Justice and Opportunity
Domestic violence is often hidden and does not reach support services. We are developing proactive risk-screening tools for healthcare facilities and training courses for practitioners, so survivors can access protection sooner.
Translated from Thai · reviewed by the CF team
Healthcare facilities are the places most accessible to the public, yet they are also where violence is hardest to detect.
An invisible screening point
Data from the One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) and the Ministry of Public Health (B.E. 2547–2565) show that each year, as many as 8,847 Thai women seek treatment for violence at healthcare facilities. Girls aged 10–20 are the group most frequently subjected to sexual violence. We are therefore developing a decision-support tool for medical personnel to screen for and predict risks while taking patients' histories, enabling them to refer patients for protection and care before the violence continues.
Knowledge is another line of defence
Alongside the screening tool, we are developing an open online course to help practitioners and the general public understand domestic violence, the principles of case management and appropriate ways of working with survivors. This reflects our belief that domestic violence is a shared responsibility of society, not a matter confined to any one family.
Medical personnel screening patients at healthcare facilities, practitioners working in child and women's protection, and the general public, working with the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ).
- 01 Screen for and predict the risk of violence while taking patients' histories at healthcare facilities, with separate screening for children, adolescents and adults.
- 02 Provide knowledge about domestic violence and case-management principles through an open online course that requires no registration.
- 03 Connect work across organisations—healthcare facilities, One Stop Crisis Centres, the police and family agencies.
- 04 Ensure free and open access to both the screening tool for personnel and the course for the general public.
2 projects
A project is how we act on an Issue. Every progress update from the field is on the project’s own page.
Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System
A decision-support tool for healthcare professionals to screen patients and predict the risk that they have experienced violence, so they can be referred for protection and proactive care.
DV Learning
An open online training course with 6 lessons on domestic violence and comprehensive support for survivors, for professionals and the general public
How can we
help you?
Choose the question that fits your role. Answers are summarised from our own records of the work, and you can talk to the CF team from any card.
What change does this work create, and how do we know it is effective?
This work developed a risk-screening tool and an online course. The numbers of learners and course completers provide evidence of progress, but there are no recorded outcomes on protection or reducing violence.
This work uses both a screening tool in healthcare facilities and an online course to help identify risks and better support survivors. The outcomes tracked with clear figures relate to course participation, while protection outcomes have not yet appeared as indicators. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System ProjectDV Learning
- Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System uses information on age group, relationship to the suspected perpetrator, location and type of violence, and family structure to show staff whether the risk is high, medium or low, for use in referring people for protection. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System We have no records showing the extent to which the system has helped increase detection or enabled survivors to receive greater protection.
- DV Learning has had 596 learners in total, with 93 completing the course and receiving certificates. ProjectDV Learning These figures show reach and course completion, but we have no records of effects on knowledge or work practices after the course.
How was this work done, and what lessons can be applied going forward?
We work through a screening tool in healthcare facilities and an open online course, but there are not yet any records of lessons from implementation or what worked and did not work.
We designed the work to include both a tool to support healthcare professionals during history-taking and learning resources for practitioners and the general public, so that screening and support for people affected by violence are connected. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System ProjectDV Learning
- Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System divides screening into 3 age groups: children (0-9 years), adolescents (10-17 years) and adults (18 years and over). It processes risk factors and displays a high, medium or low risk rating to support professionals' referral decisions. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System
- DV Learning is a free, open online course with 6 lessons. It covers topics ranging from understanding violence, case management and working together to legal processes and practitioners' self-care. No registration is required. ProjectDV Learning
We do not yet have records of lessons from implementation, including what worked or did not work and could be applied in future.
What kinds of areas is this approach suitable for, and what is needed to get started in our area?
This approach focuses on healthcare facilities and working with protection agencies, with Pathum Thani Hospital as the pilot site. However, there is no record of the conditions required to begin implementation in other areas.
The context this work addresses is healthcare facilities, which are widely accessible to the public but where violence is difficult to detect, and where screening needs to be linked with protection and care for people affected by violence. This Issue The approach therefore involves medical personnel, child and women’s protection practitioners, and agencies involved in referrals. This Issue
- Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System is used during patient history-taking. It separates screening by age group and displays risk levels to inform referrals, with Pathum Thani Hospital as the pilot site. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System Public health partners and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ) are also identified as participating in this work. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System
- DV Learning is an open course for practitioners and the general public. It is free and requires no registration, making it part of an educational approach that is not limited to personnel at healthcare facilities. ProjectDV Learning
We do not yet have a record of the staffing, systems or procedures required to begin implementation in a new area, and no target areas beyond the pilot site have been identified.
What methods or tools can we start using right away?
There is a free online course that can be taken without registering, and a screening tool for healthcare personnel, but there is no record yet of whether the tool is ready for immediate use.
The resources available through this approach include learning about domestic violence and guidance on screening while taking a patient’s history. The screening tool is designed for healthcare personnel. This Issue
- DV Learning is a free online course with 6 lessons that requires no registration. It covers understanding situations, case management principles, working with survivors, multidisciplinary collaboration, legal processes, and self-care for practitioners. ProjectDV Learning Learners can save their progress and return to continue, and there is a game-based quiz at the end of each lesson. ProjectDV Learning
- Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System screens according to age group and processes risk factors, then displays a high, medium or low risk result to help inform referral decisions. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System Healthcare facility personnel who sign in can view the screening history of past cases. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System
We do not yet have a record of whether the screening tool is available for personnel to use immediately or what steps are required to access it.
How is this work connected to systemic issues, and what kind of collaboration is needed?
This work addresses the difficulty of detecting violence and the possibility that people experiencing it may not be able to access help through proactive screening, awareness-raising and cross-agency referrals, with health and protection partners clearly identified.
The systemic problem is that domestic violence is often concealed, while healthcare facilities are places that many people can access but where abuse is difficult to detect. This Issue This work therefore aims to enable staff to screen for risk while taking patients’ histories, while building knowledge about case management and working with people experiencing violence. This Issue
- Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System helps classify risk levels to inform decisions about referrals for protection and care. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System The approach connects work between healthcare facilities, One Stop Crisis Centres (OSCCs), the police and agencies working on family matters. This Issue The partners identified in the Project include the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), the Division of Public Health Administration, the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, and Pathum Thani Hospital as the pilot site. ProjectDomestic Violence Risk Prediction System
- DV Learning helps strengthen understanding among practitioners and the public, with core partners and government partners participating in the work as specified. ProjectDV Learning
The form of collaboration described therefore connects service providers and protection agencies with screening and learning, viewing domestic violence as a shared responsibility of society. ProjectDV Learning