Domestic Violence Protocol
Domestic violence is a terrible tragedy that has become too prevalent in our communities. American Indian women are victimized by intimate partners at a higher rate than other demographic groups: 23.2 per 1,000 of American Indian Women are victims of domestic violence while 8.1 per 1,000 of White Women (US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, American Indians and Crime, 1992-1998 report). ANA strives to ensure all Healthy Marriage grantees have the knowledge and skills to recognize domestic violence and react in a safe and empowering manner.
ANA requires all healthy marriage grantees to implement a written domestic violence protocol.
Domestic Violence protocols are important on many levels for Native people and Native communities. Program managers, staff, and trainers should attend training on the cycle of domestic violence and their program/organization's domestic violence protocol. Community domestic violence shelters, coalitions, and organizations are valuable resources and partners for ANA grantees as they develop and implement domestic violence protocols.
Each protocol should be tailored to address the needs of the program and community. Here are some key topic areas to be included in a domestic violence protocol:
- Mission of healthy marriage project
- Definition of the domestic violence cycle
- List of domestic violence shelters, resources, and organizations in the community
- Scope and purpose of protocol (what role is the protocol meant to play in your project)
- Underlying principles of program (shared values)
- Key project partners (including contact information)
- Providing safe opportunities to disclose: screening and assessment for domestic violence
- Responding to disclosure of abuse
- Maintaining confidentiality
- Cross training of staff on domestic violence and healthy marriage
As you develop a domestic violence protocol, please contact us at 202-205-4328 for additional resources to assist you.