What problem does it solve? Some of the largest issues that caseworkers face is not being given all information or facts pertaining to an individual that they are working with, which raises risk and minimizes success. Also, at times law enforcement has not had involvement with an individual; however, caseworkers become privy to the knowledge that an individual has domestic violence history. Counselors, hospitals, and other involved parties have a break of knowledge and communication as it relates to domestic violence. What is your solution and who does it apply to? Having a Domestic Violence Registry that contains an individual's name, contact information, and brief description of incident (when necessary), to allow all parties to be on the same page with an individual's situation. Example: Cops respond to a domestic dispute, the individuals get put on the registry. Caseworker responds to an investigation and identify DV, the individuals involved get put on the registry. An individual is receiving treatment or counseling for a separate issue by a state contracted service and exposes having any DV history, the individuals involved in that history are added to the registry. Having one place to check on the history of domestic violence, given the significant impact that domestic violence can have on treatment, services, approach, and resolution allows those servicing those individuals the ability to do so with significantly more safety, accuracy, and success. What is the anticipated impact? This new Domestic Violence Registry would allow for all parties involved in keeping children and families safe, the ability to minimize a break in communication, minimize the ability for information to not be reported, and minimize the risk to the employees serving children and families by supplying them with the information of an individual's domestic violence history. There are so many individuals who are victims and/or perpetrators of domestic violence that are not open about sharing their history. Though as caseworkers, we have the ability to request collaterals from the current local police department and background checks, having all of the information in a quick, more accurate manner would allow for more time spent with finding a resolution for the individuals we serve.
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