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 new justice for families project, the ywca jamestown, in partnership with unified court system eighth judicial district, and the salvation army new center, will implement a standard project addressing the following purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange; and 5) court and court-based programs and services in chautauqua county, new york. This proposal will address priority area 3: underserved communities. Specific activities will include: 1) providing supervised visitation and safe exchange services aligned with the OVW guiding principles for supervised visitation and safe exchange services by hiring a 1.0 FTE visitation monitor; 2) supporting a 1.0 FTE case manager to support victims of domestic violence with safety planning and resource referrals; and 3) hiring a 1.0 FTE case manager for conducting an offender accountability program.