The Collaboration between Welfare and Advocacy Organizations: Learning from the Experiences of Domestic Violence Survivors

Abstract

The intertwined relationship between poverty and violence, especially in the lives of women on welfare, has been receiving critical attention since welfare reform. The Family Violence Option (FVO), an amendment to the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996, gives states the flexibility to offer more time for battered women to seek safety. Kansas created the Orientation, Assessment, Referral, and Safety (OARS) program, in which the state's welfare system contracts services with advocacy organizations that provide on-site services for women who qualify to participate under the FVO. This study explored the interagency collaboration model used in Kansas by talking directly with domestic violence survivors about their experiences. The results from this study challenge practitioners to think differently about collaboration to meet the needs of domestic violence survivors on welfare.

Perception and Help-Seeking Intention of Intimate Partner Violence in Later Life: An International Perspective

“…A final obstacle to help-seeking noted in previous research relates to knowledge: Many immigrants simply do not know of formal sources of help for IPV or how to access them (Bhuyan et al, 2005;Moon & Evans-Campbell, 1999;Raj & Silverman, 2002, 2003; see also Lee & Lightfoot, this issue); thus, they are more likely to seek informal sources of support, if any (Ingram, 2007). Some significant and informative research has been generated in Korea in recent years on the topics of EM (Doe, Han, & McCaslin, 2009), marital violence (Kim, Park, & Emery, 2009;Kim & Sung, 2001), and policy responses to violence (Postmus & Hahn, 2007). Like the recent trend of research described earlier, however, the various paradigms have not converged to adequately address the unique situation and implications of the elderly individual facing IPV.…”

Evaluating the Effect of a Specialized MSW Course on Violence Against Women

“…In one recent qualitative study, rape survivors reported that negative reactions from professionals, friends, and family left women wondering if they were actually raped and whether disclosing their rape experiences was worthwhile (Ahrens, 2006). In other qualitative studies, domestic violence survivors reported their hesitation to identify themselves as victims to welfare workers because they thought they would encounter more problems, have less control over their lives, or face judgmental and skeptical responses from the workers (Postmus, 2004;Postmus & Hahn, 2007).…”

Economic Empowerment of Impoverished IPV Survivors

“…It is also probable that these specialists were required to focus their work on assisting only women who already disclosed their abuse rather than to help caseworkers screen victims more effectively. In fact, another study on in-house experts found women reporting positive experiences with these experts (Postmus & Hahn, 2007). According to these women, in-house specialists helped them receive or obtain resources that were needed for them to be safe from abusive relationships (Postmus & Hahn, 2007).…”

“…In fact, another study on in-house experts found women reporting positive experiences with these experts (Postmus & Hahn, 2007). According to these women, in-house specialists helped them receive or obtain resources that were needed for them to be safe from abusive relationships (Postmus & Hahn, 2007).…”

“…The in-depth analysis of 73 instances in which workers did screen for domestic violence further revealed that there were three categories of caseworkers' behaviors related to screening practices: (1) helpful screening practices, (2) reutilization of screening, and (3) informing without screening. There were no caseworkers who adopted all eight screening practices, while helpful practices predicted higher rates of disclosure among women Postmus and Hahn (2007) QL Women who self-identified as victims of IPV and had received cash assistance through OARS (FVO) program in 6 months in an urban and a rural community in Kansas. Individuals (n ¼ 17) The goal was to explore battered women's experiences of OARS, interagency collaboration model used in Kansas between IPV advocacy organization and the state's welfare system, especially women's experiences of services of OARS advocates, in-house experts of IPV The analysis of the focus group study showed mixed findings.…”