National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

Transcription

1 National Resource Center on Domestic Violence The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence has operated the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) since it was established in 1993 with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NRCDV s project goals, objectives, approaches and activities are developed in response to feedback from the field and analysis of over 43,000 calls for assistance since 1994 when NRCDV staff responded to their first technical assistance request. The NRCDV s constituent base is broad and includes domestic violence advocates and state coalitions, federal, state, tribal, and local governmental agencies, professional associations, educators, faith-based groups, researchers, and community organizations, as well as students and members of the general public. The NRCDV employs a diverse and multi-disciplinary staff of 15, supported by a team of nationally recognized consultants and advisers. The NRCDV utilizes three key strategies to enhance domestic violence intervention and prevention efforts technical assistance and training, developing and disseminating of specialized resource materials, and designing and implementing special projects that allows it to focus more deeply on a particular issue or constituent group. The multi-year special projects listed below are vehicles through which we can more deeply explore issues or develop more comprehensive assistance to a particular constituent group: The Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP) supporting the community awareness and education efforts of domestic violence programs Documenting Our Work (DOW) designing tools to capture the scope, value, and impact of local and state domestic violence programs The Women of Color Network (WOCN) promoting and supporting the leadership of women of color activists Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence (BCS) promoting more holistic program and policy responses to domestic violence VAWnet: the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women NRCDV s CDC funded website initiative ( The NRCDV has developed a wide range of widely used publications: fact sheets, resource packets, applied research papers, annotated resource lists, curricula, training materials, and policy briefs. In the past five years, 50 new publications have been developed on topics ranging from children exposed to domestic violence, integrating economic advocacy ~ over ~

2 into the work of domestic violence programs, domestic violence statistics, school based programs promoting safe and healthy relationships for youth, advocating for domestic violence victims within the welfare system, and a comprehensive teen dating violence resource packet. (For a list of NRCDV publications, see As part of the Domestic Violence Resource Network, the NRCDV works collaboratively with the Domestic Violence Resource Network, currently comprised of four Special Issue Resource Centers, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, three culturally-specific Institutes and the newly funded National Training and TA Center on Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Trauma. Key NRCDV Activities: 10/1/06 3/31/07 Responded to over 750 technical assistance (TA) requests from a wide range of constituents, on a wide range of program, policy and funding-related topics. Continued development and dissemination of Resource Packets (Religion and Domestic Violence completed, three more in development), and twice monthly dissemination of the Funding Alert to over 2,000 subscribers. (The Funding Alert is produced collaboratively with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.) These documents and others were posted on VAWnet, our online resource center partially funded by CDC, which received over 580,000 visitors during this 6-month period (over 3,000 daily visits, over 4 million hits, and over 2,000 daily downloads). Continued to provide targeted TA and resource support to FVPSA Enhanced Services to Children Grantees and Runaway and Homeless Youth Grantees, including providing staff support for grantees conferences sponsored by the FVPSA office. Provided extensive technical support to the National Domestic Violence Hotline Summit (as panel chair at 3 national meetings), the National Training Center on Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Trauma (as member of the Center s Steering Committee), the VAWA Implementation Workgroup on Confidentiality and Privacy (WG CoChair), and the National Domestic Violence Census Project of NNEDV, and deepened our collaborative relationships with other partners, such as the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence is a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence 6400 Flank Drive, Suite 1300, Harrisburg, PA TTY

3 Participated as trainers, facilitators or resource experts to over 20 national or regional conferences or meetings on program related issues, and hosted two national teleconferences for state domestic violence coalitions on Domestic Violence, Healthy Marriage and Domestic Violence. The Women of Color Network released its National Survey for Women of Color Advocates and Activists and the Summer/Fall Women of Color Voices Newsletter, and provided expert assistance, training and support to a wide range of national and regional groups. WOCN also developed a new listserv for women of color caucuses, communities and group. Convened a meeting of the Domestic Violence Awareness Project Advisory Group and writing consultants to support development of 2007 Domestic Violence Awareness Packet. Provided support to the HHS Division of Family Violence for the FVPSA Outcome Measures and Data Collection Pilot Project and other initiatives. Provided extensive administrative and programmatic support to the Domestic Violence Resource Network, including hosting the annual policy meeting (December, 2006) and the upcoming Spring Meeting with the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (May, 2007). The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence is a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence 6400 Flank Drive, Suite 1300, Harrisburg, PA TTY

