84 Month Evaluation Violence Intervention Program (VIP)

The Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Centre has released the 84 month evaluation of the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) operating within District Health Boards (DHBs) around the country. 

The Ministry of Health's Violence Intervention Program (VIP) was established in 2004 and seeks to reduce and prevent the health impacts of violence and abuse through early identification, assessment and referral of victims of violence who present at health services.

Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Centre at the AUT have are responsible for an ongoing program of evaluation which monitors how District Health Boards (DHBs) are responding to Ministry of Health (MOH) initiatives aimed at increasing the responsiveness of the health system to the needs of women and children at risk for family violence.

The study highlights the changing culture of healthcare settings in Aotearoa New Zealand with regards to family violence and in doing so, facilitates the refinement of MOH family violence initiatives.

Key Findings of the 84 month evaluation are:

• 89% of Hospitals have achieved their target score (>70) in both child abuse and neglect and partner abuse programs.
• 17 out of 20 DHB VIP programs have policies and procedures in place, leadership and governance systems, and established collaboration with local government and non government specialist family violence services that meet or exceed agreed program implementation targets (compared with 1 in 2004).
• VIP expects 100% of DHBs to achieve their targets by June 2013.
• Whanau Ora Workforce Development Plans are being developed or are already underway to improve program responsiveness to Maori.
• More DHBs are providing standardised one day training programmes for health professionals, supported by clinical and service level champions and family violence intervention coordinators.

Professor Jane Koziol-McLain of AUT is the Principal Investigator for this project.

You can find more information, including audit tools and all previous evaluations of the VIP program via AUTs Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Centre's website here.

A summary of the 84 Month Evaluation is availble here.

The 84 Month Evaluation is availble in full here.

Photo credit: Istock Photo