the essential guide - Texas Council on Family Violence

Chapter 9: Battering Intervention &Prevention Programs (BIPP)In this chapter you will: Identify role and purpose of Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs. Learn where to locate an accredited BIPP. Explore BIP programming. Review important information for survivors whose abusers are enrolled in a BIPP.Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs (BIPPs) consist of classes for family violence offendersin which offenders are held accountable for past abusive behaviors and taught <strong>the</strong> fundamentals ofleading a nonviolent lifestyle. Although BIPPs work directly with offenders, <strong>the</strong> underlying goal of <strong>the</strong>seprograms is to enhance <strong>the</strong> safety of victims of family violence and <strong>the</strong>ir children.BIPPs exist to hold batterers accountable for <strong>the</strong>ir abusive actions, to promote nonviolence, and toenhance victim safety. BIPPs are an important component to a CCR.BIPPs in <strong>Texas</strong> provide behavioral and cognitive methods of intervention by focusing on <strong>the</strong> specificactions undertaken by <strong>the</strong> family violence offender. BIPP Accreditation Guidelines state that BIPPs willuse “an approach that assigns responsibility for violence solely to batterers, clarifies that family violenceis not provoked, and provides a strategy for assisting batterers in taking responsibility for <strong>the</strong> violenceand abuse.” A BIPP course must be a minimum of 18 weeks and 36 class hours, but <strong>the</strong>y can be longer. BIPP courses are not free, but many offer sliding fee scales.There are currently over 70 BIPPs across <strong>Texas</strong> with varying status in <strong>the</strong> accreditation process and 22state-funded BIPPs. TCFV monitors state-funded BIPPs for compliance with state standards and providestraining and technical assistance to all BIPPs. You can locate a BIPP through <strong>the</strong> TCFV Service Directory at www.tcfv.org/service-directory/.The majority of offenders entering a BIPP are mandated to do so, but some are self-referred. Commonsources of mandatory referrals are: Courts District and County Attorneys Probation or Parole Officers Child Protective ServicesTHE ESSENTIAL GUIDE: AN INTRODUCTION TO ADVOCATING FOR SURVIVORS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE61 | P a g e