New Hampshire Domestic Violence Coordination Framework
Guidelines for shelters and agencies collaborating within New Hampshire’s DV response network.
New Hampshire Regional Collaboration Overview
Purpose and Scope
This page outlines coordination models, eligibility expectations, and core data-sharing considerations for agencies collaborating within New Hampshire’s domestic and sexual violence response ecosystem. Content is intended for coalitions, shelters, legal aid organizations, social service agencies, healthcare partners, and allied systems operating at local, regional, and statewide levels.
Regional Collaboration Models in New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s geography and mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas supports several practical collaboration configurations. Organizations can adapt or blend these models based on capacity, service footprint, and funding conditions.
1. County-Cluster Coordination Model
This model groups neighboring counties into functional clusters for shared planning and resource exchange, especially where individual counties have limited service coverage.
- Structure: Agencies within a cluster designate a lead coordinator responsible for convening meetings, maintaining shared contact lists, and tracking joint initiatives.
- Membership: DV/SV programs, shelters, legal aid partners, child welfare, healthcare systems, community mental health centers, and housing agencies within the cluster.
- Use cases: Coverage for cross-county referrals, transportation coordination, emergency housing overflow, and coordinated training calendars.
2. Multi-Disciplinary Response Teams (MDRTs)
MDRTs convene agencies that intersect around specific case types (e.g., high-risk situations involving family law, child protection, or housing stability) to support aligned interventions while respecting confidentiality constraints.
- Structure: Regularly scheduled meetings with standardized agendas, de-identified case reviews where required, and role-based participation (e.g., advocate, attorney, clinician, housing navigator).
- Membership: Domestic and sexual violence programs, law enforcement liaisons, prosecutors, legal aid, child welfare, healthcare, behavioral health, and relevant community-based organizations.
- Use cases: Coordinated case conferencing (within legal and ethical limits), protocol alignment, and cross-system problem-solving.
3. Service-Specialty Hubs
Service-specialty hubs concentrate particular expertise (e.g., immigration/legal support, economic justice, housing navigation) and coordinate with organizations statewide, including those in rural northern and western New Hampshire.
- Structure: A lead agency maintains the hub, with regional “points of contact” that support outreach and referrals.
- Membership: One or more statewide or regional lead agencies plus local partner agencies acting as front-line connectors.
- Use cases: Technical assistance, remote consultation, centralized training, and coordination of specialized services for underserved populations.
4. Court-Linked Coordination
Agencies may align their work around specific court jurisdictions (e.g., family division, district courts) to streamline communication and referral flows connected to protective orders, custody, and related civil and criminal matters.
- Structure: Formal or informal liaison roles with courts, regular touchpoints with clerk’s offices or administrative staff, and documented referral pathways.
- Membership: Advocacy programs, legal aid organizations, pro bono networks, court administration, and allied agencies (e.g., supervised visitation centers, mediation programs).
- Use cases: Court accompaniment coordination, information routing within confidentiality rules, and scheduling of legal clinics.
5. Thematic or Priority-Focused Workgroups
Statewide or regional workgroups can focus on specific priorities that impact multiple sectors, with participation from New Hampshire organizations serving different localities.
- Topics: Housing access, language access, rural service delivery, technology-facilitated abuse, coordinated transportation, or cross-border collaboration with Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
- Membership: Agencies with relevant programs, funders where appropriate, and system partners such as school districts and healthcare systems.
- Use cases: Shared tool development, template MOUs, collective funding proposals, and data harmonization for specific focus areas.
Eligibility Expectations for Participation
Eligibility for participation in regional coordination efforts in New Hampshire generally centers on organizational characteristics, governance, and alignment with shared standards. The following are common expectations used by coalitions and regional bodies when forming or expanding collaborative structures.
Organizational Criteria
- Legal status: Nonprofit agencies, tribal programs, public agencies, and qualified community-based entities operating within New Hampshire or serving New Hampshire residents.
- Mission alignment: Formal commitment to addressing domestic and sexual violence, related forms of abuse, or closely linked social determinants such as housing, health, or legal access.
- Governance: Active governing body (e.g., board or public oversight structure) with basic policies for conflict of interest, financial stewardship, and accountability.
