs of that work? Even better. Working *together*, bringing your expertise (which is so valuable) and recognising the expertise of your partners (which is often dismissed), and ensuring that the voices of survivors are involved, will significantly improve the impact of your campaign.

Causes related to domestic violence and any other social impact venture are a marathon not a sprint. Usually it takes a long-term effort in order to make a significant impact. Create milestones for your team and collaborators in order to ensure sustainable development and continuous improvement.

Many people have not considered that over 70% of women with a criminal record have been victims of domestic violence. Many women have assault charges against them as a result of trying to defend themselves. Financial independence is key to stating a new life away from a perpetrator. The trouble is, that with a criminal record, the women are often excluded from and discriminated against in employment opportunities. This places a high risk of returning to the perpetrator. Who is willing to change this and partner with me at Success Works to support women with a criminal record?

With the significant under-reporting of domestic violence, the true scope of its prevalence is unknown. This causes a lack of funding and serious attention from government entities. It must be moved out of the shadows. Sincere, honest trust relationships need to be established with victims and providers. Victims need to know they will be heard and their concerns addressed with active implementation of well-planned violence intervention protocols and sufficient effective resources that are appropriate.