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, wellspring alliance for families INC., in partnership with the family justice center of ouachita, 4TH judicial district louisiana courts, 4TH judicial district louisiana district attorneys office, stopping abusive family environments rural (SAFER) task force, and batterers intervention program of northeast louisiana, will implement a standard project addressing the following purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange; 3) training for court-based and court-related personnel; and 5) court and court-based programs in northeast louisiana. This project will address priority area 2: access to justice; and priority area 3: expand economic justice and financial advocacy. Specific activities will include: 1) supporting one 0.30 FTE program coordinator, two 0.50 FTE program supervisors, and contract visitation monitors to provide supervised visitation and safe exchanges; 2) providing training to court-related staff; and 3) develop formal coordination structures between the courts and local apip programs. This is a continuation of 15JOVW-21-GG-00222-jffx.