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This report was published in October, 1995, and created by the statewide task forces which the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse convened. It brings together the work of more than one hundred Minnesota professionals concerned with higher education's response to issues of violence and abuse in society. The task forces addressed the areas of preparation, licensing, and continuing education covering four specific, interdisciplinary sets of professions: law, health services, human services, and education. The report contains 56 individual recommendations along with rationales and strategies for implementation. Non-copyrighted You may freely copy and distribute this report for non-profit purposes.
Publication Date: October 1995
Dear Colleagues:
Violence and abuse in American society are public health issues that concern all people in our society. As this report goes to press, some areas of the state are reporting record levels of homicides and other violent crimes. Never has it been more important for us, as Minnesotans and citizens of our country, to take an active role in helping to end violence and abuse by helping victims find safety, perpetrators to change their behavior, and social institutions, from the family network to formal organizations, to respond differently to this problem.
Minnesotans have long been leaders in creatively addressing the most difficult social problems of our society. People from around the world look to the numerous "Minnesota models", be they in chemical dependency, child welfare, or violence and abuse. It is in this tradition that Senator Jane Ranum and her colleagues at the Minnesota Legislature envisioned Minnesota leadership on the issue of professional education in violence and abuse and funded the initial activities of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse.
This report brings together the work of over one hundred Minnesota professionals concerned with higher education's response to issues of violence and abuse in our society. Task force members represent the diverse communities of our state, including a variety of professions, personal histories, ethnic and racial groups, and roles. The task forces and their individual recommendations cover four specific, interdisciplinary sets of professions: law; health services; human services; and education. The task forces have worked hard to produce practical and timely recommendations in the six months they have deliberated. Their work speaks for itself.
This report is a culmination of the task forces' work, but it is also a starting point. Now the hard work of implementing these recommendations begins. We welcome your participation in the next steps of this change process.
Sincerely,
Christine Imbra, Executive Director
Jeffrey L. Edleson,
Jeffrey L.
Edleson
Professor and Principal Investigator
A report of this magnitude and scope is rarely written by one person. Responding to Violence: Educating Minnesota Professionals for the Future is no exception. I believe that if it were not for the support, confidence and encouragement of many people this report would look much different than it does today.
First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Senator Jane Ranum for having a vision and for being able to articulate that vision to her colleagues in the Minnesota State Legislature. The Legislature put Minnesota at the vanguard once again by providing funds for the nation's first Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse. I would also like to extend my thanks to Nancy Bunnett, Senior Policy Analyst for the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office. Ms. Bunnett was involved in every stage of the grant and remained enthusiastic about the Center's activities throughout its initial year.
In addition, I would like to thank Jeffrey Edleson, Social Work Professor, and Jamie Tiedemann, Sexual Violence Program Director, both at the University of Minnesota, for writing the grant and for having a clear understanding of the potential impact a Center of this nature could have on Minnesota professionals. Their stellar support allowed me and the Center's staff to create a project we could all be proud of.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Center's staff and Advisory Board members for their assistance, friendship and support this past year. Their commitment to this process enabled task force members to perform their job efficiently and effectively.
Christine Imbra
October 1995
The Minnesota Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was established in 1994 with funds from the 1993 Minnesota Omnibus Crime Bill. The Center is a program of the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board (now the Higher Education Services Office) and is located at the University of Minnesota.
A major activity of the Center included the development of four task forces: Law; Health Services; Human Services; and Education. The task forces were charged with reviewing, revising and recommending violence education in nine professional higher education programs:
Task force members examined preparation, licensing, and continuing education and developed an intervention strategy in the form of Recommendations and Strategies for implementation. Recommendations are advisory in nature, yet task force members chose to use the word "will" instead of "should" to provide an aspirational tone. It is the wish of task force members that the recommendations are read with the spirit of that tone in mind.
Several critical themes emerged across professions and task forces:
These critical themes helped set the philosophical framework for the development of the recommendations and apply to all nine professions studied in this report. Some of the professions included these general themes in their recommendations and others felt that a statement in their introduction would help set the tone of their report.
Mission
The Center's primary mission is to revise the preparation, licensing and continuing education of a wide range of Minnesota professionals on issues of violence and abuse.
Outcomes
When professionals intervene they will be more likely to:
Purpose and Scope
The Minnesota Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse works in cooperation with organizations statewide to develop higher education programs that prepare professionals to provide safety and services to victims of violence, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions, and address the root causes of violence. The Center serves as a resource to all Minnesota higher education institutions and to selected professional licensing agencies.
The work of the Center is to promote professional and general education about prevention, extent, causes, and interventions for all types of violence. Violence is understood to include not only violent "street" crimes, but also domestic violence, rape, child abuse and neglect, abuse of vulnerable adults, harassment based on gender, race or sexual orientation, hate/bias crimes, sexual exploitation of clients, and all other forms of violence, abuse and harassment.
Activities
Task Forces
Task forces evaluated professions within the following four professional areas: law; education; health services; and human services. The focus was on training and licensure of lawyers, law enforcement officers, nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors. Task forces assessed and recommended changes in current professional programs, licensing and accreditation standards relating to professional responsiblities in addressing violence, abuse and harassment. Plans and recommendations for revising the preparation, licensing and continuing education of professionals will become the future work of the Center. The Center will assist all of the professions in formulating the integration of recommended training for their members by providing a list of trainers, curriculum and resources on all forms of violence, abuse and harassment.
