A Social Work Response for Domestic Violence October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many communities across the country are holding activities that focus public attention on the prevalence and cost of domestic violence, the need for prevention, and the availability of services for victims.
Social workers can play a key role in detecting and addressing domestic violence.
Women who are battered have multiple service needs and come into contact with a wide variety of service providers. It is a rare social worker who has not encountered a client who has current or past problems associated with domestic violence. This means asking questions about domestic violence to every client. However, many battered women are reluctant to talk about abuse. Social workers must first create a safe, confidential place to ask screening questions.