Making the Case for Domestic Violence Prevention Through the Lens of Cost-Benefit
A Manual for Domestic Violence Prevention Practitioners
(and the State and Local Policy-Makers They Present to)
Change in the Initial Investment
The benefit of the costs of the prevention program may be increased by a change in the initial investment.
For example, if the initial investment in certain essential aspects of the prevention program were increased, then the benefits could also increase. On the other hand, were the prevention program inefficient in certain areas of its program expenses, and this inefficiency were corrected, thereby allowing for a reduction in the initial investment, the benefits would also increase.
It is important to keep in mind that putting more money into a program, making a higher initial investment, is not always a guarantee of a greater cost-benefit.
The Value of a Collaborative Model
The No Way! Curriculum (cost $2,730) from Lake County, California, is provided through partners as an integrated community response. Using a Training of Trainers models is more cost-effective than training organizations individually. For instance, the domestic violence service provider (SLCS) will provide two 2-hour sessions monthly for a total of twenty-four participants. This equals 48 hours of received instruction monthly with a yield of 576 hours of instruction annually and a cost of $4.74 per hour.
Currently, the Lake County Domestic Violence Prevention Council is preparing to have seven other agencies join our facilitating agency. Each is committed to one 2-hour session monthly; seven sessions to twelve participants for a total of 168 hours of instruction per month x 12 = 2,106 hours annually. But by using the collaborative model, the No Way! Curriculum will provide 2,592 hours of instruction at a cost of $1.05 per hour versus the cost of $4.74 per hour for the single (SLCS) community response of 576 hours. The adjusted offset cost-effectiveness ratio for the curriculum use is $1:00:$4.51.
Now, if we also factor in the benefit of having seven facilitators also volunteer their locations, we would have an increased value to space due to collaboration of 7 x $50 per location = $350 for all sites x 12 months = $4,200 versus $600 ($50 x 12 months) for just one agency. The adjusted cost-effectiveness ratio for space is $1:$14.
Finally, if we also factor in the benefit of having seven additional presenters providing two hours plus preparation and travel time = 4 hours x $15 per hour x 7 per month = $420 per month x 12 months = $5,040 versus $720. The adjusted cost-effectiveness ratio for presenters is $1:$14 as well.
Overall, this is a cost-effectiveness of $1:$6.17. That is truly leveraging cost and benefit of collaboration with eight collaborators.
For more information, contact Rae Eby-Carl, Deputy Director, Lake Family Resource Center (formerly Sutter Lakeside Community Services) at: EbyCarR@sutterhealth.org.