Improving Intimate Partner Violence Services in Home Visiting: A Multisite Learning Collaborative Approach

Abstract

To improve intimate partner violence (IPV) service delivery, the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Initiative’s continuous quality improvement (CQI) team implemented a Breakthrough Series model Learning Collaborative with eight program sites. Using mixed-methods, we: examined post-Collaborative changes in Florida MIECHV home visitors’ knowledge, system awareness, and confidence; identified strategies to address challenges in supporting families with IPV; and assessed post-Collaborative program improvements. The Collaborative included three interactive 2-day sessions, six webinars, and testing strategies using the Model for Improvement (Plan-Do-Study-Act). Three online surveys assessed changes influencing IPV screening, referrals, and safety planning. Thematic content analysis of qualitative data revealed existing barriers and strategies to address challenges. Home visitors reported accurate knowledge (change: 2.3%-34.8%), confidence (change: 31.8%-37.9%), and system awareness (change: 22.7%-53.5%) for all items from baseline to final survey. There was also an increase in rates of IPV screening (change: 88.0%-91.0%) and referrals (change: 43.0%-100.0%). Strategies for addressing challenges in supporting families experiencing IPV were identified at the individual (self-care, continuous education); interpersonal (reflective supervision, trauma-informed approach); organizational (defining success, supportive agency/program, policies); and community (collaboration with IPV service providers) levels. Lessons learned from the MIECHV IPV Learning Collaborative informed future CQI projects.

Keywords:

• Continuous quality improvement
• home visiting
• learning collaborative
• intimate partner violence
• screening
• referrals

Acknowledgments

The authors express our thanks to Carol Brady, the Project Director of the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Initiative, for her support of this research.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Initiative, Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, Inc. Project 6405107040 (funded by the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Grant D90MC25705).