Enhancing Professional Skills and Raising Awareness on Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Shelter Services (EPRAS)

The project, coordinated by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, develops and implements an electronic, web-based training package for the police and social welfare and health care professionals for how to identify, encounter and intervene with domestic violence and violence against women, and how to refer those affected to services. The jointly created online training package facilitates shared understanding between the actors and mutual learning about the phenomenon, thus promoting collaboration between the actors. The Police University College is responsible for educational planning with regard to police continuing education.

The project also organizes visible campaigns, targeted at the general public, about domestic violence as a phenomenon, and shelter services. Campaigning focuses on making effective use of social media, and awareness of the phenomenon is enhanced in public events, police departments, schools, family counselling clinics and other social welfare and basic health care units in the operating areas. The project’s impacts are studied and assessed throughout the project. University of Jyväskylä bears main responsibility for the research section.

Timescale: March 2017 – August 2019

Project partners: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL (coordinator), Police University College, University of Jyväskylä. Associated partners include the National Police Board of Finland, Association of Finnish Municipalities, the cities of Tampere, Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Nokia and Äänekoski, the Municipality of Kangasala, basic service providers JIK-peruspalveluliikelaitoskuntayhtymä and Peruspalveluliikelaitos Saarikka, and the shelters of Tampere, Vaasa and Jyväskylä.

Funding: European Union REC-program (Rights, equality and citizenship programme 2014–2020) support, application call reference JUST/2016/RGEN/AG/VAWA. The support received by the project totaled almost EUR 500,000. The Police University College’s share of funding amounted to around EUR 77,000.

Contact persons at Police University College: Project Manager Jarmo Houtsonen and Researcher Marianne Mela. Email in the format [email protected]