Clearinghouse
The Center has developed an electronic Clearinghouse of information that can assist faculty and staff in developing higher education curricula on violence and abuse. The Clearinghouse supports professional education for working with victims/survivors and perpetrators. Information in the Clearinghouse is available to people in higher education statewide and includes resources to assist all Minnersota colleges, universities and career schools. The Clearinghouse showcases information developed or written by state and national experts on violence and harassment. Staff of the Center maintain existing entries and input new information and resources regularly.
Conferences
The Center will facilitate and co-sponsor conferences on topics related to violence and abuse that are initiated by institutions of higher education in collaboration with community-based Minnesota organizations. The Center will convene a statewide conference focused on "Higher Education's Role in Ending Violence and Abuse." This conference will feature academic, professional and community representatives and will highlight ways in which higher education can play multiple roles in ending violence and abuse.
Outreach
Staff are committed to holding Center events and activities in various locations throughout Minnesota. Regionals meetings will be convened annually in order to provide access to and input from professionals in each region. Constituents in the state have access to the Center through electronic networking, a newsletter, a statewide toll free telephone and membership on various committees.
Members of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse Advisory Board include:
Mary Albrecht, MN Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Nancy Biele, Consultant - Violence Prevention
Nancy Bunnett, MN Higher Education Services Office
Judith Canney, Minneapolis Technical College
Barbara Carson, Mankato State University,
Melvin Carter, St. Paul Police Department
Jeffrey Edleson, University of Minnesota
Marti Erickson, University of Minnesota
Susan Furstenberg, University of Minnesota
Eng Her, Hmong Minnesota Association
Susan Lowe, Minneapolis Community College
Mario Prada, University of Minnesota - Crookston
Jane Ranum, MN State Senate
Barbara Shank, University of St. Thomas
Matthea Little Smith, MN Coalition for Battered Women
Debra Smith-McGee, Medical Institute of Minnesota
Donald Streufert, Center for Reducing Rural Violence
Carol Sullivan, MN Department of Education
Jamie Tiedemann, University of Minnesota
Mary Trippler, U. S. Department of Justice
Paul Tschida, University of Minnesota
Sheila Wellstone, Senator Wellstone's Office
The Minnesota State Legislature passed legislation in 1992 directing the Higher Education Coordinating Board (now the Higher Education Services Office) to survey recent college graduates in the state and evaluate the adequacy of the professional education they had received about violence and abuse. In February 1993 the Inventory of Post-Secondary Courses on Violence and Abuse* was published by the Higher Education Coordinating Board. A task force of higher education and licensing board representatives reviewed the survey results as well as an inventory of current courses on violence and abuse. Their recommendation to the State Legislature, found in the Report of the Task Force on Professional Education about Violence and Abuse,** was to establish a Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse.
The Legislature recognized the critical role of professional education in preparing graduates to be part of the state's strategy to reduce violence, abuse, and harassment by supporting the task force's recommendation. Legislation and funding to establish the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was part of the 1993 Minnesota Omnibus Crime bill.
Following the establishment of the Center in mid-1994, a plan was developed and implemented to systematically review nine professions for adequacy of violence prevention education and to determine if students were adequately prepared for their professional work as it pertained to violence-related issues.
Over a six month period in 1995 the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse convened four Task Forces: Law; Education; Health Services; and Human Services. These Task Forces were the culmination of a three year effort by the Higher Education Coordinating Board to ascertain the level of preparation students in Minnesota's higher education system received on violence prevention education and training. Once it was determined that student preparation in Minnesota higher education institutions is limited in the area of violence prevention education and training, each task force devoted considerable time and attention to the development of recommendations for revisions in student preparation, licensing and continuing education.
This report provides an overview of the work of the Task Forces, beginning with the Charge and ending with Recommendations for Change.
*The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office
** The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office
The Task Forces were charged with:
Violence education in nine professional higher education programs:
Task Force members examined:
and developed an intervention strategy in the form of recommendations and strategies for implementation.
The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse anticipates that when professionals are adequately prepared to intervene they will be more likely to:
It is with this thought in mind that the spirit of the Task Force work was established and sustained.
The Higher Education Coordinating Board conducted the initial survey of recent Minnesota college graduates, Recent Graduates Survey of Professional Education about Violence and Abuse: Results and Technical Report,* to determine the adequacy of preparation they received on violence issues (See Appendix A).
Table 1 illustrates the need for education on violence issues.
| Profession | Survey Responses | Percent saying their professional work required them to have an understanding of violence, abuse and harassment |
|---|---|---|
| Law | 136 | 80 |
| Law Enforcement | 150 | 93 |
| Nursing | 187 | 77 |
| Medicine | 102 | 86 |
| Psychology | 67 | 100 |
| Social Work | 82 | 98 |
| Teacher Education | 287 | 86 |
| School Administration / Guidance Counseling** | 56 | 98 |
*The complete report can be obtained form the Minnesota Center for Survey Research.
**These professions were combined because they have small numbers of recent graduates who are employed in their professions.
Over three hundred fifty (350) persons were nominated for the four Task Forces, which were organized by professional affiliation.
