The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the…

The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; civil legal services; and the provision of resources in juvenile court matters. Projects supported by the justice for families program are those that focus on keeping victims and their children safe from further abuse and holding offenders accountable. Through this continuation justice for families project, judiciary courts of the state of indiana (DBA vanderburgh county superior court), in partnership with the parenting time center, ywca, albion fellows bacon center, hollys house, and volunteer lawyer program of southwestern indiana, will implement a comprehensive project addressing the following purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange; 3) training for court-based and court-related personnel; 5) court and court-based programs and services; and 6) civil legal assistance in vanderburgh county, indiana. Specific activities will include: 1) supporting a 1.0 FTE visit supervisor to provide supervised visitation and exchange services; 2) providing training on issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to attorneys, guardians ad litem, and protective order assistance office staff; 3) employing a .89 FTE intake assessment officer to serve pro SE victims with court processes; 4) supporting a .38 FTE guardian ad litem in family court to focus on cases involving domestic violence; and 5) providing civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence for their protective order hearings.