Domestic Violence Assessment

A domestic violence assessment is used to find help for the thousands of people across the country, and around the world as well, that suffer from some form of domestic violence, mistreatment, or abuse. Every day court cases are filed around the country claiming that a domestic partner or spouse caused some form of bodily or mental harm to a member of the family. Knowing what to do in case of domestic abuse or mistreatment is important, as the safety and well-being of every American citizen is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Anyone who suspects domestic abuse or violence can give an assessment test.

For a quick assessment test, click here for our domestic violence questionnaire.

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Other versions of the domestic violence assessment can be easily downloaded from the internet by doing a search for your state. States provide guidelines for social workers. For example, the State of Georgia provides  in the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (DOMESTIC VIOLENCE) GUIDELINES & PROTOCOL.  The Georgia protocol uses questions in six family functioning assessment areas. 

Intake social workers conduct a diligent interview based on the reporter’s familiarity and knowledge of the children and family. The information obtained from the six family functioning areas is then used in conjunction with any family or CPS history to determine whether the agency needs to intervene or the reporter’s concern meets the department’s threshold for intervention. The six (6) family functioning assessment areas are the following:

  1. What is the extent of the maltreatment?
  2. What are the circumstances surrounding any child abuse?
  3. How do the children function on a daily basis?
  4. What are the general parenting practices in the family?
  5. What are the disciplinary practices in the family?
  6. How do the adults (caregivers) function on a daily basis?

These tests are usually made public in order to make it easy for concerned friends, family members, co-workers, doctors, psychiatrists and others to determine whether someone is the subject of domestic abuse.

You can give the test to yourself as a self-evaluation in order to determine whether you have grounds to file for legal action against your domestic partner.

Trained Social Workers Are Available at Local Agencies Assess Your Risk

People are able to receive training in a number of state run institutions, and any local police station should have contact information for the correct people to get in touch with. You can receive training in how to handle domestic abuse, which could come in handy if you were part or knew of a case of domestic abuse. If you want to legally be a mediator in a case of domestic abuse, you will need to receive training in order to be a court-approved mediator.

There are a number of questions on the test which will help the assessor determine whether or not you are the subject of domestic abuse. 

Click here to ask yourself our version of these questions to help yourself or a friend.

What to do with the Results of a Domestic Violence Assessment?

The results of these tests should help the victim be aware of any real dangers to them, and should inform them how they can protect, care for, and support themselves and their family. The person giving the assessment test should also be able to provide information, resources, and counsel on how to go about protecting the victim.

While the end goal of the assessment is not to cause the victims to abandon their abusers or to try to solve all the victim's problems, the goal is to provide the support that the victim needs. This could simply be listening to the problem and giving advice on what to do, or it could be providing the contact information for the correct agencies or government bodies to handle this problem. It could even be getting in contact with a local domestic violence attorney's office and handling negotiations between the lawyers and the victim.

In order to prepare yourself for an assessment test, it is necessary that you are willing to tell the whole truth in a matter. Honesty is vital if a solution is to be reached.

Domestic Violence and Children?

There is a Domestic Violence Assessment test created to test juveniles who are showing abusive behavior at home. A board of interviewers interviews the juvenile in order to determine whether or not he or she is showing abusive behavior. This behavior includes verbal abuse, substance abuse, or physical abuse to member of his or her family.

Be prepared and know how to handle any domestic problems in your home or observed with friends.

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