Each Task Force was composed of higher education faculty, practitioners, students, representatives from community organizations, licensing agencies, and citizen representatives. An effort was made to include a diverse group of people on each Task Force. Table 2 indicates gender, geographic and racial/ethnic diversity.
| Task Force | Male | Female | Greater Minnesota | Persons of Color | Total Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 8(44%) | 10(56%) | 7(39%) | 4(22%) | 18 |
| Health Services | 5(24%) | 16(76%) | 4(19%) | 2(5%) | 21 |
| Human Services | 8(33%) | 16(76%) | 4(17%) | 8(33%) | 24 |
| Education | 6(26%) | 17(74%) | 9(39%) | 4(17%) | 23 |
| Totals | 27(31%) | 59(69%) | 24(28%) | 18(21%) | 86 |
Members were also selected to represent a diverse range of organizations as indicated by the Task Force member list that follows (See Appendix B for a list of task force members by task force):
Task Force Members
Jerry Abbott, Bemidji Area Schools
Jim Ambuehl, Morrison County Sheriff's Department
Larry Anderson, University of Minnesota Police
Stephanie Anderson, University of Minnesota - Medical Student
William Anderson, Minnesota Board of Social Work
Richard Auld, Board of Medical Practice
Roberta Ballot, University of Minnesota Hospital &Clinic
Jan Bilden, Grand Rapids Public Schools
Lee Bird, St. Cloud State University
John Blanch, St. Cloud State University
Gaylia Borror, Winona State University
Don Bradel, Bemidji State University
Mary Brandl, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Willie Bridges, Hennepin County Attorney's Office
Kathy Carr, Bemidji State University Criminal Justice Student
Millie Caspersen, Hennepin County Medical Center
Bonnie Clairmont, Sexual Offense Services of Ramsey County
Michael Cline, Ramsey Family Physicians
Peg Corneille, Minnesota Board of Law Examiners
Richard Crawford, Minnesota Department of Corrections
Pat Cretilli, Mankato State University
Mike Cromett, William Mitchell College of Law
Laurie Desiderato, Bemidji State University
George Droubie, Minnesota Department of Education
Pam Elliott, Abbott and Associates
Adella Espelien, Minnesota Nurses Association
Patricia Frazier, University of Minnesota
Lou Fuller, Minnesota Department of Health
Lila George, Bemidji State University
Al Holloway, Model Cities Family Development Center
Jan Leslie Holtz, College of St. Benedict
Eileen Hudon, Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women
Ann Ibs, William Mitchell College of Law - Student
Barbara E. D. Johnson, Minnesota Board of Nursing
Roberta Jones, Hennepin County Attorney's Office
Mary Nell Kaiser, St. Paul Public Schools
Vivian Klauber, Normandale Community College
Mary Kay Klein, Benshoof &Klein, P.A.
Judith Knutson, College of St. Benedict
Trudy Kunkel, Mankato Department of Public Safety
Julie Landsman, Minneapolis Public Schools
John Laux/Peg Strand, Peace Officer Standards and Training Board
Jean Leicester, Winona State University
Harvey Linder, Minnesota Board of Psychology
Steve Lorenz, Range Technical College
William McGee, Hennepin County Attorney's Office
Michael McGrane, Wilder Community Assistance Program
Tim McGuire, Family Service Inc.
Geneva Middleton, Normandale Community College
Jeanette Milgrom, Walk-In Counseling Center
Mindy Mitnick, Uptown Mental Health Center
Ed Nadolny, Woodland Center
Darcia Narvaez, University of Minnesota
Willie Nesbit, Lakewood Community College
Maurice Nins, Jr., Save Our Sons, Inc.
Nadya Parker, University of Minnesota - Doctoral Student
Michele Peterson, University of Minnesota - Medical Student
Margaret Dexheimer Pharris, University of Minnesota - Doctoral Student
David Power, University of Minnesota
Mary Nell Preisler, Private Practice - Mediator
Pat Prinzevalle, Alexandra House
Michelle Proft, St. Cloud State University - Graduate Student
Elaine Prom, Minnesota Board of Teaching
Renee Rau, OSB, University of St. Thomas - Graduate Student
Sharon Rice Vaughan, Metropolitan State University
Nancy Riestenberg, Minnesota Department of Education
Karen Ristau, University of St. Thomas
Lloyd Rivers, Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association
Mark Schmitz, St. Cloud State University - Graduate Student
Jane Schulz, Minneapolis Public Schools
Nancy Schwartz, Dunwoody Institute
Joanne Seaberg, WomanKind
Barbara Shank, University of St. Thomas
Marjory Singher, Sexual Offense Services
Susan Smith-Cunnien, University of St. Thomas
Kate Steffens, Bemidji State University
Sonya Steven, Hennepin County Attorney?s Office
Judy TeBeest, 6W Community Corrections
Bo Thao, Hmong Youth Association
Renee Van Gorp, Fridley Public Schools
Mark S. Vukelich, Minnesota Medical Association
Ike Welborn, Ramsey Action Programs
Denise Wilder, Association of Minnesota Women Psychologists
Oliver Williams, University of Minnesota
Cindy Wold, University of Minnesota - Student
Beth Zemsky, University of Minnesota
Three meetings were conducted before this report was written and disseminated.
Each Task Force met for two days in April, one day in June, and one day in September. The first meeting was an overnight retreat to give members the opportunity to get to know each other as well as to provide them with a solid understanding of their charge.
Task Force members studied the two reports disseminated by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Rules and Statutes governing the related licensing agencies. Task Force members were also asked to examine current information on coursework, licensing and continuing education to determine if students were adequately prepared in the professional areas they were assigned (eg: The Law Task Force studied information from Law schools and Law Enforcement programs).
