ABSTRACT
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive issue that has monetary, psychological, and emotional repercussions for individuals who experience violence, use violence, the family system aware of IPV, and society. Using systems theory, social workers intrinsically explore the systems in which IPV is present and are capable of responding in reactive and proactive manners. Through collaboration, the contributions of social work practice to include advocacy, education, prevention, intervention, and case management enhance community response to IPV and improve outcomes for those affected by violence. Traditionally, the terms victim and perpetrator are used to define people who experience or use IPV. Effective treatment matching could reduce IPV and the inordinate costs to individuals, family systems, and society in general. Social workers must incorporate the knowledge and skills into their practice in order to aid the individuals, family systems, and society at large with improving the health care epidemic.
