Domestic Violence Outcome Measures Project

Abstract

The Domestic Violence Outcome Project hada two-fold purpose: first, to identify the long-term outcomes and needs of those who receive services from domestic violence agencies, and second, to establish procedures for on-going evaluation within agencies.Working closely with 15 agencies that are members of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, the researchers developed a survey to evaluate services and identify client needs.The services evaluated included court advocacy (e.g., assistance from an advocate in obtaining an order of protection), legal services (assistance from a licensed attorney with divorce or other court proceedings), emergency shelter, and counseling....This report begins with a brief introduction to how the projectcame about and a description of our research methods.Nextwe present the current needs reported by participants and consider whether there are differences in needs among participants by race/ethnicity, education and income resources, and whether or not they have children.We then examine the relationship of past services to current needs and satisfaction with past services.After that, we consider outcomes of receiving services (e.g., “As a result of receiving services, I feel safe from violence in my home”). Finally, we describe difficulties encountered in sustaining ongoing evaluation in agencies, such as high staff turnover rates and the need for a program coordinator to maintain staff motivation.We conclude with a summary of the finding. [CVRL Note: includes comparisons between InfoNet data and survey findings about long-term outcomes, satisfaction, and current needs.] (Author Text)