Community Health Promotion Project Design

Community Health Promotion Project Design: Intimate Partner Violence

The special emphasis population at focus in this project is those who are affected by Intimate Partner Violence. The community agency that will be identifying and treating these individuals is the Public Health Department.

Primary Program Components

The primary components of the program described herein include the following:

(1) Assessment for intimate partner violence and training curricula to make sure that the program uses the most current best practices as they are emergent;

(2) Component for technical assistance and training for increasing local capacity for primary prevention of Intimate Partner Violence;

(3) A component for implementing, assessing and refining the comprehensive prevention program plan; and (4) A component for evaluation. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009)

Conceptual Framework: Socio-Ecological Model

The Socio-Ecological Model has been chosen for this program because it "supports a comprehensive public health approach that not only addresses an individual's risk factors, but also the norms, beliefs and social and economic systems that create the conditions for the occurrence of sexual violence." (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009, p.5) In addition, the Socio-Ecological model "…recognizes that the individual is strongly influenced by domains, systems and norms, and that influencing each of these will most effectively reduce violence. The model is based on the recognition that no one group or institution can end sexual violence alone and that change needs to take place on the individual, relationship, community, institutional, and societal levels to truly impact the problem." (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009, p.8) This model gives consideration to the "complex interplay between the individual, relationship, community, and societal factors" and allows the addressing of factors that place individuals at risk for either experiencing or perpetrating violence. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009, paraphrased) Prevention strategies within the framework of this conceptual model includes ongoing activities for addressing each level of the model and it is believed that this approach has a better likelihood of sustaining efforts of prevention across time than other interventions. This model identifies biological and personal history factors at the individual level that may serve to increase the likelihood of the individual becoming a victim of intimate partner violence. The second level or the relationship level considers how the individual's circle of peers, partners, and family members influence behavior and life experiences of the individual. The third level considers the community, and how the community, may serve to influence intimate partner violence. The fourth level or that of the societal level considers how factors such as social and cultural norms create a climate where intimate partner violence is either encouraged or discouraged.

III. Community Health Need Congruent -- Injury and Violence Prevention IVP 39

This program will use the Injury and Violence Prevention IVP 39 in reducing violence by current or former partners. Individual Risk Factors include those as follows: (1) Medical difficulties; (2) Cognitive/learning developmental delays; (3) Limited adjustment skills; and (4) Low self-esteem. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Individual Protective Factors include the following: (1) Physical health; (2) Strong cognitive/academic functioning; (3) Adaptive adjustment; and (4) Positive Self-Image. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Relationship risk factors include: (1) Violence; (2) Family conflict/disruptions; (3) Unsafe, unpredictable home environment; (4) Neglectful abusive caregiver; and (5) Extreme definition of gender roles, hypermasculinity. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Relationship protective factors include: (1) Stable, nurturing and supportive relationships; (2) Safe/consistent home environment; (3) Nurturing attentive caregiver; and (4) Adequate financial resources. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Community Risk factors include: (1) alienation from peers; (2) friends engaged in negative behaviors, negative modeling; and (3) peer pressure or bullying. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Community Protective factors include: (1) close friendships; (2) supportive workplaces and schools; (3) intolerance for community violence; (4) friends engaged in pro-social activities and positive modeling; (5) age-appropriate cooperation and support. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Societal risk factors include: (1) poverty and low economic opportunity; (2) crime and violence; (3) inadequate housing; (4) neighborhood disintegration; and (5) chaotic low resourced schools. Societal protective factors include: (1) strong or emerging economic opportunities; (2) safe neighborhoods; (3) safe affordable housing; (4) connected neighbors; (5) active communities; and (6) stable well-supported schools. (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2009) Benefits of screening routinely are realized only when the following steps are followed according to John (2010) (1) training of HCP; (2) provision of a comprehensive screening protocol; (3) regular follow-up of HCP; (4) continuous campaigns on IVP screening; (5) feedback from HCP; (6) improvement of screening procedure by regular evaluation; and (7) close supervision of the process by a coordinator situated at each facility. (John, 2010, p.6)

IV. Community Health Initiative