ADFVC issues paper 26, May 2014

"This paper considers how ‘evidence’ is constructed and translated into ‘best practice’. It contends that the experience and understanding of practitioners within domestic and family violence (DFV) services constitute important contributing knowledge for the evidence-base. However, practice wisdom alone is not sufficient, since other forms of knowledge also play an important role in optimising outcomes. Ultimately this paper promotes the engagement of DFV practitioners in formal research and evaluation, not only to substantially inform the evidence but also to critically examine the effects of their interventions against all manner of valid evidence, in a recursive
process of knowledge translation. It is suggested that a critical, reflexive engagement with formal evidence is ultimately the defining feature of ‘best practice’ in the continuous drive towards an effective response to violence against women." (from the Summary). Despite the title this paper has general applicability beyond Australia.

This paper has been archived by the National Library of Australia.