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Developing and Enhancing a Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program

Supporting Safety and Change

Strategies for Engaging with Fathers Who Use Intimate Partner Abuse in Supervised Visitation Programs

In this two-part series, we introduce Pathways to Accountability. This approach enhances the safety and well-being of adult and child survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA) by working with fathers who have abused them. The approach is based on three fundamental ideas: Fathers (and other people) who have used IPA can be held accountable and supported to change simultaneously; accountability can be achieved both through systems and personal relationships, and fatherhood can be a powerful motivator for behavior change in people who use violence. 

We explored:

  • The connection between working with fathers who have been abusive and enhancing the safety of adult and child survivors. 

  • How visitation programs can work to engage men who use IPA using fatherhood as a leading motivator.

  • Some strategies and tools supervised visitation program staff can use to engage fathers in changing their behavior.

Video Session Part 1:


Video Session Part 2:

Through partnership, care, and survivor-centered practice, Inspire helps communities create safe, healing-focused visitation and exchange services that interrupt post-separation abuse.

This offering was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GK-05165-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence against Women.