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 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (SPCC) in Rochester, New York received a $700,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women under the Justice Systems Response to Families Program (CFDA 16.021). The grant supports a comprehensive effort to improve the civil and criminal justice system's response to families affected by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Monroe County, New York.

Key activities funded through this 3-year project include: 1) Providing 1.7 FTE supervised visitation specialists to offer direct supervised visitation and safe exchange services to families impacted by domestic violence; 2) Supporting a 0.6 FTE staff attorney to provide legal representation, counseling, and pro se legal clinics for domestic violence victims; and 3) Delivering trainings to judges, court personnel, attorneys, child welfare workers, advocates, and other human service professionals on working with families affected by domestic violence. These efforts aim to keep victims and their children safe while holding offenders accountable through coordinated justice system interventions.

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 society for the prevention of cruelty to children (SPCC) and its partners, the legal aid society of rochester, willow domestic violence center and monroe county family court will implement a comprehensive project addressing purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and exchange; 5) court and court-based programs and services; 6) civil legal services for victims; and 8) training within the civil justice system in monroe county, NY. Specific activities under this project include: 1) supporting 1.7 ftes supervised visitation specialists to provide direct supervised visitation and safe exchange services to families impacted by domestic violence; 2) supporting a 0.6 FTE staff attorney to provide legal representation, legal counseling and assistance with pro SE legal clinics to victims of domestic violence; and 3) providing trainings to judges, court personnel, attorneys, child welfare, advocates, and human service professionals on issues related to working with families impacted by domestic violence.