4 Family Violence Prevention Fund s Health Resource Center Training and Technical Assistance As an example of the technical assistance the HRC provides, staff responded to a total of 1,550 technical assistance requests by phone, and/or mail in the past quarter; 390 of these were technical assistance calls answered about substantive issues over the phone by senior staff. Each year we conduct a number of trainings through our specifc initiatives listed below. Material Ordered and sent for free # s distributed Buttons 2,500 American Indian/Alaska Native Health Care Poster 1,000 New English Safety Card 30,000 Screen to End Abuse CD and VHS 562 Pregnancy Wheels (out of print) -- Practitioner Reference laminated cards 2,500 Consensus Guidelines on Domestic Violence 1,150 Making the Connection: Domestic Violence and Public Health (toolkit) 85 Dental Video (until supply runs out) developed by Univ. of CA, San Francisco 654 Consensus Guidelines: Child and Adolescent Health 792 Web ITEMS downloaded # of Requests Consensus Guidelines on Domestic Violence 34,781 Identifying and Responding to DV: Consensus Rec. for Child/Adolescent Health 23,110 Get the Facts: Domestic Violence and Health Care 6,112 Improving the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence Resource Manual 9,920 Electronic Palm DV Assessment Tool 1,364 The Business Case for Domestic Violence Programs in Health Care Settings 307 Making the Connection: Domestic Violence and Public Health 3,307 Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day Organizing Packet 2,773 Provider and Patient Tools and Publications Materials. The HRC has produced one of the first resource and training manual on health care s response to domestic violence considered the Bible of the field. Many other materials have been developed including a series of patient safety cards and posters for health care settings which were culturally specific to 10 communities. WE have produced clinical guidelines for general health and pediatric/adolescent health settings, pregnancy wheel, comprehensive slide toolkit for public health presentations and countless other tools. Our materials are now free to the public at certain quantitites. The Training video featured now on Medscape (starting in February, 07) was developed 4 years ago by the FVPF in collaboration with University of California Davis and won a 2003 Telly Award as one of the outstanding videos in the non-profit category and has been widely used across the field. Electronic Journal on Family Violence and Health Practice: Our electronic journal: The Journal for Family Violence Prevention and Health Practice has an average of about 6,000 readers. The goal of this journal is to cover issues, strategies and studies NOT accepted by the traditional journals. 1

5 Program Initiatives: Current and some of our past work National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence took place on March th, 2007 at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. The conference was attended by 1,100 individuals (250 more than the previous conference) including health and domestic violence professionals, public health adminstrators, researchers, and policy makers and is organized in collaboration with 25 co-chair organizations, 6 participating federal agencies. This year in the 4 th conference and has grown each year (2000: 300 attended; 2002: 500 attended; 2004: 850 attended) The conference included one day of detailed in-depth Pre-Conference seminars on specific topics and two days of workshops, poster and plenaries solicited from the field on cutting edge issuespresenters at the conference included community health care providers and domestic violence advocates, domestic violence leaders who work in public health, experienced domestic violence as well as novice researchers, activists from 20 different countries, including a good showing of experts from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and England. While this slice of domestic violence and health care is relatively narrow, we have hundreds of individuals that have returned to the conference year after year and are responsible for its great spirit. National Standard Campaign and 10 State Program (past): For over 12 years we have been fortunate to have the pleasure to work with 27 states on hospital, clinic and public health department training and policy initiatives (funded in part by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and DHHS). These collaboratives have been formed between DV State coalitions, public health departments, health care professional associations and statewide organizations: projects partnerships that have ranged from 3-7 years. Domestic Violence Native Healthcare Project (current) Funded in part by The Indian Health Services and the Administration for Children and Families, 15 clinics in Indian Country have been funded under a project to improve their clinic s response to domestic violence and collaborate with local domestic violence advocacy agencies. The HRC has partnered with Mending the Sacred Hoop and Sacred Circle to provide technical assistance to these organizations.. Decreasing Perinatal Disparities and Increasing Reproductive Health through Violence Prevention (current) Safe Families Initiative: Decreasing Perinatal Disparities through Violence Prevention We continued our partnership with the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). The program trains multidisciplinary teams from 4 states (Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico and Missouri) providing a critical opportunity for state public health agencies and violence prevention leaders to come together to integrate assessment for abuse and strategies to improve maternal health outcomes for low income, rural and minority women. Improving Reproductive Health and Decreasing Violence (current) By addressing and decreasing intimate partner violence and sexual assault, we may decrease unintended pregnancy. We partnered with the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) to conduct an exploratory and qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews with women between the ages of who have experienced intimate partner violence. We are conducting a total of 80 in-depth interviews with women years old who were exposed to child sexual abuse or adult domestic or sexual violence and are willing to participate. The study will be carried out at Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo, CA, at Rose Brooks Domestic Violence Shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, Planned Parenthood of Boston, MA and the Philadelphia Women s Center in Pennsylvania. Health Cares about Domestic Violence Day (current) Developed and launched by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, we work with health care facilities and public health departments to recognize the role of health care in prevention and intervening in Domestic violence for over 7 years. 2

