Partnerships

Many factors influence violence in relationships, homes, and communities. Preventing violence in a comprehensive way requires the involvement and support of a wide array of partners—public, private, and community-based, and at all levels of the government. Given their specialized expertise, partnering with sectors such as education, social services, justice, and others is vital to violence prevention; public health cannot do it alone. Community members, representatives, and leaders, including individuals with lived experience, are essential to involve at every stage of the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes. Building and strengthening relationships with communities most impacted is critical to understanding the problem, setting relevant goals, and achieving outcomes that advance violence prevention. By including community-based organizations as partners you have the potential to broaden support for the violence prevention efforts. When you coordinate with external partners, understand and address barriers to participation and engagement. Recruit partners in ways that respect their time and effort, reflect an understanding of context, and foster their capacity to act. Focus on working with marginalized groups and building power to ensure those communities most impacted by violence can lead the work.

Given their specialized expertise, sectors such as education, social services, justice, and others are vital to violence prevention; public health cannot do it alone.