Domestic Violence Deaths In Iowa On The Rise
The Iowa Department of Public Health has released its latest study showing that the number of people killed in domestic violence incidents is on the rise. A story in the Des Moines Register today noted some significant factors from the team's full biennial report, which also includes recommendations for law enforcement and state agencies. The Iowa Women's Foundation made domestic violence prevention a key grant priority for programs in 2010.
Funding from the Susan Schechter Memorial Fund was provided to Waypoint Services for Women, Children and Families for development of their Guided Conversations toolkit. The statewide curriculum will provide a resource for advocates and community agencies to empower mothers who are survivors of domestic violence and provide guidance in repairing lines of communication. The goal of the curriculum is to break the cycle of domestic violence with early intervention of destructive learned behaviors. Continuation of joint training for child abuse protection staff and domestic violence advocates is encouraged in the IDPH report.
The IDPH report indicates that in 5 cases involving a domestic violence killing, the victim or perpetrator had previous involvement with a community agency through the custody negotiation process. Living Apart, Parenting Together, a program adminstered by the Family & Children's Council of Black Hawk County, will now include comprehensive domestic violence screening for all program participants during the child custody negotiation process, with individualized safe exchange and advocacy for domestic violence survivors.