6 The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Family Violence Department operates the special issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody. The objectives of the Resource Center are to: Provide quality technical assistance that is accessible, appropriate, and timely; Provide training assistance to professionals in the field of domestic violence and child protection and custody; Increase awareness, understanding, and responsiveness to issues in professional practice; Advance the state-of-the-art in policy development and practice in this special issue area. To accomplish these objectives, the Resource Center: offers resources through a toll free information line and other avenues of access; responds to requests for technical and training assistance; maintains a well-established library, a comprehensive database and referral system, a variety of informational databases and an evolving website; maintains a comprehensive on-line state statutes database and researches and publishes the legislative update series, an annual update of state domestic violence laws passed each year; supports the development and replication of model or cutting-edge programs, legislation, and exemplary practices; assists organizations and communities to adapt available resources to meet local needs provides a forum for and participates in analysis of policy issues (i.e. children s exposure to domestic violence, failure to protect, friendly parent versus alienating parent, growing preference for joint custody or shared parenting, implications of the custody and confidentiality requirements of the VAWA 2005, etc.); develops tools and resources that can be used to replicate best or promising practices; publishes scholarly articles and the newsletter, Synergy; develops specialized information packets; provides on-site assistance to communities implementing cross-system collaborative efforts in child protection or custody cases where domestic violence is present; provides leadership to service providers, court personnel, agency workers, and others seeking to understand the impact of domestic violence on children; assists systems and community-based agencies to develop improved responses to complex cases, and to increase their understanding of differential impact on children, and the need for nuanced interventions; infuses domestic violence knowledge into child protection and custody practice to reduce the unintended consequences of such practice through technical and training assistance; through its work with communities to explore, examine, and develop state-of-the-art policies and practices in this special issue area; and through its collaborations with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) and other Special Issue Resource Centers (SIRC); works with the courts and other formal systems to improve system responses (i.e. education on how corrective action in one system can trigger negative consequences in another, for example-exposure to domestic violence harming children led to the passage of laws to limit batterers access to their children in the family law context. That same knowledge, triggered concerns about the mother s failure to protect in dependency court and resulted in inappropriate removal of children from their homes); operates out of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), affording it access to a multitude of professionals and communities. 1

7 Selected Examples of Activities Convened a National Conference Changing the Buzz: From Impact of Harm to Power of Assets for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in August Convened The Judges Role in Handling Domestic Violence Cases, a meeting to address the judges role in handling custody or visitation issues involving domestic violence by self-represented litigants. Published materials to improve system and community responses to battered women and their children. Examples of such materials include: an upcoming article in Synergy (Fall 2006) that outlines the changes created by VAWA 2005 of significance to victim and child advocates; an article addressing a battered parent s decision to relocate, entitled Domestic Violence: The Tipping Point, in Volume 28 of the Family Advocate (Spring 2006); a specialized information packet on decision-making in child custody cases where domestic violence exists (2005), designed to provide up-to-date information to judges, custody evaluators, attorneys, advocates, mental health professionals and others; an article, entitled Parenting Arrangements After Domestic Violence: Safety as a Priority in Judging Children s Best Interest, in Volume 6 of the Journal of the Center for Families, Children & the Courts (2005); a special family violence issue of the NCJFCJ Juvenile & Family Court Journal (Fall 2003), which included articles on the disproportionate representation of communities of color in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and implications in custody and visitation decisions related to high conflict divorce, violence, and abuse; and Supplementing and providing a key source of background information and insight into policy and practice for, the recent NCJFCJ publication Navigating Custody & Visitation Evaluations in Cases with Domestic Violence: A Judge s Guide, a publication partially funded by the State Justice Institute, to help judges become critical consumers of child custody evaluations when domestic violence is involved in family law cases. Training Assistance at events such as: Forum on Children and Families in the Court, Cleveland, Ohio; From Roots to Wings: The Future of Batterer Intervention, Dearborn, Michigan, 33 rd National Conference on Juvenile Justice; and Alianza 5 th National Conference, San Antonio, Texas, Provided legal research and a literature review to the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts in their development of model guidelines for parenting coordinators Provided meeting planning and agenda development assistance for HHS on projects such as Dating Violence and Runaway and Homeless Youth and Enhanced Services to Children and Youth Who Have Been Exposed to Domestic Violence Demonstration Projects Provided on-site TA consultation and facilitation for discipline-specific focus groups for the Vermont Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families, and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services Provided Technical assistance to and participated in conference calls with advocates from the Alaska Native Women s Coalition to strategize solutions and identify best practices related to tribal, state, and federal child custody laws, jurisdictional issues, and educational opportunities for tribal, state and federal workers about the impact of domestic violence in custody cases. Published Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice (Greenbook) and provided information and support to Federal Initiative to implement those recommendations. As federal initiative draws to a close, the Resource Center held a meeting of Federal Partners and Project Directors from the sites to develop document highlighting lessons learned to new communities seeking to improve the quality of existing services on issues relevant to child protection, including but not limited to, children exposed to domestic violence, collaboration, confidentiality, fathering after violence, over-representation of children of color, and separation violence. 2

