Translating Research on Violence Against Women to the Practice Field

With this proposal the University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women and its partners, the National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and the Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime, is seeking a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in order to enhance the active role of advocates and practitioners in advancing the scientific study of violence against women. There is increasing recognition that the empirical studies of violence against women reach their fullest scientific value when disseminated to the practice field where they can inform the work of advocates, criminal justice professionals, health and mental health care providers, and other practitioners. Crafting meaningful research questions and designing relevant studies is best accomplished, not by academicians working in isolation, but through active collaboration with direct service providers. While collaboration between scientists and advocates and practitioners is acknowledged with growing appreciation, insufficient efforts have been put forward to create ways for effective research partnerships to be established. The Center and its partners believe efforts should be made to create such a vehicle. l1ze overall purpose of this proposal is to improve the empirical swdy C?fintimate partner vio/r.:nce, sexual assault. and stalking by enhancing the ahility ofadvocates and practitioners ucross the nation to jitlly participate in research projects. To accomplish this ;)urpose. the proposal seeks support under the Technical Assistance Program of the Office on \/iolence Against Women (OYW) to offer two interactive education programs for victim advocates on the state of research on violence against women and how they can actively participate in research studies.