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Evaluation of the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Initiative

Award Information

Awardee
Award #
2013-ZD-CX-0001
Funding Category
Competitive Discretionary
Location
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2013
Total funding (to date)
$5,524,827

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2013, $1,899,856)

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the Office on Violence Against Women's (OVW) Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative. During Phase I, 12 sites assessed their structures and processes for addressing domestic violence. In Phase II, up to six sites will implement their work plans to test changes to existing procedures, practices, and structures related to domestic violence homicide prevention. This evaluation will assess the processes and outcomes within and across sites. As this is an evaluation of models carried out by Phase II sites, the "subjects" are the six funded sites. The evaluation will be a utilization-focused developmental evaluation-"utilization-focused" in that the project will be done for and with primary intended users of the evaluation findings; "developmental" in that the intended use is development of domestic violence homicide prevention models.

The process evaluation will focus on the internal dynamics and actual operations of domestic violence homicide prevention programs at Phase II sites. This will be achieved primarily through the use of system dynamics modeling, which uses computer simulation to understand the behavior of complex systems over time. The outcome evaluation will examine the intended and unintended consequences of the prevention programs. This will be carried out largely through the use of multilevel modeling, which takes into account multiple sources of variation when estimating differences in outcomes between sites. System dynamics modeling within and across sites will progress through a series of iterative steps involving problem articulation, formulation of a dynamic hypothesis, development of a computer simulation model, validation and model testing, and policy design and recommendations. Multilevel modeling will take into account individual­ (victims and perpetrators), intimate partner relationship-, and site-level variables in estimation of between site variation in outcomes. Cost-effectiveness analyses will include an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the overall initiative, as well as sub-analyses comparing cost-effectiveness of individual sites whose prevention programs proved effective. ca/ncf

Date Created: September 19, 2013