8 Battered Women s Justice Project a national resource center on civil and criminal justice responses to domestic violence Our Mission The Battered Women s Justice Project promotes change within the civil and criminal justice systems to enhance their effectiveness in providing safety, security and justice for battered women and their families. What does the Battered Women s Justice Project do? As the national resource center that addresses all areas of law related to domestic violence, we provide technical assistance and training to a variety of professionals: advocates, civil attorneys, judges and related court personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, probation officers, batterers intervention program staff, defense attorneys, and policymakers; and to victims of domestic violence, including incarcerated battered women, and their families and friends. BWJP also responds to requests from tribal and military personnel who fulfill equivalent positions in their respective responses to domestic violence. Staff attorneys and advocates provide information and analyses on criminal justice issues related to domestic violence, such as effective policing, prosecuting, sentencing, and monitoring of domestic violence offenders; and on civil legal issues, such as custody, visitation, housing, employment, economic assistance, and protection orders. More than 3000 requests for information are handled each year, and over the past thirteen years, 41 policy analysis pieces have been published. The number of visitors who download original articles from our site has grown steadily, with currently 8,890 visitors per month, or an average of 296/day; with a total of 100,000 hits per month BWJP regularly receives requests for in-depth technical assistance on project development or evaluation, policymaking, or specific legal casework, which requires on-site consultation to respond most effectively. Since its inception, BWJP staff have conducted approximately 100 such consultations. Over the same period, BWJP also conducted 451 trainings for various groups in our target audience. Each year staff facilitate 7-8 teleconferences on a variety of civil and criminal topics. In 2001, BWJP launched a peer exchange network for a key segment of our target audience - state coalition staff who offer policy and legislative analysis, technical assistance, mentoring, legal representation and training in their respective states. The purposes of CAAN are to provide substantive, skill-based and analytic training to the legal staff of state coalitions to inform and enhance their work; to create a membership network of peers who can share resources and expertise nationwide to maximize the efficacy of legal initiatives for battered women, and to collaborate in devising strategy to respond to emerging issues in the field. BWJP covers hotel and meal costs for two representatives from each state coalition to support their attendance at these meetings which have been held twice a year. All four branches of the military services now have advocates to assist victims of domestic violence/sexual assault committed by service members. Under grants from OVW and DHHS, BWJP has provided several trainings and teleconferences to the existing and newly-hired military advocates over the past few years. This training has made important contributions to the development of the expanding role of military advocates, especially since the Department of Defense granted confidentiality to victim/advocate communications, a significant policy shift that occurred in In addition, BWJP manages grants from the DOJ Office on Violence Against Women, organizing 6-8 multidisciplinary and professional trainings each year for Arrest grantees. Staff members train judges in cooperation with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the National Council of Family and Juvenile Court Judges, train prosecutors at the National Prosecutor Institute on Domestic Violence that we cosponsor with the American Prosecutor Research Institute, and train police chiefs through a project with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Staff serve on Advisory Committees with the Domestic

9 Violence Fatality Review Initiative, the Family Justice Center Initiative, the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence and the Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative of IACP. BWJP also coordinates a demonstration project that is developing a model for coordinated military/civilian responses to domestic violence, in conjunction with the Naval base and community of Jacksonville, FL, and the Army installation in Fort Campbell, KY, and neighboring communities in Kentucky and Tennessee. We conduct Domestic Violence Safety Audits of both civil and criminal procedures in 3-4 communities each year. BWJP recently took over management of the National Center on Full Faith and Credit which provides technical assistance to concerned professionals and the public on issues related to the issuance and inter-jurisdictional enforcement of protection orders. We provide ongoing consultation and training on: full faith and credit, the federal firearms prohibitions related specifically to domestic violence, federal domestic violence and stalking crimes, and inter-jurisdictional child custody cases involving domestic violence. A number of materials have been designed to help jurisdictions and professionals comply with this rapidly evolving area of law. The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women serves as the BWJP Defense Office. We provide information and assistance to battered women charged with crimes and their defense teams (attorneys, advocates and expert witnesses). We work on cases that involve women who have injured or killed their batterers in self-defense; battered women who have been coerced into criminal activity; and women charged with "failure to protect" their children from the batterers' violence. We correspond with over 850 incarcerated battered women who write requesting legal assistance, information, and support. In addition, we offer resources that address topics such as: clemency, use of expert witnesses, partner homicide information, incarcerated battered women, prison and jail support groups for battered women, and women s use of violence. BWJP is an affiliated member of the Domestic Violence Resource Network, a group of national resource centers and cultural institutes funded by DHHS. (800) (TTY Callers: Use 711) Ext. 1 BWJP Main Office Minneapolis, MN Ext. 2 National Center on Full Faith and Credit Arlington, VA Ext. 3 National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women Philadelphia, PA (Interpretation services available)

