National Domestic Violence Awareness Project

NEW Resources to Support Pregnant Survivors of Abuse

Pregnant women’s experiences and needs for emotional support, physical well-being, access to healthcare and other community-based services are significantly different from women who are not pregnant. For pregnant women also dealing with past or current domestic violence and currently residing in a domestic violence shelter or safe house, the multitude of experiences and needs may be even greater. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence has created Technical Assistance Guidance to address the intersection of these issues and will be hosting a webinar to explore this topic further. See below to register today!

NEW! Technical Assistance Guidance
Birth Doulas and Shelter Advocates: Creating Partnerships and Building Capacity by Fern Gilkerson and Kenya Fairley for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (April 2014)
The goal of this Technical Assistance Guidance is to provide information for both victim advocates working in shelter and birth doulas on the impact of trauma in pregnancy and childbirth, and to outline how a partnership between these two communities may be of benefit to pregnant survivors of domestic violence.

FREE! Webinar
Trauma-Informed Birth Support for Survivors of Abuse
Monday, April 21st from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EST
Domestic violence victim advocates must provide advocacy and counseling that considers survivors’ pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum needs. A birth doula,or childbirth companion, tends to be an untapped resource in the community for survivors of abuse residing in safe shelter. Domestic violence shelters that partner with doulas can offer specialized program services to enhance support and safety options for pregnant women. Participate in this webinar session to learn more about the impact of experiencing domestic violence trauma, past or present, on pregnant women and their childbirth experience. This webinar is for domestic violence victim advocates, shelter advocates, doulas, and other birth professionals.
Register at http://bwjp.ilinc.com/register/rkxymsy.