The DACC Advantage

Service

Court Referrals: Nearly 1,800 per year to DACC's 4-month program of weekly group counseling sessions (over 94 percent comply by reporting to DACC)
Program Completion: 70 percent of those who report to DACC complete the 16-week program, a rate that is well above the national average of 50 percent completion.
Neighborhood Sites: 23 local sites across the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County that ensure easy access to one of the 40 different groups meeting on different days and at different times.
Court Liaison: DACC offers information, consultation, and case review to the Domestic Violence Court to expedite court proceedings and ensure appropriate court action.

Trained Staff

Professional Supervision: A licensed social worker maintains clinical supervision over all program staff, including counseling observations, in-service training, case review meetings, and staff consultation.
Approved Training: Group leaders must complete counseling training in according to guidelines for batterer programs, including domestic violence education and 200 hours of supervised counseling.
Certified Group Leaders: All group leaders are certified by the Domestic Abuse Counseling Center, Inc. (DACC) according to guidelines for training, ethical practices, and domestic violence knowledge.
Trained Paraprofessionals: A portion of trained staff members are previous program completers who serve as role models and offer insight to the program participants, as is done in many substance abuse treatment programs.
Peer Counselors: Program completers who continue to attend the program beyond the 16 weeks and meet strict criteria for progress are trained to assist with group sessions and respond to crisis calls.
Model Curriculum: DACC has developed a clear, coherent, and incisive curriculum model which is drawn from the best program developments and evaluation research to offer consistent and systematic counseling across sessions and groups.

Efficiency

A preliminary hearing provides court-ordered batterer counseling as a condition of bond, enabling men to be in counseling within 2 weeks from arrest, as opposed to up to 8 months when used as a condition of probation.

Court liaison ensures immediate contact with court referrals and supplies needed information at case reviews and repeater cases.

Mandatory court review brings men back to court in 30 days to examine their compliance to the court order. This process has reduced non-compliance from 38% in 1994 to 6% in 1997.

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Effectiveness

Non-violent: Over 92 percent of DACC program completers were not rearrested for domestic violence assault 15 monhs following the program, according to an evaluation study based on 1993-94 participants. This rate is one of the best outcomes among published reports of 20 batterer program evaluations.
Avoidance Techniques: Nearly one-half of the program participants report using techniques taught in the program to avoid violence and abuse, according to the 1993-94 evaluation study.
Victim Safety: 66% of women interviewed indicated at the 15 month follow-up that they were "better off" than when their partner was sent to the batterers program. Almost 72% of the women reported feeling "very safe" at each follow-up interval.
Attitude Change: At least one fifth of the participants have made noticeable attitudinal, as well as behavioral changes as a result of the DACC program, according to the women's, staff's, and interviewers' ratings of the men.
Multiplier Effect: The substantial change among one fifth of the participants translates into approximately 175 men per year being changed, with their partners' and children's lives being improved for a total of 700 men, women, and children having not only non-violent but better lives as a result of the program. Current figures for the multiplier effect are now 1350 men, women, and children.

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Economics

Affordable Client Fees: Clients pay $10-$40 per session based on a sliding fee scale geared to proof of income.
Low Operating Costs: $200 per court referral (1,200 per year), and $435 per program completer (550 per year).
Savings over Mental Heath Treatment: Sixteen weeks of comparable mental heath treatment, including assessment, would cost approximately $1,150 per client ($75 per session).
Savings over Jailing: Sixteen weeks in jail for domestic violence offenders not sent to DACC cost nearly $7,280 per person ($65 per day).

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Collaboration

Domestic Violence Court Cooperation: DACC, with legal advocates of the Women's Center and Shelter (WC&S) and the Chief Magistrate, has contributed to court reforms that ensure prompt, incisive and consistent action in domestic violence cases.
Women's Services Collaboration: DACC's chief executive officer meets with the executive director of WC&S; DACC's board of directors includes WC&S representatives; and DACC maintains joint funding, joint projects, and joint staffing with WC&S.
Anti-Violence award: DACC and WC&S were jointly awarded the 1995 Prevention of Violence for their collaborative work against violence.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Dual Treatment Program Links: DACC has established dual track program sites with other agencies; ie; Gateway, St Francis MH/MR, Northern Southwest MH/MR, St Francis Substance Abuse Program, WPIC, Allegheny Valley MH/MR, and Center for Substance Abuse. DACC is working with agencies and courts in other communities to develop similar systems of intervention.

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Innovation

National Batterer Program Evaluations: DACC is one of four research sites selected to participate in a national multi-site evaluation of batterer programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control, US Department of Health and Human Services.
DACC's model for stopping violence has been part of the US Veterans Affairs, National Task Force on Family Violence and the SCAR Symposium in Eugene, Oregon.
DACC is designed to train group facilitators locally, regionally, and nationally on the DACC Model for Stopping the Violence.

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