NCJ Number
74081
Date Published
1980
Length
140 pages
Annotation
This monograph presents the results of a national survey on services to battered women in order to help other service providers select a system. The survey covered 163 programs and involved 8 site visits.
Abstract
In conducting this survey, the Colorado Association for Aid to Battered Women first reviewed the literature on battering and on services to battered women. The monograph summarizes this review and presents the results of the survey questionnaire. In addition, reports of the site visits describe the Bradley-Angle House, Inc., Portland, Oreg.; the Women's Support Shelter, Tacoma, Wash.; the Family Crisis Shelter, Portland, Maine; and Project CEASE (Community Effort for Abused Spouses), Alexandria, Va. Other sites are the Women's Alliance (WOMA), San Jose, Calif.; the Abused Women's Resource Closet, Bismarck, N.Dak.; the Rainbow Retreat, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz.; and the House of Ruth, Washington, D.C. Addresses and telephone numbers are given for each program in addition to brief descriptions of the location, history, funding, clients, and services of each facility. The primary service most programs provide is safety, while many offer crisis intervention ranging from walk-in clinics to 24-hour hotlines, health care, legal services, counseling, children's services, employment, and referral and advocacy. An additional section discusses target groups, particularly ethnic and racial minorities, handicapped persons, and military wives. The people involved in service delivery and the actual services provided are covered, and new training methods, reinforcement, and rest are suggested for volunteers. A comprehensive treatment model involving prevention, detection, service delivery, aftercare, and followup provides a framework for the discussion. Other chapters identify some issues related to research on battered women, outline a program evaluation approach, and suggest new areas of work. It is concluded that services for battered women should be studied in the context of each community and that women should be involved in the administration of programs at all levels. Researchers identified shelter as the most critically needed service and stated that public education was essential to a long-range solution to the battered women problem. Tabular data are included. Three appendixes contain State representation in the national survey, the questionnaire, and sources of Federal assistance for domestic violence programs. A bibliography of about 250 references is given. (Author abstract modified)