Adapting to virtual service delivery to increase resilience of domestic violence services
Zakariah Robinson, Sarah Elizabeth Scales, Ruth Fleury Steiner, Lauren C. Camphausen, Susan L. Miller, Jennifer A. HorneyPurpose
The rapid shift to virtual services precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions forced domestic violence agencies to alter many types of service provision. A survey of service providers assessed these disruptions and identified services where virtual adaptation worked well for staff and survivors and should continue after the pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey was developed to assess service disruption at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 2020 and May 2022 and from June 2022 going forward. Email addresses were obtained from a national directory of domestic violence agencies, and the survey was distributed via email using the Qualtrics platform (Provo, UT). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the respondents.
Findings
From among 1,341 US shelters and service providers invited, 301 individuals responded (Response Rate = 22.4%) and data from 180 (59.8%) complete surveys are reported. The services most frequently switched to virtual between March 2020 and May 2022 were civil (27.2%) and criminal legal services (30.0%) and mental health services (30.6%). Most reported that it was somewhat (n = 75; 41.7%) or very difficult (n = 29; 16.1%) to implement virtual services. However, a majority indicated they were very likely to continue to provide mental health services, social and financial services and documentation services virtually after the pandemic.
Originality/value
Continuity of evidence-based domestic violence was challenged by pandemic-related restrictions. Disasters and emergencies generally increase the need for social services, yet limited ability to provide services virtually limits access. However, in some service areas such as civil legal services, mental health and financial services, changes to virtual service provision expanded access and providers plan to continue offering these services virtually post-pandemic.