Program improving public health response to intimate partner violence receives second year of funding 

Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) is excited to announce a second year of its Survivor Link + Public Health AmeriCorps program, in partnership with the Office of Gender-Based Violence at Arizona State University. 

The program provides financial support for SP2 students to join a cohort of over 100 social work students from across the U.S. engaging in AmeriCorps service to support survivors of domestic violence. The Survivor Link program supports public health initiatives to address domestic violence by building capacity in public health agencies, promoting evidence-based interventions, and educating communities about intimate partner violence (IPV). SP2 is one of 15 institutions across 11 states to join the initiative. 

Assistant Professor Millan AbiNader, PhD, LMSW, and the Field Office manage the program at SP2, which includes funding for field placements at local nonprofits, training, and networking nationwide with other social work students dedicated to disrupting gender-based violence.

Participating students receive domestic violence training by national experts in IPV and preparation for a career in domestic violence and public health. Students are prepared to deliver trainings to staff at their field placements, which will increase their capacity to support survivor-clients. 

In the first year of Survivor Link + Public Health AmeriCorps, members engaged in 46,502 hours of service and trained 1,559 people across 188 agencies to more effectively respond to IPV.