California Statewide Family to Family Convening

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California StatewideFamily to Family Convening
Preventing Teen Dating Violence January 18, 2007

• Anna Marjavi Anna_at_endabuse.org
• Leiana Kinnicutt Leiana_at_endabuse.org

www.endabuse.org
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Family Violence Prevention Fund
For more than two decades, the Family Violence
Prevention Fund (FVPF) has worked to end violence
against women and children around the world.
www.endabuse.org
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Presentation Outline

• Teen dating violence (TDV) definition
• Health effects of TDV
• Violence and Reproductive health
• Working with advocates and DV agencies
• Assessing and identifying dating violence
• Safety Planning
• Promoting Resiliency

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Teen Dating Violence

• Defined as
• a pattern of repeated actual or threatened acts
  that physically, sexually or verbally abuse a
  member of an unmarried heterosexual or homosexual
  couple in which one or both partners is age
  twenty four or under.

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Teen Rates of Abuse

• 1 in 5 high school females has experienced
  physical or sexual abuse by a dating partner.
• Pregnant teens are at greater risk for abuse than
  pregnant adults 21.7 v. 15.9.

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Teen Rates of Abuse

• In a survey of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
  transgender and queer identified youth, 49 of
  the respondents reported feeling abused by a
  partner in a past relationship.
• Women aged 16-24 experience the highest per
  capita rate of intimate partner violence.

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TDV is a serious public health problem.

• Health effects include
• Injury and Death
• Eating Disorders
• Unhealthy Weight Control
• Substance Use

• Suicide (ideation and attempts)
• Risky Sexual Behavior
• STIs
• Unplanned pregnancy

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Birth Control Sabotage

• 50 of young mothers on public assistance
  experienced birth control sabotage by a dating
  partner
• ---Center for Impact Research, 2000

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Dating Violence and Teen Pregnancy

• Adolescent girls who experienced physical or
  sexual dating violence were 6 times more likely
  to become pregnant than their non-abused peers
• ----Silverman, et al, 2001

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Rapid Repeat Pregnancies

• Low income adolescents who experienced physical
  or sexual abuse were
• 3 times (or 3.46) more likely to have a rapid
  repeat pregnancy within 12 months
• 4 times (or4.29) more likely to have a rapid
  repeat pregnancy within 18 months
• ---Jacoby et al, 1999

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Other Effects

• Poor self-image
• Poor performance in school
• Isolation from friends and family

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Exposure to violence increases the likelihood of
children experiencing

• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Developmental delays
• Future perpetration or victimization of violence
• ---Graham-Berman Levondosky, 1998
• Hurt et al, 2001 Lehman 2000
• McCloskey and Walker 2000
• Pfouts et al 1982 Spaccarrelli et all
  1994
• Wilden et al 1991

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Partnering with DV Programs

• Most communities have domestic violence advocacy
  programs some have specific TDV programs.
• Alliances with advocates will strengthen your CPS
  response.
• As a first step, identify a DV community program
  and invite an advocate to work with your team.
• Cross-training between CPS and DV programs can
  increase understanding of each others mandates
  and expertise, thereby building relationships.
• Involve advocates in program planning, regular
  meetings and to review new materials/protocol.
• Keep DV program brochures on hand for clients.

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Partnering with DV Programs Continued

• Advocates often assist TDV victims with
  confidential services including
• Safety planning
• Identification of emergency housing/shelter if
  possible
• Legal restraining orders, orders of protection,
  accompaniment to court
• Individual counseling (sometimes for both teens
  and their families)
• Support groups
• ID resources to help support young parents
• Reducing feelings of isolation.

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Challenges of Partnering with DV Programs

• Philosophical differences exits between DV
  programs and CPS, although both focus on safety
  for families.
• DV advocates are asked to collaborate on many
  issues in the community.
• Finding emergency housing for teens may be
  difficult in the domestic violence network.
• Most DV programs are not equipped to help teen
  boys who use violence or have experienced
  violence
• As in CPS, there can be a lack of knowledge about
  providing services and support to LGBT victims
  and perpetrators of violence.

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Helping Youth

• Identification
• Intervention
• Referral

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Identification

• Red Flags for girls who are victims
• Injury
• eating disorders
• substance use
• STIs (testing and positive ID)
• pregnancy (testing and positive ID)
• emergency contraception
• suicide attempt, ideation
• Depression
• Poor academic performance
• Running away
• Past/current exposure to violence

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Identification

• Red Flags for boys who use violence
• Fighting/Aggressive behavior
• Substance abuse
• Overly controlling/jealous tendencies
• Past/current exposure to violence

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Considerations for Working with LGBT Youth

• It may be difficult to identify both perpetrators
  and victims of TDV within LGBT relationships.
• Partner with programs in your community that
  specifically serve LGBT teens.

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Identification/Assessment

• Discuss limits of confidentiality.
• Talk to youth in private.
• Use a professional translator if needed. Never
  use a family member, friend or dating-partner.
• Use non-judgmental language.
• Establish rapport--calm demeanor, careful
  listening.
• Use environmental supports (posters).

