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Family Justice Centers: Bringing Services Together for Domestic Violence Survivors

Learn about the Family Justice Center model, a multiagency, multidisciplinary approach to providing comprehensive services to domestic violence survivors and their families. Discover the benefits of having all services under one roof and reducing the need for survivors to repeat their stories.

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Family Justice Centers: Bringing Services Together for Domestic Violence Survivors

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  1. “Taking the best of what you already have and bring it all together.” Casey Gwinn, San Diego Family Justice Centers in the Netherlands and Europe Bert Groen, MOVISIE The Netherlands & president of the European Family Justice Center Alliance

  2. Facts and figures the Netherlands • Yearly at least 200.000 officially reported victims of Domestic Violence. • Between 2009 – 2011 the Dutch police registered 47 homcides directly related to Domestic Violence (21 women, 13 children and 13 men). • Yearly at least 107.200 children in the Netherlands are victims of abuse • 75% mistreatment and neglect • 20% physical abuse • 5% sexual abuse

  3. Multi agency approach of violence against women has shown encouraging results, but there are still major obstacles: • Survivors are still expected to travel to a variety of organisations to get safety, help and support • Survivors have to tell their story over and over again

  4. Complex systems that victims cannot navigate are not the answer..

  5. More brochures and referrals are alsonot the answer!

  6. Is there an answer and if so, what’s the answer? YES, there is! The Family Justice Center model

  7. What is a Family Justice Center (1) • A Family Justice Center is a multiagency, multidisciplinary service center • where public and private agencies assign staff members on a full‐time or part‐time basis in order to provide services to survivors of domestic violence and their families from one location. • The overall goal of a Family Justice Center is to ensure that survivors of domestic violence have access to all needed services in order to enhance their safety and increase offenders accountability.

  8. What is a Family Justice Center (2) • A Family Justice Center acts from one location in order: • to reduce the number of times survivors must tell their story, • reduce the number of places survivors must go for help, • foster collaboration and common approach of the different agencies • and increase access to services and support for survivors and their children. A SAFE PLACE WHERE PROFESSIONALS COME TOGETHER AND SURVIVORS COME FIRST

  9. Main Features of a Family Justice Center (1) • All services under one roof • Survivor driven: starts from the needs of survivors (adults and children) • Easy way of locating organizations and services • Reduces travelling and waiting time

  10. Main Features of a Family Justice Center (2) • Avoids repeated descriptions of the own situation • Interdisciplinary cooperation on an individual case-by-case basis • Combines security related information • Quick convening of a security conference • Improvement of the interventions

  11. Guiding principles (1) • Safety Focused Increase safety, promote healing, and foster empowerment through services for victims and their children • Victim-centered Provide victim-centered services that promote victim autonomy

  12. Guiding principles (2) • Survivor-driven Shape services to clients by asking them what they need • Empowered Offer survivors a place to belong even after crisis intervention services are no longer necessary

  13. Guiding principles (3) • Relationship-based Maintain close working relationships among all collaborators/agencies • Offender-accountability Increase offender accountability through evidence-based prosecution strategies and/or evidence based treatment programs.

  14. Internationale context • First FJC: San Diego California, 2002, • 2015: + 80 FJC in USA, Canada, Australië, Jordanië, Mexico,… • European Family Justice Center Alliance • Daphne-project 2012-2014 • Now 9: Antwerpen, Berlin, Tilburg, Milan, Warsaw, Venlo, Derry, Malmö, London

  15. Partners in the family Justice Center (1) • Local authorities • Police • Prosecutor • Women’s aid • Shelters • Services for child abuse • Services for social welfare • Counseling • …

  16. Partners in the family Justice Center (2) • Medical services • Services for housing • Probation • Perpetrator programs • Services for migrants and asylum seekers • Youth care • Centre for mental health • Services for job seeking…

  17. 9 FJC Locations in Europe • The Netherlands: Tilburg /Venlo • Italy: Milan • Poland: Warsaw • Germany: Berlin • Belgium: Antwerp • Ireland: Derry • England: Croydon • Sweden: Malmö

  18. Main Results and Advantages FJC initiative (1) • Survivors don’t need to tell their story to many different persons and agencies • More information about the actions taken in the approach, the case manager has an overall view • Fewer appointments at different agencies • Security is increased within a FJC • Quicker response

  19. Main Results and Advantages FJC initiative (2) • Quicker response is possible when new incidents , threats or changing circumstances occur • Within the FJC there is a clear vision about the problem • Survivors are treated with respect and understanding by all workers • Professionals learn more about the possibilities of colleagues from other agencies

  20. EUROPEAN FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER ALLIANCE (EFJCA) • The Central platfom for FJC’s in Europe • Provide mutual support and cooperation among members • Promote and support new FJC initiatives • Developing and strengthening the network • Developing materials for training, ICT, education evaluation, monitoring.

  21. Main Challenges in Europe • Different level of approaches of violence against women within key-stakeholders • Difference in legislation and legal frameworks • Different financial participation and commitment from governments

  22. Latest developments in the Netherlands • Integration of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence and Child Abuse into one approach. • Child support centers and support centers for domestic violence merged in 2016 into 1 organisation called Veilig Thuis (Safe Home). • In 2016 a nationwide network of Centers for Sexual Violence is developed (16 total) • The development of a Multidisciplinairy Approach ++ (MDA++)

  23. What is MDA++ The focus is serious and very complex forms of domesticviolence, sexualviolence and childabuse, divided in 2 parts: MDA++ Acute MDA++ Structuralnot SAFE

  24. MDA++, what is it about? • Multidisciplinair +Specialist +Intersectorial • System focused • Coordinated= case management • Integral= domesticviolence, childeabuse, sexualabuse in conjunction with oneanother.

  25. MDA++, what does is stand for? • System focused: the approach is focussing on all members within the family and their socialnetwork. Nottalkingabout the clients, but with the clients • Coordinated case management: One contact for the whole family. One professional is monitoring if the diagnostic approach is meeting the expected goals of the joined action plan.

  26. Thank you for your attention! E-mail: b.groen@movisie.nl www.efjca.eu

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