10 Women of Color Network National Advocacy Through Action Mission: To provide and enhance leadership capacity and resources that promote activities of Women of Color advocates and activists within the U.S., territories, and Sovereign Nations to address the elimination of violence against women and families. WOCN has broadened its mission beyond the fields of domestic and sexual violence in order to address a broad range of violence affecting communities of color such as human trafficking and police brutality, and to refocus its theoretical lens to more readily examine a global context of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, able-ism and other forms of oppression that intersect with violence against women. Constituency: WOCN serves women of color from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, including women who self-identify as being of Asian, African, Latin and Native descent. Network: WOCN is made up of program staff and national mentors, advisors, membership, and program participants who, through ongoing dialogue, meetings, teleconferences and face-to-face events work collectively to determine programming and service areas for national, regional and local implementation. Goals: To decrease isolation, build multicultural alliances, and to develop culturally-relevant approaches to better assist communities of color in ending violence; To challenge systems and institutions that create barriers for women of color and their communities to achieve violence-free lives To promote the development of women of color led initiatives that are more likely to reach and effectively serve communities of color To examine local, state, federal and tribal policies and provide opportunities for women of color to organize and exercise their voices regarding issues of violence Technical Assistance: Technical Assistance Information and Resources accessible on toll-free line daily Leadership Training on such topics as public policy, program development, and community organizing and providing opportunities for networking and capacity building Mentor Project with over 100 Mentors and Advisors providing peer support and technical assistance to close to 300 mentees WOCN is a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence

11 Mentor Listserve to facilitate coordination and resource sharing Site Visits to highlight and provide on-site technical assistance to women of color-led program initiatives Endangered Women of Color Advocate; providing daily crisis support and safety planning to advocates experiencing marginalization and targeting within their programs, and promoting wellness and holistic living across ethnicities National Training through Training without Walls Teleconference Series, on-site training for caucuses and state coalitions on such topics as economic justice, challenging notions of cultural competency and addressing racism in our programs Resources: Women of Color Resource Guide listing hundreds of women of color advocates and activists and culturally-specific programs across the country Women of Color Voices, newsletter published twice annually featuring articles and information written by members, Mentors, Advisors, partners and staff of WOCN WOCN Facts and Stats Collection on such topics as domestic violence, sexual violence, and upcoming publications on child abuse, dating violence, elder abuse, LGBTQ, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS as it relates to communities of color WOCN Infolink, a general listserv for WOCN membership with close to 1000 subscribers, providing funding, training, job, and public policy announcements through the twice-weekly e-publication WOCN Update WOCN is a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence

12 Overview Statewide domestic violence coalitions report that their member programs are seeing a growing number of survivors of domestic violence with mental health needs who seek advocacy and other services. 1 However, coalitions believe that many local programs lack the resources and capacity to provide services that attend to these needs, and the large majority of coalitions have indicated that they would like to receive training and technical assistance in this area. 2 Additionally, community mental health services are frequently nonexistent or inappropriate for the referral of domestic violence survivors because providers are lacking in training or knowledge about the need to attend to the safety and other issues that stem from past or ongoing violence. 3 The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health ( the Center ) is a technical assistance project designed to cultivate a deeper understanding of the mental health and advocacy needs of survivors of domestic violence and their children and the impact of trauma on individual healing and social change. We encourage and facilitate collaboration among domestic violence advocates, mental health professionals, disability rights organizations and a variety of community-based service providers, as well as state domestic violence coalitions, state agencies, and other policy organizations at the state and national levels. The Center works to improve the response of domestic violence programs, mental health systems, and the criminal justice and civil legal systems to domestic violence survivors with mental illness/psychiatric disabilities and/or who suffer from the traumatic effects of abuse, and their children. Our overarching goal is to ensure that all survivors of domestic violence and their children who are experiencing abuse-related trauma and/or living with mental illness can access the services that they may need to enhance their safety and well-being. The Center carries out its work by: Promoting dialogue between domestic violence and mental health organizations, policy-makers, and survivor/advocacy groups about the complex intersections of domestic violence, trauma, and mental health and current strategies to enhance work in this area; Building capacity among direct service providers, state domestic violence coalitions, and state mental health systems; and Providing recommendations on policies, practices, and collaborative models that will positively impact the lives of survivors and their children, particularly in relation to trauma and mental health. The Center is committed to developing comprehensive, accessible, and culturally-relevant responses to the range of trauma-related issues faced by domestic violence survivors and their children; to promoting advocacy that is survivor-defined and rooted in principles of social justice; and to eradicating the social and psychological conditions that contribute to interpersonal abuse and violence across the lifespan. Background The Center was established in October 2005, through a multi-year grant from the Administration on Children, Youth & Families to the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Policy Initiative (DVMHPI). DVMHPI is a Chicago-based project founded in 1999 that works to address the unmet mental health needs of domestic violence survivors and their children and the traumatic effects of abuse across the lifespan. 1 National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health. (2006). Final summary of findings from the national survey of state domestic violence coalitions. Chicago, IL: Author. 2 Id. 3 Id.