- Operational capacity: Identifiable staff or designated roles that can participate in meetings, respond to coordination requests, and maintain agreed-upon communication timelines.
Program and Practice Alignment
- Non-discrimination policies: Written policies indicating equitable access to services consistent with applicable federal and state standards.
- Confidentiality protocols: Documented procedures for privacy, information handling, and role-appropriate access to records.
- Staff training: Commitment to ongoing training on domestic and sexual violence dynamics, cross-system collaboration, and basic data protection practices.
- Service coordination readiness: Ability to accept or make referrals using agreed routing methods (e.g., secure email, designated phone lines, or referral forms).
Participation and Governance Expectations
- Active engagement: Attendance at scheduled meetings, timely response to collaborative requests, and contribution to work products (e.g., protocols, tools).
- Designated liaison: A clearly identified individual empowered to speak for the agency in coordination spaces and escalate decisions internally.
- Conflict resolution approach: Agreement to use defined processes for resolving inter-agency disputes or coordination breakdowns.
- Reporting cooperation: Willingness to share agreed, de-identified metrics where appropriate to track collaborative performance.
MOU and Agreement Elements
Most New Hampshire regional collaborations utilize Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) or similar agreements to clarify roles. Typical elements include:
- Purpose and scope of the collaboration, including geographic and population focus.
- Contact information for primary and secondary agency liaisons.
- Service coordination procedures (referral, warm handoffs, case consultations).
- High-level data-sharing principles consistent with each party’s policies.
- Meeting frequency, decision-making approach, and documentation norms.
- Duration, review cycle, and process for modification or withdrawal.
Data-Sharing Notes for New Hampshire Collaborations
Data-sharing in New Hampshire’s domestic and sexual violence ecosystem is shaped by programmatic confidentiality obligations, funding conditions, and agency policies. The focus is on structured, minimal, and purposeful information exchange to support coordination while reducing risk.
Data Categories Commonly Used in Collaboration
- Operational contact data: Agency names, program descriptions, eligibility summaries, and up-to-date staff contact lists for coordination.
- Service capacity data: High-level information on shelter bed availability, program waitlists, service hours, and geographic coverage areas.
- De-identified outcome indicators: Aggregated counts of referrals, service utilization, and cross-agency service pathways for evaluation purposes.
- Protocol and practice documentation: Written procedures, referral forms, and workflow diagrams without personally identifying information.
Individual-Level Information Handling
Where individual-level information is considered, New Hampshire agencies generally apply layered safeguards and narrow the information to what is operationally necessary.
- Minimum necessary standard: Share only the least amount of information required to fulfill the collaborative function (e.g., making a referral, scheduling an appointment).
- Role-based access: Limit access to staff with a defined operational need to receive or transmit information.
- Timeliness and retention: Establish clear expectations on how long shared information will be retained and when it will be removed from working files.
Mechanisms and Tools
Regional collaborations can employ several mechanisms to support consistent and secure information handling:
- Standard referral forms: Templates that identify mandatory and optional data fields, note any permissions applicable, and indicate preferred communication channels.
- Secure communication channels: Use of encrypted email, secure messaging platforms, or designated data systems where available.
- Data exchange logs: Simple tracking of when, what type, and with whom information was shared for accountability and internal audit purposes.
- Aggregated reporting frameworks: Agreed indicators and definitions to support consistent data submissions across New Hampshire regions.
Governance and Oversight of Shared Data
Data-sharing governance in New Hampshire collaborations often relies on written agreements and clear internal oversight.
- Data-sharing sections in MOUs: High-level descriptions of what types of data may be exchanged, for what purposes, and using which mechanisms.
- Designated data stewards: Staff assigned to oversee adherence to data-handling protocols within each agency.
- Periodic reviews: Scheduled check-ins (e.g., annually) to reassess data elements being shared, system access, and alignment with current policies.
- Incident response procedures: Documented internal processes for addressing any suspected misuse or unintended disclosure of shared information.
Integrating New Hampshire Collaboration with Broader Networks
New Hampshire agencies may benefit from aligning regional agreements, data definitions, and collaborative models with broader multi-state or national frameworks to facilitate cross-border coordination and shared learning. Additional coordination resources are available through the broader ecosystem hosted at DV.Support, which can be adapted to fit New Hampshire’s specific structures.