Table 3 provides an overview of the licensing, curriculum and continuing education requirements for the nine professions studied in this report.
| Profession | Number of Programs in State | Licensing Agency | Curriculum | Continuing Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 3 | Admitted to practice by MN Supreme Court upon recommendation of Board of Law Examiners | - Each law school has broad discretion
- No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum |
45 hours every three years |
| Law Enforcement | 15 | Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training | -Nature of violence and abuse and working with victims/offenders are integral parts of curriculum | 48 hours every three years |
| Nursing | 21 (RN)
24 (LPN) |
Board of Nursing | - Rules define outcomes
- No specific requirements for violence and abuse outcomes |
24 hours- RN
12 hours - LPN every two years |
| Medicine | 3 | Board of Medical Practice | - Established by degree or training program
- Driven by national testing requirements - No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum |
75 hours every three years |
| Psychology | 11 | Board of Psychology | - Curriculum requirements determined by faculty
- Programs do not have to be approved by Board of Psychology - No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum |
40 hours during preceding renewal period |
| Social Work | 14 undergraduate
4 graduate |
Board of Social Work (Exempt: city, county, state employees) | -Oppression, discrimination, cultural and social
diversity are required
- No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum |
30 hours per biennial license renewal |
| Teacher Education | 26 | Board of Teaching | - Rules establish skills and knowledge that must
be taught
- No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum |
125 clock hours every five years |
| School Administration | 6 | State Board of Education | - No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum | 125 clock hours every five years |
| Guidance Counseling | 6 | Board of Teaching | - No specific requirements for violence and abuse curriculum | 125 clock hours every five years |
A working definition of violence was given to Task Force members before beginning their work. The Minnesota Violence Prevention Advisory Task Force Report* of January 1995 defines violence as:
Words and actions that hurt people. Violence is the abusive or unjust exercise of power, intimidation, harassment, and/or the threatened or actual use of force which results in or has a high likelihood of causing hurt, fear, injury, suffering, or death.
Each task force approached this definition in a different way; some modified the definition while others simply referred to it periodically throughout their work.
Violence, for the purpose of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse, is understood to include not only violent "street" crimes, but also domestic violence, rape, child abuse and neglect, abuse of vulnerable adults, harassment based on gender, race, sexual orientation, hate/bias crimes, sexual exploitation of clients, and all other forms of violence, abuse and harassment.
*The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety
The four task force groups each approached their charge in a different way. However, all developed recommendations that involve higher education institutions, licensing agencies and continuing education providers. In addition, some recommendations include statements focused on the Minnesota State Legislature as well as professional associations/organizations.
The nine individual reports each focus on a specific profession and include:
Fifty-six (56) recommendations were made, although no fixed number was expected. The number of recommendations is based on task force members' perceptions of the needs of their specific field. Table 4 illustrates the total number of recommendations per profession and in which area the recommendations were made. Recommendations made in Preparation will be of interest to higher education institutions. Recommendations made in Licensing and Continuing Education will be of interest to licensing boards and professional associations.
| Profession | Preparation | Licensing | Continuing Education | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Law Enforcement | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Nursing | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Medicine | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Psychology | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Social Work | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Teacher Education | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| School Administration | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Guidance Counseling | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Totals | 19 | 18 | 19 | 56 |
Emerging Themes
Several critical themes emerged across professions and task forces:
These critical themes helped set the philosophical framework for the development of the recommendations and apply to all nine professions studied in this report. Some of the professions included these general themes in their recommendations and others felt that a statement in their introduction would help set the tone of their report.
Two Final Points:
First, the reader should know that task force members struggled with word usage when designing their recommendations. Although "should" may have been more appropriate as a directive for making recommendations, "will" was chosen to articulate that these recommendations are aspirational in nature. We implore the reader not to ignore the content of the recommendations simply because of the word "will." We do not have a mandate, nor do we wish to offend anyone. We simply felt strongly about our charge.
Second, the list of "strategies" following each recommendation is certainly not exhaustive. We encourage the reader to develop and design additional strategies, if necessary, to assure that the recommendations are implemented. In addition, the reader is encouraged to review the Executive Summary for a list of all 56 recommendations, many of which are pertinent to all professions studied.
Introduction
In meeting its charge to prevent and respond to violence through the education of professionals who are likely to work with victims/survivors and offenders, the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse appropriately focused the attention of one of its task forces on the training and education of lawyers.
Lawyers are accorded status and power through their admission to the bar. They can make a significant impact on society through their actions as attorneys and citizens. Even in the face of contemporary disillusionment over the justice system and its faults, they are looked upon to establish and uphold the aspirational, ethical mores of our society as "ministers of justice."
While such a perspective on lawyering may well seem archaic to some, it is in fact reflected in the view of lawyers incorporated into the preamble to The Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers, which states:
A lawyer is....a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice....As a member of a learned profession, a lawyer should cultivate knowledge of the law beyond its use for clients, employ that knowledge in reform of the law, and work to strengthen legal education.
Thus, lawyers play a critical role in shaping our culture's direction. They can be significant actors in working toward a less violent society.
