ABSTRACT
Chapter 9 explores examples of interventions and strategies used to tackle domestic and family violence (DFV). Due to the diverse nature of DFV and its various underlying risk and contributing factors, interventions can take many forms, including preventive and reactive measures designed to address the problem. Many interventions, while reactive in nature, also share elements of prevention. Throughout this chapter, the nature and purpose of different interventions designed to reduce and prevent DFV are examined. This examination is structured under the three tiers of prevention: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Examples of primary prevention include community education strategies, awareness-raising campaigns, and educational programs for young people. Secondary prevention, often also referred to as early intervention, include strategies that target at-risk populations, such as young people who have been exposed to parental DFV and are starting to display an increased risk of aggressive behaviour or vulnerability to victimisation. Tertiary prevention encompasses the pre-emptive nature of reactive responses to DFV, such as criminal justice responses in the form of arrest, and the use of risk assessment to prevent escalation of DFV and potentially lethal outcomes. The chapter concludes with a summary of the role of each of these strategies in tackling DFV more broadly.