13 Examples of Significant Accomplishments National Symposium: The first Center symposium was held in Chicago on November 7-8, The thirty-nine state domestic violence coalitions that responded to the baseline survey (see below) were invited to attend, along with national domestic violence organizations, technical assistance providers, and members of the Domestic Violence Resource Network (DVRN). The symposium featured presentations by faculty with expertise in domestic violence, trauma, and/or mental health research, policy, and law, and was designed to provide ample opportunity for learning from experts and discussion with peers. The agenda focused on a framework for responding to the trauma and mental health needs of survivors of domestic violence, the practical issues of doing trauma-informed work, implications for domestic violence coalitions and local programs, and policy issues. The symposium evaluations overwhelmingly indicated that participants learned a great deal from the presentations and conversations and were excited about moving forward with this work. The symposium also generated dialogue on a number of topics after the meeting concluded. For example, several participants requested more information on the peer support model and expressed interest in exploring ways in which advocates could enhance their work with survivors through collaboration with peer support groups. At least one state coalition has already convened a meeting to begin developing these collaborations at the state level. Baseline Survey of State Coalition and Local Program Needs: The baseline survey, distributed in May 2006 to all domestic violence coalitions, was designed to help the Center learn more about the mental health and trauma needs of survivors of domestic violence and how the coalitions and their local programs attempt to address these needs. Thirty-nine coalitions responded. The survey results revealed that coalitions believe that survivors with a wide array of mental health needs and who have suffered trauma resulting from domestic violence are attempting to access local domestic violence services, but that many local programs do not have the capacity to provide adequate or appropriate services to meet survivors mental health and trauma needs. While the provision of such services remains a high priority for most local programs and state coalitions, coalitions cite funding, lack of training, and a dearth of appropriate available mental health services as the main reasons why this work is not progressing as quickly as they would like. All responding coalitions also said that they would like assistance from the National Center in developing their capacity to support local programs in this work, and indicated a number of types of technical assistance as their favored vehicles for this information including downloadable training and assessment tools and practice guidelines; links to information; updates on practice and training issues; and training opportunities, conferences, and/or symposia. Several coalitions mentioned that they would like assistance with local program policy development. Current and Upcoming FY 07 Projects The Center is currently developing: Curricula, training materials, and practice guidelines including Access to Advocacy, Serving Women with Psychiatric Disabilities in Domestic Violence Settings, A Curriculum for Domestic Violence Advocates; Responding to Survivors of Domestic Violence and other Lifetime Trauma, A Curriculum for Mental Health Providers; Risking Connection DV, an integrated model for working with survivors of lifetime trauma in the context of ongoing domestic violence; and child trauma curricula for clinicians and their supervisors as well as domestic violence advocates. Pilot trainings and capacity building programs, using curricula and tools developed/adapted by DVMHPI, for the West Virginia and Connecticut state coalitions (August and September of 2007). A baseline survey of all state mental health commissioners about current efforts to address trauma and domestic violence within the state mental health system. A one-day joint symposium on trauma and domestic violence in the African American community for/with the staff and steering committee of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (September 2007). Research summaries addressing domestic violence, trauma, and mental health; domestic violence and suicide; and other topics. A compilation of state statutes concerning firearms and mental illness. A matrix on state confidentiality laws that apply to mental health providers and domestic violence programs. A toolkit for state coalitions and local programs addressing civil rights laws and psychiatric disabilities. A model shelter policy on client medications.