The Law Task Force reviewed surveys of recent law graduates by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and also reviewed course offerings from Minnesota law schools. Both reflected the same pattern: integrated training as to issues of violence and abuse identification and prevention is significantly lacking in current law school and continuing education curricula. While acknowledging the need for specific law-related course content in those venues, the Law Task Force nonetheless strongly endorses specific training that will better enable lawyers-throughout all aspects of their professional life-to understand, identify and address the causes of violence and abuse.
Sonya Steven, Attorney
Law Task Force Member
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Minnesota's law schools will offer a comprehensive curriculum
that prepares law school students to understand, identify and
address the causes and effects of violence and abuse.
Rationale:
Eighty percent (80%) of recent law school graduates
responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey
stated their work has required them to understand issues
related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).
Strategies:
Law school curriculum on violence and abuse issues will
include:
Recommendation #2:
Minnesota's law schools will design and offer internship
opportunities/experiences relating to violence and abuse for
all law school students.
Rationale:
Internships in organizations that work with victims/survivors
and perpetrators of violent crime will enhance the skills
component of curriculum that is not currently found in
existing coursework.
Strategies:
Recommendation #3:
Minnesota's law schools will encourage and support at least
one faculty member who has expertise in violence
education.
Rationale:
Identifying and designating one or more faculty member(s)
with the knowledge base and understanding of violence issues
would provide resources at each law school.
Strategies:
Recommendation #4:
Law school admissions officers will ask all potential law
school students if they have ever been convicted of or
pleaded guilty to a violent crime.
Rationale:
Standards for admission to law school should be high. Asking
about criminal background at this stage would reinforce the
expectation that attorneys will be held to the highest
standards.
Strategies:
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
All applicants to the Bar will be required to disclose
criminal convictions. All practicing attorneys will be
required to report criminal convictions prior to license
renewal.
Rationale:
Attorneys are perceived as community leaders, dedicated to
upholding the law, and as such, should be worthy of holding a
license.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
Appropriate certification boards will create a specialization
in law relative to crimes of violence which requires specific
education.
Rationale:
Violence in our society is escalating. Creating a
specialization in this area would: assure citizens of
attorney competency; provide support for attorneys interested
in this issue; recognize the importance of violence issues in
the study of law; and provide other attorneys with colleagues
that are resources.
Strategies:
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
Providers who produce "Bridge the Gap" programs for recent
law school graduates will include a section on violence and
abuse issues.
Rationale:
Although not mandatory, many attorneys attend this course.
Including a section on violence and abuse would give new
attorneys one more opportunity to gain knowledge in this
area.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse or a
similar organization will provide resources for law school
and continuing legal education faculty, students and
attorneys to access information on violence and abuse
issues.
Rationale:
A single center that would act as a clearinghouse for
faculty, students and attorneys would provide easy access and
up-to-date information on violence issues.
Strategies:
Recommendation #3:
The Continuing Legal Education Board will expand their course
approval criteria so that courses/workshops addressing
violence and abuse education that relate to the practice of
law are recognized for credit.
Rationale:
Current credit approval criteria may exclude violence and
abuse curricula. Expanding criteria would allow for more
continuing legal education credit around violence issues.
Strategy:
The Continuing Legal Education Board will review and expand
criteria to include training related to violence and abuse
issues.
Recommendation #4:
Minnesota's providers of continuing legal education will
sponsor/provide more quality programs on violence and abuse
issues.
Rationale:
Attorneys have recognized a shortage of quality
workshops/courses on violence issues available to attend.
Strategy:
The Continuing Legal Education Board will contact continuing
legal education providers and request that they make an
effort to provide quality programs in the area of violence
and abuse and to make certain that programs are current and
taught by competent, experienced persons.
Introduction
The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse describes itself in part, as working with organizations to develop higher education programs that prepare professionals to provide safety and services to victims/survivors of violence, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and address the root causes of violence.
As with many of our social ills, law enforcement is the gateway to government's response to the call for help. With rare exception, if law enforcement, as a first responder, does not answer the call in an appropriate manner, that which follows may at best be inadequate or in the least find no subsequent response taking place. Law enforcement officials respond to much more than visible injuries when confronted with issues of violence. The responding peace officer must be prepared to offer options to the victim, deal with the emotional and psychological trauma of the moment, understand the cultural differences of those seeking help, and be knowledgeable about the other important issues involving violence.
All involved in this issue of violence have an important role to play with law enforcement: the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board must adopt realistic and effective learning objectives; higher education must equip candidates with proper foundation; and administrators must continually train and update their police and peace officers on state-of-the-art responses.
A collaborative response to violence from these entities built on understanding, compassion and training will ensure the response from law enforcement will always be the best humankind can offer.
John Laux, Executive Director, Minnesota Board of Peace Officer
Standards and Training
Law Task Force Member
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Law enforcement faculty will be knowledgeable about current
violence issues and know how to turn theory into
practice.
Rationale:
Law enforcement is a direct-service field and faculty need to
provide students with a realistic view of what to expect as a
licensed peace officer in the areas of violence and
abuse.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
The Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Board
will review current curriculum objectives relating to
violence and abuse to determine if they are translating into
effective law enforcement practice.
Rationale:
Although learning objectives currently address some violence
and abuse issues, there is a concern among law enforcement
professionals that learning objectives which currently
address violence and abuse issues do not include sensitivity
and understanding of this issue in practice.
Strategies:
Recommendation #3:
Minnesota's law enforcement schools will create experiential
learning opportunities in areas related to violence and abuse
for law enforcement students.
