Domestic Violence Program Office

1
Domestic Violence Program Office

• Roles and Responsibilities
• Trula Motta, Program Director
• May 21, 2008

2
Program Office Role

• Section 39.903, F.S.
• Serve as a clearinghouse for information relating
  to domestic violence
• Operate the domestic violence program, which
  provides supervision, direction, coordination and
  administration of statewide activities related to
  the prevention of domestic violence

3
Program Office Activities

• Develop, direct and interpret policy, rules,
  laws, and procedures for domestic violence
  programs
• Certify and monitor domestic violence centers and
  batterers intervention programs
• Provide information and technical assistance to
  domestic violence fatality review teams

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Definition

• Section 741.28, F.S.
• Any assault, aggravated assault, battery,
  aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual
  battery, stalking, aggravated stalking,
  kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal
  offense resulting in physical injury or death of
  one family or household member by another family
  or household member
• Section 741.325(8)That these standards shall
  apply only to programs that address the
  perpetration of violence between intimate
  partners, spouses, ex-spouses, or those who share
  a child in common or who are cohabitants in
  intimate relationships for the purpose of
  exercising power and control by one over the
  other

5
Co-occurrence

• Child abuse co-occurs with domestic violence in
  30-60 of cases
• 65 of intimate homicide victims separated from
  the perpetrator prior to their death
• In families where the mother is assaulted by the
  father, daughters are at 6.51 times greater risk
  of sexual abuse than girls in non-abusive homes
• Fathers who batter mothers are 2 times more
  likely to seek sole physical custody of their
  children than non-violent fathers

6
Partnership Opportunities

• Local Certified Domestic Violence Center
  (Inter-agency Agreement or MOU)
• ESI, multi-disciplinary and other case staffing
• Support with safety planning and risk assessment
• Training
• Certified Batterers Intervention Programs
• Referral for domestic violence perpetrators (26
  weeks)
• Local Domestic Violence Task Force and Fatality
  Review Teams