Rule 105-3-.09. Curriculum Requirements

Rule 105-3-.09. Curriculum Requirements

1. (1) All FVIPs shall maintain and comply with a Commission-approved written curriculum. Written curricula must follow an educational model and include content for weekly sessions. FVIPs shall make all written curriculum used for classes available to the Commission and victim liaisons upon request. Commission-approved curricula are included in the Department SOP. For approval, curricula must adhere to the following principles regarding domestic violence:

   1. (a) Power and Control. Program topics must follow a model that identifies and challenges domestic violence as an overall system of any form of abuse where the participant chooses to use tactics of power and control over the victim.
   2. (b) Beliefs and Social Context. Program topics shall consistently identify and challenge participants' personal beliefs and social contexts that support those beliefs and encourage the use of power and control tactics over the victim.
   3. (c) Effects. Program topics shall consistently identify and hold the participant accountable for the harmful impacts of the participant's violence and abuse on their victims, including children.

2. (2) Curriculums shall address the following:

   1. (a) Identification of all forms of abuse, including but not limited to physical, emotional, economic, verbal, technology, and sexual abuse, and/or stalking, against a current or former intimate partner or family member;
   2. (b) Impact of domestic violence on the victim and the abuser, including short and long-term effects;
   3. (c) Impact of domestic violence on children, including children who are abused and children who witness domestic violence, including short and long-term effects;
   4. (d) Identification of domestic violence as primarily a learned behavior;
   5. (e) Emphasis on the responsibility of the batterer for his or her violence and abuse;
   6. (f) Identification of personal beliefs and societal and cultural values that legitimize and sustain violence and oppression, including sporadic and systematic acts of retribution and punishment;
   7. (g) Alternatives to violence and controlling behaviors;
   8. (h) Identification and promotion of relationship dynamics based on equality;
   9. (i) Attempts to improve participants' ability to identify, articulate, and express emotions in a non-threatening manner;
   10. (j) Promotion of accountability, self-examination, negotiation, and fairness;
   11. (k) Strategies to help participants develop and improve their support systems, and aid and encourage a violence-free life;
   12. (l) The relationship between substance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence; and
   13. (m) Identification of the behavioral, emotional, and physical cues that may precede escalating violence.
3. (3) The Commission acknowledges and recognizes the views of prevailing, accepted research and literature, which suggests that men and women often use violence differently and that effective interventions for men and women need to be structured differently. Most curricula are specifically designed for males who use violence against their female intimate partners. A different Commission-approved curriculum shall be used or developed by an FVIP providing classes to women who use violence against their male intimate partners. FVIPs shall make reasonable efforts to be inclusive while following the established curriculum guidelines and principles. This means providing class content that respects participants' diverse backgrounds, including differences in culture, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. The Commission will consider approving any curriculum that includes content addressing common issues associated with domestic violence as long as the content is intended for educational purposes and is not delivered, intended, or promoted as treatment.

Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 19-13-13(a) & (b), 19-13-14(a), (d) & (e), 19-13-17.

History. Original Rule entitled "Curriculum Requirements" adopted. F. Dec. 3, 2018; eff. Dec. 23, 2018.

Amended: F. Feb. 23, 2026; eff. Mar. 15, 2026.