Rationale:
The more exposure a student has to appropriate interventions
in violent situations, the more adequately prepared s/he will
be for duty.
Strategies:
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
The P.O.S.T. Board will define "conduct unbecoming an
officer" which will include patterns of physical, sexual or
emotional abuse or harassment, even short of a criminal
conviction.
Rationale:
The citizens of Minnesota must be assured that officers are
held to the highest standard.
Strategy:
The P.O.S.T. Board will amend their Rules to include this
recommendation.
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
A comprehensive continuing education curriculum will be
developed to address violence and abuse issues.
Rationale:
Ninety-three percent (93%) of new law enforcement officers
responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey
stated their work required them to have an understanding of
violence and abuse issues (See Appendix A).
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
The P.O.S.T. Board will centralize information about violence
and abuse training available for licensed peace officers for
continuing education credit.
Rationale:
Peace officers will be able to access information on violence
and abuse in an efficient and easy manner. Currently, there
is not a central location that houses this information.
Strategies:
Introduction
Nurses, regardless of their educational preparation, scope of practice, or practice setting can expect to frequently interact with victims and perpetrators of violence and abuse. Assessment, planning, providing care and evaluation are the essential actions carried out by nurses, who work either independently or in collaboration with other health team members to maximize the health potential of individuals and populations. Increasingly in their practices, nurses are responsible for the primary care of individuals and primary prevention and health promotion efforts in communities. In this capacity, nurses play a significant role in preventing, assessing, and treating victims of violence.
Recognizing the need for nurses to be adequately prepared to intervene in situations where involvement in violent behavior is an issue, the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board surveyed 187 nurses, identified through licensing board records, who are currently employed as nurses and who graduated within the past five years with a nursing degree from a Minnesota institution of higher education. The survey was designed to determine nurses? sense of preparedness in dealing with situations involving violence and to develop a plan to adequately educate nursing professionals so that they understand the prevalence and causes of violence and respond appropriately to the victims, survivors and perpetrators of violence for whom it is their duty to care.
The survey results indicated that seventy-seven percent (77%) of nurses reported being in a work environment requiring an understanding of violence, abuse or harassment. Between sixty and eighty percent (60%-80%) of nurses surveyed reported feeling inadequately prepared by their nursing education to work with victims and offenders, deal with hate crimes and racism and prevent violence, abuse, and harassment. The areas deemed "most important" in developing future curricula by the nurses surveyed were: child abuse and neglect; abuse of vulnerable adults; identification and prevention of violence, abuse, and harassment; and sexual violence. A survey of all of the schools of nursing in Minnesota showed that all but one program preparing registered nurses and two programs preparing practical nurses offer courses that include violence and abuse issues.
In developing recommendations, the Health Services Task Force discovered that nursing is unique in the way essential curricula is mandated. Unlike boards governing other professions, the Minnesota Board of Nursing stipulates a set of necessary nursing abilities. Under this system, schools of nursing are given complete autonomy in determining the method in which they will prepare their students to meet the essential nursing outcomes. These outcomes are evaluated directly as well as by scores on the national licensing exam. Therefore, in order to impact curricula, it is essential that the items on the nursing licensing exam include questions assessing adequacy of knowledge regarding the prevention and treatment of violence, abuse and harassment and that the necessary nursing abilities stipulated in the Rules Relating to the Minnesota Board of Nursing include abilities related to violence prevention, assessment and treatment.
A working task force group of nurses developed the following set of recommendations for state-wide changes in nursing preparation, licensing and continuing education so that adequate training of all nurses could be assured in the areas of violence prevention and the treatment of victims, survivors and perpetrators of violent acts.
Roberta Ballot, Nurse
Margaret Dexheimier Pharris, Nurse
Health Services Task Force
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Key nursing abilities on issues of violence and abuse will be
included and integrated into existing nursing outcomes, as
appropriate for the scope of practice.
Rationale:
Currently there are no specific requirements for violence and
abuse educational outcomes in nursing school, yet
seventy-seven percent (77%) of recent nursing graduates
responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey
stated their work has required them to understand issues
related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).
Strategy:
Key nursing abilities will include:
Recommendation #2:
All nursing students will attend self-awareness strategizing
seminars addressing violence and abuse as part of their
educational curriculum.
Rationale:
It is recognized that persons entering helping fields often
have their own issues to address and if these issues are not
explored they may interfere in practice.
Strategies:
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing will be
requested to include questions addressing violence and abuse
in the Job Analysis Study so they could potentially be
included on the National Board Exam.
Rationale:
One identifiable way to impact nursing program outcomes is to
include questions pertaining to violence and abuse on the
licensing exam. This would reinforce the importance of
violence and abuse education.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) in conjunction with
other health associations will lobby for the Legislature to
create a statute that would mandate workplace environments
that are free of physical violence and verbal abuse (similar
to OSHA standards).
Rationale:
The MNA contract with Twin Cities hospitals provides a model
for safe workplace environments, free of physical violence
and verbal abuse. This contract will be used as a statewide
model because nurses are at the primary, secondary, and
tertiary level of violence prevention.
Strategies:
Recommendation #3:
In the Rules Relating to the Minnesota Board of Nursing
definitions and abilities will be made to include violence
and abuse.
Rationale:
Adding definitions and abilities to the Rules ensures that
nursing programs will include this topic in their
curriculum.