14 Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence /APIA Health Forum ACTIVITY SUMMARY 1/2006 3/2007 Prepared by Chic Dabby for FVPSA Drafting Committee, July 2007 The Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence is a national clearinghouse on gender violence in API communities. It serves a national network of advocates, community members, organizations, service agencies, professionals, researchers, policy advocates and activists from community and social justice organizations working to eliminate violence against Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women. Its goals are to strengthen advocacy, organize communities, influence public policy and change systems. To that end, it offers training and technical assistance, analyzes critical issues, engages in policy advocacy and analysis, emphasizes intra-api cultural competency, disseminates and conducts research, provides an informative website and resource center, and promotes pan-asian and culturally-specific community models of prevention and intervention. The API Institute on Domestic Violence is a program of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. National & Regional Conferences and Intensive Trainings Ann Arbor MI, Shanti Project, Domestic Violence in Gujarati Communities Phoenix, AZ Arizona South Asians for Safe Families, DV in South Asian Families Boston MA, Asian Task Force Against DV, agency staff, Sexual Violence, Trafficking Contra Costa County CA, for county-wide social service programs, Family Violence in Asian Communities Indiana, Purdue University for statewide social service programs, Sexual Violence Kansas, State Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence for state social service and law enforcement agencies, Child Welfare System & Battered Mothers National Summit of the APIA Health Forum, Building an API Health Agenda Southern California Regional Conference, Strengthening Advocacy, Changing Community Washington D.C. API domestic violence programs, Intra-Asian Cultural Competency Policy Advocacy Domestic Violence & Family Court Roundtable organized by NCJFCJ. APIIDV will author paper on how differing dynamics of domestic violence and victim-blaming attitudes to battered mothers further privilege fathers in custody determinations. FVPSA Reauthorization Language Access for Asian Battered Women with Limited English Proficiency Organized by APIIDV to analyze policy issues, review legal and social service strategies for providing interpretation and collect resources and materials; resulting in a policy brief and a proposal for national TA on translation and interpretation for battered women. Runaway Homeless Youth & Relationship Violence Organized by ACYF, Presentation by APIIDV on how cross-disciplinary program collaboration depends on understanding the differences in program philosophies, intervention premises, histories of abuse of the populations served, and in the way safe outcomes are defined. VAWA 2005 Implementation and technical assistance

15 Community Organizing Activities Muslim Women s Working Group On-going organizing with advocates addressing critical issues affecting Muslim battered women. South Asian Men s Roles in Ending Domestic Violence was a day-long community forum organized by South Asian Network, Los Angeles. Speaking Out on Sexual Violence against South Asian Sisters, performance followed by audience discussion organized by South Asian Network, Los Angeles. Technical Assistance & Resource Center Utilization April September technical assistance requests, including on-going TA to 4 start-ups 107,148 page views: 5,514 publications downloaded including 1,385 Fact Sheets, 1,103 Community Engagement Reports, 518 Reports on Women in Domestic Violence & Child Welfare Systems, and 2,508 other materials. October 2006 March technical assistance requests, including on-going TA to 6 start-ups 138,458 website page-views: 4,154 Fact Sheets, 9,330 Community Engagement Reports, 6,176 Reports on Women in Domestic Violence & Child Welfare Systems downloaded. Publications Engendering Change: Transforming Gender Roles in API Communities 2007 Farsi/Persian Lifetime Spiral of Gender Violence 2006 Framing Batterer Accountability in the Context of Advocacy: Issues & Questions 2006 Gender Violence in API Communities 2007 Our Voices Create Our Future: A Report of the Hmong Women s Action Team 2006 Trafficking: Considerations and Recommendations for Domestic Violence Advocates 2007 National Resources for TA & Training and Directory of API DV Programs Revised 2007 Research Bibliography on Violence against Muslim Women Publication forthcoming. Domestic Violence Related Homicides Report has completed data analysis of 157 cases in Asian and Pacific Islander groups over a 5-year period. Publication forthcoming. Justice System Responses to Intimate Partner Violence in Asian Communities Two-year research study funded by NIJ, to be completed Collaboration Collaborations with 18 national organizations, include Alianza, APIA Health Forum s HIV program, Asian Women's Shelter, BWJP, DVRN, Family Violence Prevention Fund s Health Resource Center, Institute on DV in the African American Community, National Asian Pacific American Women s Forum, National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative, National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women, New Visions: Alliance to End Violence in Asian American Communities, NNEDV/Allstate Project, DV Mental Health & Trauma Policy Initiative, Peaceful Families Project, University of Michigan s School of Social Work, and Women of Color Network. Chic Dabby, APIIDV 450 Sutter Street #600 San Francisco CA cdabby@apiahf.org

