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Domestic Violence: Analysis of a Community Safety Alarm System

NCJ Number
189973
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2001 Pages: 170-182
Author(s)
Steven Walker
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the findings of an analysis of the trial period of a local authority community alarm system adapted to protect adult and child victims of domestic violence and enable them to remain living in their own homes.
Abstract
The system was augmented as a response to government guidance on promoting interagency initiatives to tackle the crime of domestic violence. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to seek the perceptions and experiences of referring agencies, service users, and potential service users in the context of the administration, resource implications, and cost-effectiveness of the new system. The evaluation disclosed that potential service users were anxious about police and social services involvement in relation to child care. The system was considered protective, enabling women and children to remain in their own homes, and relatively cheap to operate. It has the potential to deter perpetrators and enhance interagency cooperation in protecting children, subject to further refinement and longer-term evaluation. References