New technical package on preventing intimate partner violence from CDC

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published a new technical package on preventing intimate partner violence.

Technical packages outline strategies to prevent or reduce violence with the best available evidence. The package seeks to guide and inform decision-making by communities and governments by drawing together prevention activities with the greatest potential to prevent IPV and its consequences across the lifespan.

The package describes strategies (preventive direction or actions), approaches (specific ways to advance the strategy) and evidence (for the approach and/or relevant risk factors).

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across the Lifespan: A Technical Package of Programs, Policies, and Practices (CDC, 2017) sets out specific approaches under the following six strategies:

• Teach Safe and Healthy Relationship Skills
• Engage Influential Adults and Peers
• Disrupt the Developmental Pathways Toward Partner Violence
• Create Protective Environments
• Strengthen Economic Supports for Families
• Support Survivors to Increase Safety and Lessen Harms.

The package includes current best practices in primary prevention and supporting survivors with the after effects of IPV. It does not include approaches to prevent recidivism or treatment for perpetrators due to a lack of clear (or less clear) evidence of effectiveness at this time.

The authors note "While individual skills are important and research has demonstrated preventive effects in reducing IPV, approaches addressing peer, family, school and other environments as well as societal factors are equally important for a comprehensive approach that can have the greatest public health impact." (p.12)

They also note

"Changing social norms, including harmful gender norms, is another aspect that cross-cuts many of the strategies in this package. Social norms supportive of violence, including harmful gender norms, are demonstrated risk factors for IPV. [13-15] Social tolerance of violence and harmful gender norms are learned in childhood and reinforced in different peer, family, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Challenging these norms is a key aspect of Teaching Safe and Healthy Relationship Skills, Engaging Influential Adults and Peers, and Creating Protective Environments in schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and the broader community. Equally important is addressing the societal factors that serve to maintain harmful norms and inequality across gender, racial/ethnic, and income groups." (p.13)

The package also includes sections on Sector Involvement and Monitoring and Evaluation.

Previous CDC technical packages include:

• Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices (2017)
• A Comprehensive Technical Package for the Prevention of Youth Violence and Associated Risk Behaviors (2016)
• STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence (2016)
• Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect: A Technical Package for Policy, Norm, and Programmatic Activities (2016)

Webinar

US-based PreventConnect is hosting a webinar on the Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across the Lifespan technical package. The webinar will explore how the package can support program decision-making, identify resources to support prevention and identify sectors to work with. The webinar is scheduled 28 June 2017 at 6am New Zealand time.

Read more about the technical packages on the CDC website.

See also the previous NZFVC story CDC publishes strategies for violence prevention based on best available evidence.