DVN and ICADV partner with Department of Education
On February 19th, 2014, WTHR ran this story reporting a majority of school health professionals did not feel equipped in responding to incidence of teen dating abuse. After reading the story, the Domestic Violence Network and our partners at the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence reached out to administrators at the Department of Education to offer training on this topic. In our initial meeting, we discussed the prevalence of teen dating abuse, appropriate responses, and laid the foundation to train all school staff on these issues. Since then, we have worked closely with the Department of Education as we revised current model policies, response guidelines, and training goals.
The past several months have been exciting as DVN and ICADV have developed a comprehensive toolkit for Indiana schools on how to prevent, respond to, and educate staff on teen dating abuse. On Friday, July 18th, DVN and ICADV will train administrators, counselors, safety officers, and school health professionals in the first of a series of training events about teen dating abuse. Participants will learn the dynamics of dating abuse, response options, and how to quickly access local resources. Our goal is that all Indiana schools will adopt these strategies and protocols to end dating abuse among our youth and community. A special thank you to Harrison College for hosting this first training!