Advocacy Responses to Intimate Partner Stalking: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Level Practices

Domestic violence victim advocacy is an integral part of the response to intimate partner stalking (IPS). However, research specifically examining the strategies that advocates use to support survivors of stalking is limited. The present study aims to expand the knowledge base on advocates’ practices with survivors of IPS. Through inductive analysis of interviews with 26 domestic violence victim advocates, advocates’ responses to IPS were examined. Findings indicated that advocates used macro, mezzo and micro level practices to respond to IPS. Micro level responses included advising clients to create logs of stalking behaviors, keeping detailed case notes of stalking behaviors disclosed in meetings with clients, and engaging in survivor centered safety planning that considered both emotional and physical well-being. Mezzo level responses involved working in community-based response models to improve justice and child welfare system responses to IPS. Macro level responses included successfully advocating for changes to state law to incorporate stalking behaviors as criteria for obtaining and enforcing orders of protection. Implications for advocacy include engaging in survivor centered safety planning and working collaboratively with survivors to gather evidence of stalking, developing policies mandating education about intimate partner violence in child welfare systems, establishing cross-training and informal relationships with law enforcement and CPS caseworkers, and mentorship and coalition building to facilitate legislative advocacy.