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What is a Family Justice Center? |
It is the co-location of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals who work together in one, centralized location to provide coordinated services to victims of family violence. While a Family Justice Center may house many partners, the basic partners include Sheriff’s Deputies, police officers, prosecutors and community-based advocates. The core concept is to provide Services in a seamless, efficient manner and include advocacy, crisis counseling, safety planning, assistance in obtaining protective orders, shelter referrals, counseling groups, chaplains, pro bono and immigration attorney services, the opportunity to talk with police and prosecutors.
The primary goal of the FJC is to create a comfortable place for families to meet with service providers rather than go from place to place seeking help. There will be a kitchen stocked with snacks and beverages available for victims or children who may be hungry. A children’s room and library provides safe, child-friendly areas for children to play, read, and watch television, do homework, or use a computer while their mothers talk with a counselor confidentially
Objectives of the Family Justice Center are to work in a united effort to achieve the following goals:
• Improved access to services for victims and families
• Co-location of law enforcement and social services to enhance the coordinated community response
• Improved case management for victims
• Outreach to the immigrant population
• Reduce the number of unreported domestic violence cases
• Hold domestic violence offenders accountable
• Reduce the number of protective orders dismissed because of petitioner FTA
• Promote a community-wide response of zero tolerance for domestic violence.
The Family Justice Center model is based on the San Diego Family Justice Center model (www.familyjusticecenter.org) which opened in 2002. The Family Justice Center model has been identified as a best practice in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention services. The documented and published outcomes in the Family Justice Center model have included: reduced homicides; increased victim safety; increased autonomy and empowerment for victims; reduced fear and anxiety for victims and their children; and reduced recantation and minimization by victims when wrapped in services and support, to name a few.
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