Intimate Partner Violence: What do social workers want to know?

Purpose: This study examines the intimate partner violence (IPV) training needs of all publicly funded Department of Social Work (DSS) agencies in Virginia. Methods: All 349 program supervisors at all 121 Virginia agencies were invited to complete a survey by mail, phone or e-mail. Agencies typically operate six programs (CPS, APS, benefits, adoption, foster care, family preservation). Over half (58%) of supervisors oversee multiple programs. Almost all (92%) agencies responded as did about half of all supervisors (52%). Agencies are located in rural (55%), urban (11%), and suburban/mixed (18%) communities; each program serves a median of 100 clients/year (range 20-48,000). Results: Most programs (70%) screen fewer than 25% of clients for IPV. Almost half of supervisors (44%) report that few/none of their staff had IPV training in the past two years. Only 21% of programs require any IPV training, an additional 50% encourage it and the rest have no policy. Only about half (54%) of supervisors report that staff can take IPV training when desired. Program supervisors indicated the greatest training need for staff was skills based, such as assessing individuals and families for IPV, talking with victims, and taking self-protective measures (physical and emotional). The knowledge rated as least important pertained to IPV theory and legal issues. Conclusions: Social workers need IPV training that is immediately applicable to practice. Access to training needs to be supported by policy. Those offering training need to ensure that it is accessible in terms of time, money and distance to the training site.