safety alert

If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, call 911 or your local hotline or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233 voice), 1-800-787-3224 (tty). There is always a computer trail, but you can click ESCAPE to leave the site quickly.

Screening for Violence and Abuse

Because violence against women is so common in the United States, it stands to reason that you will encounter women who have or who are experiencing violence in their lives. In light of such prevalence, it is considered good practice to screen clients for such experiences in their lives. In addition, because women with disabilities and Deaf women face significant barriers to receiving accessible services, your role in connecting women to such services is fundamental.

Getting Started

Before you begin screening clients, staff members at your organization need to understand the fundamentals of violence against women, especially as it pertains to women with disabilities and Deaf women. It will be very important for all providers to:

have a concrete idea of who is affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, and about how it can affect women with disabilities and Deaf women differently;
have an understanding of the dynamics of violence against women with disabilities;
understand the common myths and facts about violence against women;
have organizational structures in place that address issues of confidentiality and mandatory reporting;
have screening practices and disclosure procedures in place;
understand how to best respond when a client discloses experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
create training for staff on ongoing issues;
coordinate with other community organizations in preparation for referrals.

Next Steps

Once you have an intake process in place that adequately addresses concerns of confidentiality and mandatory reporting, you can begin to work with individuals around issues of violence by integrating questions into your standard intake and assessment process and by creating an open and safe environment for dialogue. In addition, you should be aware of any warning signs throughout your relationship with each person and address the issue in an appropriate way with the individual.

According to the Massachusetts Association of Social Workers’ Committee Against Domestic Violence, asking questions is an intervention in itself. “It gives the person permission to talk about the violence, plants seeds of knowledge and new understanding, and shows caring and concern.”

In This Section

Indicators of Violence or Abuse

Basic Screening Tips

What to Do if You Suspect Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking

Note: Some of the resources listed in this section are available as PDF files. In order to view PDFs you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have this software installed, you can download Acrobat Reader for free on Adobe's web site.