BC & MAHEC Sponsor Training - Continue Implementation of Domestic Violence Plan

On August 5, Buncombe County took another step forward in their effort to end domestic violence in our county.

Buncombe County and MAHEC are offering a free training which is an important step to train stakeholders in a lethality assessment tool called Danger Assessment (DA).  The DA helps to determine the level of danger an abused woman has of being killed by her intimate partner.  The tool was developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell with consultation and content validity support from battered women, shelter workers, law enforcement officials, and other clinical experts on battering.

The continuing education program will give participants background and instruction on how to administer the DA to victims, the weighted scoring for the DA, the resulting levels of danger and what kinds of safety strategies are recommended at each level.

The developer of this training tool, Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN, will be here to lead the training.  Dr. Campbell is  the leading international expert on domestic violence having published more than 220 articles and seven books on this subject including the textbook Family Violence and Nursing Practice.  Dr. Campbell is a professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing with a joint appointment in the Bloomberg School of Public Health.  She has been engaged in advocacy policy work and research in domestic violence since 1980.  She has received numerous awards, three honorary doctorates and is a member of the congressionally appointed US Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence.

Response to the training has been outstanding.  Many of our area first responders will receive training and be more equipped to assess lethality and save lives.

Buncombe County Government comprehensive plan to address domestic violence plan has 6 main components:

• Lethality Assessments – evaluating danger to victims
• High Risk Team – offender & victim interventions
• Electronic Monitoring – tracking offenders for victim safety
• Focused Deterrence – prevention strategies for previous offenders
• Cross System Dialogue – improving communication
• Public Education Campaign – increasing awareness and community engagement

The goal of the comprehensive plan is to educate, connect and inspire to end violence against women in Buncombe County.

For more information about the plan, check out buncombecounty.org/enough and/or contact Rebecca Knight at Rebecca.knight@buncombecounty.org or 828-301-6438.