Changes in Capacity Among Local Coordinated Community Response Coalitions (CCRs) Supported by the DELTA Program

Coalitions are often the means through which communities plan and coordinate services for individuals and address larger environmental issues associated with social problems. Since 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported local coordinated community response coalitions (CCRs) in 14 states to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) through its Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative evaluation data from 2003 and 2006 from DELTA-funded CCRs (N = 59), this article reports on improvements in internal CCR capacity and external supports that can affect the ability of CCRs to prevent IPV. Data are examined through the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) to convey how CCR internal capacity and external supports contribute to the substantial infrastructure needed to effectively address IPV. Family social workers will gain an understanding of the capacities needed by CCRs to prevent IPV, the multiple organizations and systems that support the work of these CCRs, and how they themselves can work to strengthen the capacities of local coalitions that address IPV.