Many Web sites address issues of trauma and violence in women, including women during pregnancy, and in infants. This column highlights a few selected resources relating to violence against women, during pregnancy and in young infants, including shaken baby syndrome. Most sites that provide education, support, and links to services or other resources for violence address issues for both women and children. In addition to the national sites described in this column, state and regional organizations and coalitions have sites with links to local resources.
The Family Violence Prevention Fund (http://www.endabuse.org) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on prevention of violence in the home and community and provides help to victims of abuse. The Web site provides many free downloadable resources on topics relating to children, immigrant women, healthcare and the workplace, public policy, and for community preventative and advocacy activities. The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (http://www.vawnet.org) is part of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and provides a comprehensive source for electronic resources on domestic and sexual violence across the age span. Information is also provided on grants, other funding, and research. Additional resources from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (http://www.nrcdv.org) include a searchable list by topic of videos from various organizations and other sources and links to grant wring tutorials. Links to domestic violence programs in all states as well as information about domestic violence, fact sheets (both general and state specific), policy and legislative issues, and referral services are some of the many resources that can be found at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Web site (http://www.ncadv.org). Similar types of resources relating specifically to sexual violence can be found at the National Sexual violence Resource Center (http://www.nsvrc.org).
The Nursing Network on Violence Against Women (http://www.nnvawi.org) was "formed to encourage the development of a nursing practice that focuses on health issues relating to the effects of violence on women's lives." The site includes links to nursing assessment tools and other resources for healthcare providers. The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (http://www.awhonn.org) offers an online continuing education program on violence against women (with continuing education credits available for a small processing fee), as well as a comprehensive educational program on domestic violence that can be purchased. The Web site of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists includes a Web page focusing on violence against women (http://www.acog.org) with resources for women and professionals including news, links, reference lists, and screening tools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/violence/index.htm) has a page on violence and reproductive health that includes a link for a free slide show presentation entitled "Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy: A Guide for Clinicians" as well as links to other sites and resources.
The mission of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (http://dontshake.com) is "to prevent shaken baby syndrome through the development and implementation of education, programs, public policy and research; to establish networks, support and train families, caregivers, and professionals." Their Web site provides information and materials target specifically to groups such as healthcare professionals, parents, family and friends, child care providers, and legal and investigative professionals. Family stories are also included. The Web site offers a variety of educational materials for sale, including posters, brochures, CDs, videos, DVDs, and educational training materials for professionals, parents, and schools.
Project Cope (http://www.copetocare.com) is the Web site of the Shaken Baby Syndrome Council. This council is a coalition of various groups (including members representing the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse Prevention Network, Shaken Baby Association, and Shaken Baby Alliance) and individuals involved in preventing shaken baby syndrome. The mission of this group is "to foster collaboration preventing shaken baby syndrome among individual, organizations, and agencies at the local, state, and national levels in order to support positive care giving skills while increasing public awareness and adoption of standards/laws that prevent inflicted head trauma (shaken baby syndrome." Included on the site is a state-by-state directory of shaken baby resources and links to Internet resources on topics such as crying, temper tantrums, can child development. The Shaken Baby Alliance (http://www.shakenbaby.com) is a collaboration for families and professionals working together to provide a support and advocacy site for families and children affected by shaken baby syndrome. Various state or regional organizations and coalitions have Web sites that offer services (usually within the specific geographic region) and educational materials related to shaken baby syndrome and related topics such as crying.
The National Institute of Neurological disorders and Stoke site (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shakenbaby/shakenbaby.htm) has, in addition to a brief overview of shaken baby syndrome, links to current clinical trials for prevention of shaken baby syndrome and to the results of a PubMed search for articles published on this topic within the last 5 years. The final resource is an online slide show for parents about selecting and evaluating babysitters (babysitters and shaken baby syndrome) at http://www.child.cornell.edu/army/sbs/sittersslides/index.htm.
Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor, Department of Family and Child Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle