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…

Through a $600,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women under the Justice Systems Response to Families Program (CFDA 16.021), Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and its project partners will implement a comprehensive program to serve families affected by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Key activities include:

1. Enhancing court collaboration and supervised visitation/safe exchange services through a dedicated court liaison position;
2. Supporting supervised visitation and safe custody exchange services;
3. Providing legal representation and assistance for domestic violence victims; and
4. Expanding language access to supervised visitation, safe exchange, and civil legal aid services for limited English proficient communities.

The project period runs from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026, with the goal of improving the civil and criminal justice system's response to families with a history of the targeted crimes. Project partners include Legal Aid of North Carolina, Safe Alliance, and the 26th Judicial District Court.

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, mecklenburg county community support services, in partnership with legal aid of north carolina (LANC), safe alliance, and the 26TH judicial district court, will implement a standard project addressing the following purpose areas: purpose area 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange and 6) civil legal assistance for mecklenburg county, north carolina. The project will address priority area 3: underserved communities for immigrant communities with limited english proficiency. Specific activities will include: 1) enhancing court collaboration and supervised visitation and safe custody exchange services with a 1.0 FTE court liaison; 2) supporting supervised visitation and safe custody exchange services; 3) providing legal representation and legal assistance services for victims of domestic violence; and 4) expanding language access to supervised visitation, safe exchange, and civil legal assistance services for local communities with limited english proficiency.