This Network is dedicated to the observation that family violence in it's many forms is a pernicious cancer in the body of our society and there are many people, agencies, and organizations who are dedicated to intervening against it.  While there are many strategies for intervention, the one that always works better than its alternatives is working together.  Collaboration between stakeholders always works better than either indifference or competition.

The St. Louis Family Violence Network is dedicate to removing the barriers to working together.

Issue: those factors which disrupt the stability and health of families and harm persons who are members of those families

Stakeholders: those persons, agencies, and organizations which understand themselves as having a primary responsibility to support the welfare of families and their members

Process:

·         One strategy which always works better than its alternatives is working together.

·         One barrier to working together is that we see the issues from different, sometimes opposing perspectives.

·         Our goal is support collaboration by identifying and addressing those competing perspectives in a manner which seeks to

o   honor the integrity of each stakeholder,

o   appreciate the validity of all perspectives,

o   identify the impacts of various strategies,

o   without favoring one strategy over another.

Mechanisms:

Free and open communication about what members are doing and what barriers to services exist

Identification of competing perspectives

Construction of forums for exploring the perspectives themselves as well as the consequences of the strategies which arise from those points of view.  [These forums may occur online, in small conversations, in classrooms, and in public events.]

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