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Framing Questions

• Are you seeing anyone right now?
• Are you sexually active? Is that with a guy or a
  girl or both?
• Framing Questions
• I dont know if this is a concern for you, but
  many teens I see are dealing with relationship
  issues, so Ive started asking questions about
  relationships routinely
• I know Ive known you for a long time, and Ive
  never asked you about this before but recently
  Ive been learning about how common dating-abuse
  is and I want to ask you. . .

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Asking Direct Questions

• Have you ever been afraid of your partner?
• Have you ever been hurt or threatened by your
  partner?
• I see you have a bruise. I am very concerned
  that someone hurt you. Did anyone hurt you?
• Have you ever been forced to do something sexual
  you didnt want to do?
• Have you ever been forced to drink or use drugs
  by your partner?

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Indirect Questions

• How do you feel your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner
  treats you?
• What worries you about your relationship?
• What happens when you and your partner argue?
• Do you spend time with your friends? Why not?
• Does your partner ever tell you who you can and
  cannot be friends with?
• Does your partner, etc. ever tell you what you
  can and cannot wear?

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Assessment/Identification contd

• Create a safe environment for dialogue
• Give supportive messages to victims
• Im glad you talked to me about this today
• You deserve to be treated with respect
• This is not your fault
• No one deserves to be hurt no matter what
• Im sorry this happened to you
• Support victim What do you want to see happen
  with the relationship? How can I help you?
  Have you thought about what your next steps may
  be?
• Express concern for safety

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Defining Success

• Our job is not to fix dating violence or tell
  victims what to do.
• We can help victims by understanding their
  situation and recognizing how abuse can impact
  health and risk behaviors.
• Success is measured by our efforts to reduce
  isolation, improve options for health and safety,
  and work towards violence prevention.

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Teen Dating Violence Barriers to Disclosure

• S/he may blame herself for the violence or be
  fearful that disclosure will bring about further
  violence.
• S/he may minimize the violence for fear of losing
  the relationship, or because s/he does not want
  to lose her/his friends or social status.
• S/he may love the person even though s/he hates
  the behavior.
• S/he may be ashamed to disclose that s/he is
  dating someone who abuses her/him.
• S/he may think that no one cares.

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LGBT Youth and Violence

• Unsafe for some LGTB youth to be open to friends
  and family about their sexual orientation, gender
  identity and intimate relationships
• A LGBT victim of dating violence may fear being
  outted
• LGTB youth may face rejection from their families
  after coming out. Many young people are thrown
  out of their homes, mistreated, or become the
  focus of the familys dysfunction.

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LGTB Youth Contd

• One study found 28 of youth who experience
  verbal or physical assault based on their sexual
  orientation were forced to drop out of high
  school because of the harassment they
  experienced.
• Two to three times more likely to attempt suicide
  than heterosexual youth. Up to 30 percent of the
  completed young suicides are committed by LGTBQ
  youth each year.
• In one study, gay and bisexual adolescent males
  were shown to be seven times more likely to
  attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

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Safety Planning

• Ending the relationship can be one of the most
  dangerous periods and may take time.
• Make sure she has support from friends/family/scho
  ol/community.
• Go over a safety plan.
• Give a brochure/information on dating violence
  and services available.
• Schedule a follow-up meeting.
• Give at least two referrals.

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Strategies for Prevention

• Increase Resiliency by connecting teens with a
  supportive
• community/activity that makes them feel good
  about themselves
• and competent
• Connect teens with a mentor (coach, scout leader,
  after school programs, etc.)
• Connect teens with a consistent, supportive, and
  protective adult
• Refer teens mothers to therapeutic services and
  or trauma treatment
• Promote messages about healthy relationships and
  positive gender identity formation
• Encourage parent involvement (talking to youth
  about healthy relationships)
• Encouraging fathers to be positive role models
  (teaching boys that real men respect women and
  that violence never equals strength)

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Have conversations about healthy relationships

• Make this appeal to teens
• How are they relating to boys/girls?
• How do they see dating? Or going with someone?
  Or hooking up?
• What are their expectations for a relationship?
• What do they want out of a girl/boyfriend?
• How do you talk to boys about how to treat girls?

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Referral 24-hour Hotlines

• Teen Abuse Hotline [phone]
• www.lacasa.org toll-free, English/Spanish
  (statewide) teen outreach program, teen
  counseling (primarily serve Bay Area)
• California Youth Crisis Line 1-800-843-5200,
  toll-Free, English/Spanish (statewide) parents or
  youth
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Partner
  Abuse/Hate Crimes Hotline (415) 333-HELP,
  multi-lingual (statewide)
• National Hotline on DV 1-800-799-SAFE

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Contact information

• Anna Marjavi
• Family Violence Prevention Fund
• anna_at_endabuse.org
• Phone [phone]
• Leiana Kinnicutt
• Family Violence Prevention Fund
• leiana_at_endabuse.org
• Phone[phone]
• Website www.endabuse.org