Strategies:
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
A statewide directory of resources will be developed of
continuing education providers for health care professionals
in the areas of violence and abuse.
Rationale:
There is currently a tremendous amount of variety in how
education is, and can be, delivered. Nursing educators need
to know how to access programs and what continuing education
programs are available on this issue.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
With regard to key nursing abilities (Recommendation #1 -
Preparation, continuing education courses will address
ethics, racial, cultural and sexual orientation sensitivity,
utilizing case discussion and practical clinical
guidelines.
Rationale:
Requiring continuing education providers to include these
areas in their programming will ensure that standards and
quality are established and maintained.
Strategies:
Introduction
Violence in America has been recognized as both an epidemic and as a public health emergency. The morbidity and mortality from interpersonal violence continues to climb. It is estimated that up to twenty-five to thirty-five percent (25% to 35%) of women who seek care in emergency departments are there as a result of domestic violence. In very few of these cases is domestic violence identified by physicians as a factor in their presenting condition.
Physicians in nearly every field of medicine are in a unique position to recognize the manifestations of violence, be advocates for its victims/survivors, and provide the necessary intervention. The American Medical Association, state medical associations (notably the Minnesota Medical Association), and numerous medical specialty organizations have recognized the magnitude of the problem of violence and are promoting and supporting educational programs to increase physician knowledge of the causes, manifestations and harmful effects of interpersonal violence.
The survey conducted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board polled recent medical school graduates in Minnesota to evaluate the professional education these graduates received regarding violence and abuse. Eighty-six percent (86%) of the respondents recognized that an understanding of violence, abuse and harassment is needed to do their jobs. Many violence issues were seen by these individuals as very important to the education of physicians. The top five issues identified as needing more emphasis were: the identification of violence, abuse, and harassment; child abuse and neglect; abuse and harassment; domestic abuse; and abuse of vulnerable adults.
The physicians group of the Health Services Task Force of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was charged with the task of determining the adequacy of violence and abuse education in the preparation (medical school and residency training), licensing and continuing education of physicians. Based on that review, the task force has made recommendations and advised strategies for meeting these education needs.
John Blanch, Physician
Health Services Task Force Member
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Education on violence and abuse will be a part of every
medical student's and resident physician's education.
Rationale:
Information impacts behavior; giving medical students the
language, vocabulary, sensitivity and questions to ask will
assure a more accurate patient history, diagnosis and
treatment plan.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
The Board of Medical Practice and the Minnesota Medical
Association will work with the state medical schools to
infuse issues of medical jurisprudence, including issues of
violence and abuse, into medical school curriculum.
Rationale:
Given that there is no Minnesota State Medical Exam, the task
force felt Minnesota medical schools should be the initial
focus of discussion on this topic.
Strategy:
The Board of Medical Practice and the Minnesota Medical
Association will meet with representatives of medical schools
to implement this recommendation.
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice will work with the
Minnesota Medical Association in contacting the American
Medical Association and the Federation of State Medical
Boards to urge the inclusion of items related to violence and
abuse in future standardized professional examinations.
Rationale:
Eighty-six percent (86%) of new physicians surveyed by the
Higher Education Coordinating Board stated their work
required them to understand issues related to violence and
abuse (See Appendix A).
Strategy:
The Board of Medical Practice will assign someone to review
and implement this recommendation.
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice will strongly
encourage health professionals, employers and professional
associations to create incentives for all practitioners to
take continuing education violence prevention training.
Rationale:
All physicians interface with violence and abuse. Incentives
create more of a cooperative effort among associations,
employers and practitioners.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
All specialty boards will include violence and abuse in their
educational and testing requirements.
Rationale:
Within each specialty a significant number of patients will
be affected by violence and abuse.
Strategies:
Introduction
Violence, abuse and harassment are issues that all psychologists encounter in their work. Wherever psychologists work--in clinical, organizational or academic settings--knowledge about violence, its causes and effects is an essential part of our job. All psychologists must be prepared to address these concerns with their clients, students, trainees, and colleagues.
However, there is startlingly little coursework on violence in the curriculum of Minnesota graduate training programs in psychology. Almost three-quarters of recent graduates from advanced degree programs in psychology report that they did not gain knowledge about violence, abuse and harassment from coursework. These recent graduates overwhelmingly describe the need to develop more graduate coursework on violence-related issues for future psychologists.
Most psychologists currently working were not offered violence-related coursework in their graduate training. These psychologists need continuing education opportunities to obtain and maintain the knowledge and skills to work with violence and abuse related issues.
As a profession we must recognize the urgent need for psychology to identify and intervene in violence at individual, family, institutional and cultural levels. The goal of psychologists on the Human Services Task Force in offering the following recommendations, is to increase the likelihood that we will be able to address that need responsibly and effectively.
Mindy Mitnick, Psychologist
Denise Wilder, Psychologist
Human Services Task Force Members
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Psychology students at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels will be educated on violence and abuse issues through
coursework and/or other learning opportunities including
practica, internships, research opportunities and independent
study.
Rationale:
Violence is a pervasive social issue. One hundred percent
(100%) of the new psychologists surveyed by the Higher
Education Coordinating Board stated that their work has
required them to understand issues related to violence, yet
they did not receive adequate training in this area (See
Appendix A).
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
Each higher education institution in Minnesota will ensure
the assessment of their psychology faculty's expertise on
violence issues.
