Examining Domestic Violence High Risk Teams: A Qualitative Assessment of this Promising Approach in Massachusetts

Lethality assessment and specialized responses to high-risk cases are components of growing efforts to reduce domestic violence homicide – a critical public health and law enforcement issue. Domestic violence high risk team (DVHRT) models feature multi-disciplinary teams collaborating to identify acute cases and mobilizing to increase victim safety by containing offenders and providing comprehensive victim services. While a set of simple elements commonly define DVHRT models, there is wide variation in how teams are structured, what objectives and activities they pursue, and what resources are deployed. This research examined a sample of DVHRTs providing service in 100 communities throughout Massachusetts and provides information about the variation that has emerged in their pursuit of a common goal. Key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from ten DVHRTs, seven immigrant and refugee victim service agencies, and two LGBTQ-focused DV agencies. Interviews addressed perceptions of the DVHRT process as well as each collaborating organizations’ contributions to the process, including risk assessment utilization, decision-making criteria, and interagency collaboration strategies. DVHRTs were found to be comprised of a wide range of interagency collaborations and processes, to vary in terms of focus on offender containment versus victim services, and to offer widely divergent kinds of services.  DVHRT models have the potential to improve collaboration and strengthen responses to the highest-risk cases, but the teams studied have significant limitations and needs, such as funding for coordinators, greater language capacity, and risk assessment tools tailored for use with LGBTQ, immigrant, and refugee populations.