16 National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Alianza) BACKGROUND AND HISTORY The National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Alianza) is one of three domestic violence cultural institutes established to address the specific needs and concerns of communities of color experiencing family violence. Alianza s mission is to promote understanding, initiate and sustain dialogue, and generate solutions that move toward the elimination of domestic violence affecting Latino communities, with an understanding of the sacredness of all relations and communities. We opened our doors in January 2000, with a 5-year start-up grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), after the agency acknowledged that there was a need to move beyond a one size fits all approach in order to better meet the needs of our communities. Alianza became incorporated in June 2003 and received its tax-exempt status in June Prior to that, the Violence Intervention Program, Inc. had been our host agency and fiscal agent. Prior to awarding Alianza its start-up grant in 2000, DHHS helped our Steering Committee convene a National Symposium on La Violencia Doméstica: An Emerging Dialogue Among Latinos, in November 1997, to initiate a national dialogue about the effects of domestic violence on Latinas/os and to come up with recommendations for necessary actions. Alianza s Board of Directors currently includes 10 members, women and men who trace their roots to various Latin American countries and parts of the United States. They are recognized leaders, authors, and trainers, locally and nationally, with decades of experience in domestic violence and related fields (see listing with names and affiliations). We have a staff of four employees and several contractors/consultants with diverse skills and expertise and years of experience. Our Executive Director, Adelita Medina, has been with Alianza, since it opened an office in We have also formed several Advisory Committees, composed of representatives from more than 80 domestic violence and related organizations. They have helped us plan all of our conferences and advised us on major projects. In addition to DHHS funding, Alianza has received funding from the Department of Justice/Office of Violence Against Women, from some private sector funders, and from individual donors. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS Alianza carries out work in four major areas: 1. Training and Technical Assistance Alianza organizes conferences and other training forums that help Latino/a service providers and advocates enhance their knowledge and skills; develops and disseminates culturally and linguistically competent resource materials. 2. Community Education and Development Alianza works to raise awareness about the devastating effect of domestic violence on Latino families and communities and provides information about existing laws, options, resources, and services. It does this through the placement of news articles, radio and televisions PSAs, radio and TV talk shows, and the hosting of community events. Alianza serves on the organizing committee of the annual NYC s Brides March Against Domestic Violence and has coordinated three Latino Male Speak Outs Against Domestic Violence in New York and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 3. Research Alianza promotes culturally competent research that informs policies and helps develop culturally competent strategies and programs; conducts focus groups/community assessments with survivors and service providers; helps to develop and mentor students and other Latino/a researchers; maintains a repository of culturally competent literature regarding domestic violence in Latino/a communities that is available to the public; and promotes partnerships between academic researchers and community agencies. It also produces facts sheets on domestic violence in Latino communities and summaries of research articles for posting on our website. 4. Public Policy Alianza advocates for and helps to formulate policies that will prevent and help end domestic violence in Latino communities; monitors and disseminates information about the impact of domestic violence policies and legislation on Latino communities; and advocates for the allocation of adequate resources to help prevent and end domestic violence in Latino communities. 1

17 HIGHLIGHTS OF TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AREA National Conferences: Alianza has organized and convened five national forums that have brought together Latino/a advocates, community activists, lawyers, judges, practitioners, researchers, and domestic violence survivors, to help develop a comprehensive and concerted effort to prevent and end domestic violence in Latino communities: June 2000 First National Latino Policy Summit on Domestic Violence April 2001 Forum on Latinos Who Batter: Hope for Those Who Hurt Others March 2002 El Encuentro: A Gathering of Researchers and Community Members August 2003 Latinas and Domestic Violence: El Pasado, El Presente, y El Futuro September 2004 Roundtable on Shelter Access: Barriers That Can Kill November 2005 Yo Soy El Poder Del Cambio: Family Violence Prevention And Beyond October, November 2006 Five Regional Trainings in the Use of Alianza s Curriculum and Supplemental Guide for Conducting Support and Empowerment Groups with Latina Survivors of Domestic Violence/Curriculo y Guia para Facilitar Grupos de Apoyo y Empoderamiento con Mujeres Latinas Sobrevivientes de Violencia Doméstica All our forums have been vehicles for: a) identifying the particular domestic violence needs and concerns of Latino families; b) exploring new approaches that take into consideration the culture and language of the people with whom we work ; c) involving women and men in working together; d) bringing together individuals who, because of geographic, organizational, or philosophical reasons felt isolated in their work; e) forging partnerships with organizations and individuals outside the domestic violence arena; and f) recommending actions to prevent and end violence. Training Workshops & Panels: Alianza Board and staff are often invited to conduct training workshops and to serve on panels at local, regional and national forums as part of our collaboration with other domestic violence agencies. Alianza board and staff members have also presented workshops on domestic violence issues at conferences convened by Latino organizations, including the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), as well as other non-domestic violence organizations. Reports and Other Publications: We have produced reports summarizing the proceedings of each of our forums and listed recommendations for action. These have been widely distributed in hard copy and are available for downloading on our website ( Other materials we have produced include: Guidelines for Developing Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Materials for Latina Survivors of Domestic Violence; Creating Awareness and Raising Consciousness about Domestic Violence in Latino Communities; A series of DV 101 brochures, in English and Spanish for survivors and youth; and a Spanish-language facilitators manual Defensa y Promocion de la Mujer Latina: Trabajando con Comunidades Latinas para Eliminar la Violencia Domestica (Defending and Promoting Latina Women: Working with Latino Communities to Eliminate Domestic Violence) to enhance the skills of domestic violence advocates in such areas as culturally appropriate responses, public benefits, housing, immigration, parenting, and working with men. In 2007 Alianza formed a Cultural Competency Task Force and held a summit with Task Force members in New Mexico in May of Alianza is in the process of developing a publication that will set forth criteria and guidelines to define and establish cultural competency standards for the delivery of domestic violence intervention and prevention services for Latinas/os, as well as highlight promising practices in the field. Through its website and toll-free number, Alianza also responds to requests for assistance and provides information and access to resources to numerous individuals and organizations that contact us. 2