NCJ Number
205927
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2004 Pages: 341-355
Editor(s)
Jon R. Conte
Date Published
March 2004
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article defines informal social support (ISS) interventions as they relate to child maltreatment and outlines an agenda for evaluating these programs in the context of efforts to prevent violence.
Abstract
Due to the fundamental importance of social relationships in shaping values and behaviors and recognition that formal service systems often fail to protect potential victims or deter violent offenders, there has been increased interest in ISS interventions. The ISS interventions are popular because of their flexibility, responsiveness to individual needs and perceived low cost. This article describes different kinds of ISS interventions, focusing on child maltreatment and outlines an evaluation agenda which includes core research questions and evaluation challenges and strategies. Evidence suggests that ISS interventions can improve proximal outcomes such as increased social support, social integration, and empowerment for some vulnerable families. ISS interventions warrant evaluation because of the importance of social support in all peoples’ lives and the need to better understand the potentials and limitations of these interventions. Knowing that ISS interventions can contribute to violence prevention, evaluation should focus on helping to understand how and under what conditions they can contribute and how informal support and formal services can best compliment and support each other. It is recommended that evaluators work closely with practitioners and policymakers to conceptualize and specify interventions and their relationship to outcomes, develop reasonable expectations about the proximal outcomes of ISS interventions and how they contribute to parenting, violence preventions, and cost savings, and fully assess both the benefits and limitations of ISS interventions. References