PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Teri Stoddard, 301-801-0608, tstoddard@saveservices.org
WASHINGTON / December 28, 2010 — Our nation’s decades-long effort to curb domestic violence rests on the three-legged stool of criminal justice programs, shelter services, and training, education, and public awareness. Criminal justice programs and shelters are already monitored by a variety of regulatory and professional oversight bodies.
But how do we know that abuse information that is disseminated to police officers, judges, and the general public is accurate, unbiased, and up-to-date? Philip Cook, author of Abused Men, believes “there is more false, falsely framed, or disingenuously deceptive information about domestic violence than any other significant public and social issue.”
To address this need, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments – SAVE – has established the TEPA (Training, Education, and Public Awareness) Accreditation Program. The program provides a Good Housekeeping-type “Seal of Approval” to educational programs offered by professional and trade organizations, state domestic violence coalitions, abuse shelters, and governmental entities. SAVE expects the accreditation program will promote evidence-based policies and more effective abuse-reduction programs.
For more information about the TEPA Accreditation Program, see: http://www.saveservices.org/policymakers/
SAVE is a 501c3 organization devoted to ending domestic violence.