This training is provided through a partnership between the Partnership Against Domestic Violence - Georgia’s first and largest domestic violence agency - and View Point Health, a community behavioral health center providing services to individuals needing treatment and support for mental illness, substance abuse and intellectual and developmental disabilities. During this training, attendees will learn more about the fields of domestic violence and mental health, and how to incorporate this knowledge into their work. Presenters and attendees will explore the intersection between domestic violence and mental health, gaps that exist in service delivery to individuals experiencing both of these issues, and how to fill these gaps to provide more comprehensive and effective services. The...

Sexual assault is most frequently perpetrated by someone a survivor knows personally, such as an intimate partner. Recognizing that survivors of assault are a highly vulnerable population who have been subjected to physical and emotional trauma, states and the federal government have enacted laws to promote access to appropriate care free of charge. Yet, all too often, survivors are denied such care or charged large sums, in violation of the law. Survivors who are erroneously charged may receive a bill at home or calls from collection agents. If the perpetrator lives with the victim, such bills or calls could put the survivor in danger.Our workshop will identify problems that survivors often face when seeking treatment after assault; provide an overview of state and federal protections...

A review of current research found that victims who are stalked by an intimate partner are three-times more likely to be murdered by the same partner (Spencer & Stith, 2018). In other words, inadequate responses to stalking complaints are homicides waiting to happen. Understanding victims’ experiences,  such as what made them decide to report stalking behaviors to the police, can improve our responses as a system and ultimately is vital for homicide prevention. This interactive session will identify ways to improve victim participation in stalking cases, identify tactics for corroborating victims’ accounts, and discuss strategies for enhancing our ability to hold stalking suspects accountable. Using actual case studies and recent data collected from stalking victims, police,...

Relationship Violence is a public health risk. The objective of this workshop is to empower professionals of various backgrounds to seek opportunities to partner, from a social marketing perspective, with the joint goal of ending relationship violence in Georgia.When organizations partner, their collective reach and influence increases. Social marketing campaigns provide an innovative opportunity to approach saturated markets with a fresh, new concept that can change the target audiences’ behavior for the good. Information alone is not enough; social marketing is about changed behavior and a large part of this transformation is self-efficacy. The target audience must be able to see both the costs and the benefits of the behaviors that are promoted by the partnership, and their ability...

Interpersonal violence (IPV) is a complex issue requiring coordinated responses from multiple professionals and sectors. Innovations like cross-training, embedding staff, and multidisciplinary teams such as SARTs and DVFRTs have resulted in major improvements for serving survivors and reducing violence.While multidisciplinary efforts are now commonplace, many organizations and systems still operate in silos, viewing each other with mistrust and defensiveness. The current climate of extreme polarization in the US augments those barriers and further erodes critical elements to effective collaboration: communication, trust, understanding, and accountability. Social movements like #MeToo and #YesAllWomen allow survivors to be seen and heard without shame while promoting transparency and...

This session will provide a summary of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence’s newly released report, “Family Violence Statistics and Trends in the State of Georgia 2013-2017.” Attendees will be provided an overview of statewide data pertaining to reported incidents of family violence including demographics and police action taken, as well as updated data on Temporary Protective Orders and family violence-related deaths statewide.

Childhood domestic violence (CDV) is a prevalent but hidden adverse childhood experience (ACE) that increases the risk of multiple deleterious health outcomes across the lifespan. Georgia Department of Public Health reported that in 2016, one in five adults in Georgia reported witnessing domestic violence in childhood. Exposure to childhood domestic violence is more than witnessing it and requires better awareness alongside domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Children of CDV adult survivors are impacted across the lifespan, increasing the risk of an intergenerational cycle. The proposed workshop will provide the audience with a deeper understanding about CDV, its definition, prevalence, and the long-term impact on health and social behaviors across the lifespan....

Although human trafficking victims present to medical facilities for a variety of medical complaints, first responders and medical care providers lack the training and resources to identify victims in a variety of settings, resulting in missed opportunities to help them. All responders should be trained to recognize the behavioral observations, verbal cues, and physical findings that a trafficked patient may exhibit when they present to hospitals/clinics for medical care. This workshop is designed to provide up to date education including ways to better identify the clinical presentation of human trafficking and the steps to respond to and assist victims of trafficking.Presenters:  Sarah Pederson  Statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator, Criminal...

This workshop will explore gaps that form in the justice system from case initiation through closure with the use of case studies and guided discussion with attendees. We will look at several gaps we have seen across jurisdictions from gaps in legislation to gaps in communication amongst agencies and beyond. After an introduction to common hurdles, participants will be asked to explore ways in which these gaps can be closed utilizing evidence-based investigation, collaboration, and prosecution. We will examine multiple areas that impact case outcomes including legislation, training, resources, intra-agency communication and, understanding the effect of trauma on victims and witnesses.Presenters:  Rachel Ashe  Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Domestic...

The goal of this workshop is to give participants information and tools to understand and work with families and partner agencies where both child maltreatment and IPV/DV are present. Participants will be better able to work collaboratively with DFCS and DV/IPV Service Providers through an understanding of the history of our collaborative efforts and how they have evolved. Participants will gain an enhanced understanding of the relationship between IPV/DV and child maltreatment based on the last 30+ years of research. Participants will leave with a basic understanding of current DFCS Policy and Practice regarding IPV/DV cases, and a copy of the latest DFCS IPV/DV Protocol will be provided (electronically). Participants will understand how the different types of IPV/DV affect children and...

The most dangerous time for a domestic violence victim is the time immediately after leaving the relationship. Women are 3.6 times more likely to be killed shortly after leaving their partner. The presence of firearms increases the lethality of the violence and expands the number of victims. Research has shown that enforcement of firearm surrender laws reduces the number of intimate partner homicides. There are several opportunities under federal and state law to pursue firearm surrender during the course of a criminal proceeding or protection order proceeding; as a condition of release on bail, as part of a protection order, pursuant to a conviction for domestic violence or as a condition of probation. Taking the steps to ensure that those who are ineligible to possess firearms surrender...