The Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) program was established and is run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It emerged from the Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA), which authorizes CDC to distribute federal funds to support coordinated community responses (CCRs) that address domestic and dating violence, or what is collectively known as intimate-partner violence (IPV). A CCR is an organized, community collaborative that seeks to respond to and prevent IPV in a community. CCR members generally include community organizations, victim services, law enforcement, prosecutors, health professionals, faith leaders, and educators. Historically, these organizations have focused on providing services to victims, holding perpetrators accountable, and reducing the number of recurring assaults. In 2002, CDC established the DELTA program to focus on primary prevention–that is, stopping IPV before it can occur.
Currently, CDC funds 14 state-level domestic violence coalitions. These groups provide prevention-focused training, technical assistance, and financial support to local CCRs. The CCRs, in turn, develop their own strategies for primary prevention so that they are community specific. Funded state-level coalitions are found in Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The DELTA program helps meet an important need, in that domestic and dating violence are among the most prevalent crimes. It is estimated that one-third of all women in the United States will experience some form of domestic violence, and one in three adolescent girls will experience verbal, emotional, or physical abuse in a dating relationship. The CDC, through the DELTA program, recognizes these shocking rates and has helped fund programs that address the interconnected issues of community poverty, violence, and inequalities.
Although not all states receive DELTA funding at this time, CDC has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help provide resources to the 36 remaining states that have not established state-level coalitions. State and community leaders in these states receive training and materials on primary prevention strategies they can implement when funding becomes available.
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References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). The DELTA program: Preventing intimate partner violence in the United States. Retrieved April 23, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/DELTA_AAG-a.pdf
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/
- Tweens & Teens. (2010). Family Violence Prevention Fund. Retrieved from http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/section/our_work/tweens_and_teens