Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention in Fatherhood Programs

This brief is intended to support the efforts of both researchers and father-serving professionals to study, evaluate, and implement practices for use in fatherhood programs to help prevent and address domestic violence (DV). It begins by providing background information on the prevalence of DV and the adverse affects on children exposed to DV, interventions to prevent DV and to address DV when it occurs, and the importance of engaging fathers in DV-related services. Primary, secondary, and tertiary preventions are explained. The brief then summarizes key findings the federally funded Preventing and Addressing Intimate Violence when Engaging Dads (PAIVED) study. PAIVED examined the services that federally funded fatherhood programs provide to prevent and address DV. As part of this project, the study team interviewed responsible fatherhood (RF) program staff and staff from partnering organizations that provided DV-related support; observed RF program sessions related to DV; and synthesized information across grantee documents, published curricula, discussions with curriculum developers, and other published resources about RF services. Findings indicate: promising prevention practices included providing healthy relationships education; promising practices typically used for intervention included providing low-cost or free battering intervention program services to fathers who use violence in their relationships; and promising practices used for Bothe prevention and intervention included screening fathers for DV and its risk factors, providing general education about DV, and partner with local DV agencies. Recommendations for father-serving practitioners are discussed, and additional resources are listed. 44 references. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) CLICK HERE