DEPARTMENT: Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jennifer Herriott, MPH
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
A briefing on the Domestic Violence Comprehensive Plan
SUMMARY:
A briefing on the Domestic Violence Comprehensive Plan and the Commission on Collaborative Strategies to Prevent, Combat, and Respond to Domestic Violence
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In the Spring of 2019, several events converged generating an increased sense of urgency to respond to domestic violence in San Antonio. Several high-profile news stories highlighted the increase in domestic violence-related murders. As requested by Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales and Councilman Manny Pelaez, the Department of Human Services and Metropolitan Health District conducted a structured assessment of domestic violence related services and worked with the community to develop a Comprehensive Domestic Violence Plan. The evaluation included currently available services, systems of data collection and analysis, and community response to family violence incidents, including law enforcement, social services, judicial, and education. In addition to documenting baseline status, it also included an analysis of gaps in service and system improvements related to incident reporting and follow up.
The data that informed the plan was collected through five sources:
* Survey of domestic violence providers on scope and scale of services provided
* Surveys of attendees at Domestic Violence Congressional Townhall
* Interviews of key community leaders in San Antonio and Texas
* Interviews with experts in domestic violence and evidence-based prevention approaches
* Extant data from SAPD, Texas Courts, the Texas Council on Family Violence, and from City of San Antonio Department of Human Services grantees
Assessment findings and gaps identified were presented to community stakeholders in August and September 2019, and stakeholder subcommittees and the San Antonio & Bexar County Domestic Violence Task Force as well a...
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