In a previous post I’ve described the difference between interventions and projects. On the radio this morning (ABC 774) I heard about what I would classify as a classic intervention. The Victorian government has announced a series of changes to how they will combat domestic violence. One of the interventions will be the ability for social workers to issue accommodation vouchers to men who have been violent. The “voucher system would encourage men to leave the family home  – instead of the woman” providing a cooling off period while enabling time for legal advice to be sought.

This is an intervention because it is discrete, relatively simple to implement but at the same time the designers cannot be sure how it will affect the overall objective of reducing domestic violence. Now that the intervention is enacted those responsible for the programme must carefully monitor to detect the new patterns which will emerge.