Public Awareness
Bulletins - Summer 2010 OPDV Bulletin
Table of Contents
(printer-friendly/pdf)New Healthy Families Training
Last month, the Child Welfare Unit of OPDV delivered the first of nine one-day trainings scheduled for 2010 on domestic violence to the Healthy Families New York (HFNY) Home Visitors Program. HFNY, funded by New York State Office of Children and Family Services, is part of a national initiative geared to meet the needs of at-risk expectant parents and new families. Home visitors work closely with families who voluntarily have requested assistance that may last until the child is in kindergarten or Head Start and promote healthy parent-child bonds and nurturing parenting, maximize the health and development of the child, and assist parents to become self-sufficient. As valuable as the program is, when domestic violence is a risk factor even the best efforts of home visitors may be hindered. Knowing this underscores the importance of education on domestic violence.
The curriculum which was approved in March 2010 covers topics on understanding domestic violence and barriers to reaching out to community resources for help, identifying the risks posed to children by abusive fathers and exploring ways to engage abusive fathers in positive parenting, recognizing domestic violence in families and evaluating options for their safety, examining the nature of vicarious trauma and ways to increase self care, and analyzing skills and strategies to enhance home visitors’ safety.