Rationale:
Instructors teaching psychology courses must have knowledge
about violence issues or experience in delivering such course
work in order to give students a realistic view of the
profession.
Strategies:
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
In order to be re-licensed in the state of Minnesota, a
psychologist must have four (4) hours of continuing education
on violence and abuse issues per renewal period.
Rationale:
Most Task Force members felt that it was important that at
least ten percent (10%) of the continuing education
requirement be devoted to violence and abuse issues in order
to correct the deficiency in coursework preparation and
ensure that psychologists are current in this field.
Strategies:
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
Continuing education courses on violence and abuse will be
more diverse and accessible to psychologists around the
state.
Rationale:
Given that violence and abuse are a statewide problem, and
access to continuing education is important, courses should
be offered that are more diverse and accessible to
professionals statewide.
Strategies:
Introduction
Social work strives to understand people within their situation. It has recognized the importance of understanding how people and their environments affect each other. Environments which are abusive or violent have a violent impact on the people who live within them: people who are violent have a destructive impact on the environments they occupy.
Violence is endemic to our society. When considering the separate processes of learning and applying what one has learned, it is important for social workers to bear the following principles in mind:
The profession's tradition of meeting people where they are compels social workers to continue the process of knowledge building about the interaction between abusive environments, violent people and those affected by them. The purpose of such knowledge-building is to better understand and more effectively intervene with people who are in violent and abusive situations.
The ultimate aim of better understanding and effective intervention is change. We live in a society which needs to change its habit of resorting to violence to establish and maintain relationships.
Understand. Intervene. Change. The recommendations of the Social Work professionals on the Human Services Task Force reflect the importance of this process and embody a spirit of urgency directed to all those in human service who desire to make a difference in responding to violence and abuse. We must continually train ourselves to recognize and change situations of violence and abuse. By doing so, perhaps we will help our society arrive at that point described by the German poet Schiller in which "Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful."
Tim McGuire, Social Worker
Human Services Task Force Member
Preparation
Recommendation #1:
Social work students at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels will be educated on violence and abuse issues through
coursework and/or other learning opportunities including
practica, internships, research opportunities and independent
study.
Rationale:
Ninety-eight percent (98%) of recent social work graduates
surveyed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board stated
their work has required them to understand issues related to
violence and abuse (See Appendix A). Implementing this
recommendation will provide students with a comprehensive
curriculum on violence education.
Strategies:
Licensing
Recommendation #1:
The Minnesota Board of Social Work will work to ensure that
applicants for a social work license are tested on knowledge
of violence and abuse-related issues, including mandated
reporting laws.
Rationale:
Social workers spend a significant amount of time working
with victims and offenders of violent crime. Before being
allowed to practice, they should be tested for competency in
this area.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
In order to be re-licensed in the state of Minnesota, a
social worker must have ten percent (10%) of continuing
education units on violence and abuse issues per renewal
period.
Rationale:
Mandating continuing education units provides some assurance
that all social workers are exposed to the issue of violence
and abuse.
Strategies:
Continuing Education
Recommendation #1:
The Board of Social Work will recognize service learning on
violence-related issues and allow continuing education units
to be used for experiential learning.
Rationale:
Experiential learning is a valid and valuable form of
learning about violence and abuse and should be credited
toward a social worker's continuing education
requirement.
Strategies:
Recommendation #2:
Continuing education courses on violence and abuse will be of
high quality, diverse and accessible to all social
workers.
Rationale:
Given that violence and abuse are a statewide problem, and
access to continuing education statewide is important,
courses should be offered that are more diverse, of higher
quality and more easily accessible to professionals statewide
(ex: financially, geographically, to persons with
disabilities, etc.)
Strategies:
Introduction
There is no question in the minds of thoughtful citizens of any political persuasion in the United States that violence in this country is at a dangerous level. This understanding, combined with the fact that there is an increase in violent crimes committed by young people, makes violence prevention and conflict resolution education a number one priority for all institutions from pre-school to college.
Despite the urgency of our situation as classroom teachers and as teacher trainers, there is neither a required course in violence prevention nor required continuing education work in methods of dealing with abuse and neglect. In a survey conducted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board eighty-seven percent (87%) of educators saw the necessity for developing new courses and workshops in the areas of child abuse and neglect, prevention of violence and harassment, sexual violence and racial and cultural sensitivity. Their top issue, above all the others, however, was the need for further work in the identification of violence, abuse and harassment.
Educators are giving us a mandate to find useful ways to help them in their classrooms, be they new teachers or those with many years behind them. At the present moment teachers have to learn about these issues on their own, while at the same time, their work in the schools has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse.
There are many ways to help teachers: training in peer mediation techniques, classroom management techniques, workshops in identification of abused children and reporting procedures. Changing general attitudes toward women and young people of color can also be part of instruction in prevention of violence. Mentoring, community involvement and parent support groups are several ways schools can reach out to their local districts and neighborhoods for help. It is no longer just a question of such coursework being a frill, or an add-on in our work in the classrooms of this country. The conclusion of the educators on this Task Force was that violence prevention education is basic to successful education for all teachers and for all students in our schools. The rate at which young people are resorting to violence, the availability of weapons and the climate of our country at present make such education a top priority for all of us who are concerned about our students, and our sons and daughters.
Julie Landsman, Teacher
Education Task Force Member
Preparation
Recommendation #1: Students enrolled in higher education teacher preparation programs will be required to take a course on violence education.
Rationale: