“Taking the Family Justice Center Vision Global”

Casey Gwinn, J.D.President, Family Justice Center Alliance

CEO, YWCA of San Diego County

March 3, 2009Email: casey@nfjca.org

Website: www.familyjusticecenter.orgCopyright 2009

FJC Vision Statement

• A future where… – All the needs of victims are met– Children are protected– Violence fades, – Aggressors are held accountable– Economic justice increases,– Families heal and thrive, – Hope is realized, and – We ALL work together…

The Message:

DREAM BIG!

Reaching the Vision is not an event…It is a long journey…

From the Women’s Movement, to the Sexual Assault Movement, to

the Battered Women’s Movement (plus child protection movement…), intervention, to prevention, to specialization…

Leading to…

32

And…in the midst of our systems…we must never forget what victim’s are experiencing…

Key Principles

• Survivor/Victim Centered

• Accountable to Survivors

• Responsive to Survivors – Focus Groups and Exit Interviews

• Collaborative processes necessary to keep agencies working together in the same building

• Constantly changing, growing, evolving…

•The San Diego Family Justice Center…

www.familyjusticecenter.org

The San DiegoFamily Justice Center…

• Police DV Unit/Elder Abuse Unit• City Attorney’s DV Unit/District Attorney’s Family Protection

Division• 27 on-site public and private agency partners• TRO Clinic, Counseling, Food, Housing Assistance,

Transportation, Cell phones, Shelter advocates, Disability community advocates, System advocates, Military advocates, Probation, DA Victim/Witness, and Services for Children, Mentoring

• Forensic Medical Unit (Sharp’s Grossmont Hospital)• 120 Active Volunteers, including Chaplains and Chaplains

Assistants• 20 Off-site partners/Part-time on-site• 120 professionals on-site daily focused on DV• Evaluation Committee – Focus Groups with Clients• San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation ($4.2 million raised

in cash/in-kind since June, 2003)

Welcome to our Home…

• Client enters the Front Porch at the Family Justice Center and checks in with the Receptionist.

Dining Room

Vision Economic Justice/Healing• Safe and Affordable Housing• Safe and Affordable Transportation• Safe and Affordable Childcare• Affordable Healthcare• Affordable Education/Job Skills• Jobs that are family-friendly/well-paying• Sufficient Income Supplements/Support• Restoration; timely payment of all losses & costs,

broadly define; actualized & prospective• Economic safety net; government & community• Access to Civil/Criminal Legal Systems

Client Focus Group Primary Response

“What took you so long?”

And then came Oprah…

Initial Outcomes

The San Diego Family Justice Center: What are we seeing?

Family Justice Center –Initial Outcomes

• Natural client peer support• Broad cross-section of victims/clients• “Dropping charges” significantly reduced (30/70)• Client support/safety dramatically increased• Less focus on criminal justice system as sole or

primary response• Strong sense of “community” developing among

service providers• Collaboration, Efficiency• No deaths involving anyone seeking services at the

Center in over 29,000 clients• 30, 22, 18, 13, 9, 7, 5, 5, 3 in 2008…Aiming for ZERO

in one year…

Central to the FJC Vision…

CampHOPE C

Camp Hope for Children Impacted by Family Violence

• To heal• To give hope• To have fun

Go to: www.camphopesandiego.org

Outcomes

• Nampa Family Justice Center Outcomes Analysis – University of Idaho

• San Diego Family Justice Center – Child Adolescent Research Center

• Pending Natural History Studies: San Diego, Alameda County, New York City

• Casey Gwinn, Gael Strack, Susan Adams, Rebecca Lovelace & Deborah Norman, “The Family Justice Center Collaborative Model”, 27 Saint Louis University Public Law Review 79 (2007)

Tulane University SurveyRange of Co-Located Services in

Centers• Criminal Justice• Medical Services• Civil Legal Services• Child Care/Child trauma/Advocacy Services• Child Welfare• Subject Matter Focus Areas: Domestic Violence/Sexual

Assault/Stalking/Elder Abuse• Living Provisions/Needs• Financial & Employment Assistance• Public Benefits• Social Services• Spiritual Support• Community Education/Outreach/Prevention• Camping/Mentoring Programs

Office on Violence Against Women

• FJC Purpose Area in VAWA 2005• On-going TA for PFJCI sites• TA for other federally funded FJC communities• Today, 45 operating Family Justice Centers in

the U.S. and around the world, 50-60 Centers in planning stages…

• Family Justice Center Alliance Now Launchedo-• Co-located Services Evolving Around the World

Family Justice Center Alliance

• Publicly and privately funded national alliance modeled after the National Children’s Advocacy Center

• National TA Team – On-site assistance, On-line assistance

• National standards/Web TV (Coming)/Video teleconferencing/Staff Exchanges/International Conferences/Webinars

• Coordinated with OVW Funded-National FJC Technical Assistance Project for federally funded sites

• FJC Institute funded by Verizon Foundation (including technology-based pilot projects)

• www.familyjusticecenter.org

The FJC Alliance Team

Casey Gwinn, JD

Diane McGrogan, LCSW

Gael Strack, JD Judi Adams, LMFT Ret. Lt. Jim Barker

Jennifer Bodine Tim Campen, JD Sgt. Robert Keetch Brenda Lugo

Verizon- Sponsored FJCI Technology Solutions

• Co-located service providers with fire walled, secure information sharing/Broadband wireless

• Cell phones integrated with case management services (with video and text messaging)

• Internet-based language services• Electronic filings with the Family Court (no court appearances

required)• Electronic Safety Deposit Boxes for Clients• Video teleconferencing with other Centers and the courts• Best Practices Profiled• Web TV/Client E-Learning – FJC Institute• Microsoft Office Teaching Labs/Internet Uses/On-Line• Relationships PLUS technology

The FJC Institute Advisory Board

Sarah Buel, J.D.Professor,The University of Texas School of Law

Yvonne CarrascoConsultant to Foundations & the Non-Profit Sector

Sue ElsePresident,National Network to End Domestic Violence

Denise GamacheDirector,Battered Women’s Justice Project

Dean M. Hawley, MDProfessor,Indiana University School of MedicineClarian Pathology Laboratory

Mike MasonVerizonChief of Security

Nancy E. O'MalleyChief Assistant District Attorney,Office of the District Attorney, Alameda County

Kim WellsExecutive Director,Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence

Oliver J. Williams, Ph.D.Executive Director,Institute on DV in the African American Community,Professor,School of Social Work, University of MN

Update:

16 of 16 Centers Open in the President’s Initiative

Operating Family Justice Centers in the United States (Partial Listing)

• San Diego, CA (2)• New York City, New York (2)• San Antonio, Texas• Tacoma, Washington• Collin County, Texas• Peoria, Illinois• Nampa, Idaho• Boise, Idaho• Ouachita Parish, LA• Tulsa, Oklahoma• St. Louis, Missouri• Salt Lake City, UT• Rockville, Maryland• Omaha, Nebraska

• Oakland, CA• Riverside, CA (2)• Las Vegas, NM• Tampa, FL• Boston, MA• Las Vegas, NM• South Bend, IND• Knoxville, TN• Anaheim, CA• New Orleans, LA• San Jose, CA• Indianapolis, IND• Current Planning: Over 40

communities in U.S.

International Family Justice Centers (Operating or

Coming Soon)• Waterloo-Kitchener, Ontario• Amman, Jordan (2)• Calgary, Alberta/ Richmond, BC• Monterrey, Mexico• London, England (Croydon) (6-8 more in process)• Perth, Australia• Johannesburg, South Africa• Many others in planning stages – Prague, Russia,

Germany, France, Morocco, Ghana, and Bahrain

First FJC Book

www.volcanopress.com

Hope for Hurting Families II

:International Family Justice

Center ConferenceApril 21-23, 2009

Anaheim, CAwww.familyjusticecenter.org

Reminders for Dreamers

• Be Focused and Persistent• Be Overcomers: Politics, Turf Issues,

Competing Priorities, Enemies, Money, and Personality Conflicts

• Stay Humble• Learn from past mistakes• Listen to advocates/survivors• Always aspire, never settle• Beyond services…what is your Camp Hope?