Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General

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issues such as immigration,domestic violence in theworkplace, and improvingcollaborative efforts.In 2008, the OFV alsocontinued promotion ofthe “Domestic Violence:It’s Closer Than YouThink” public awarenesscampaign. This campaignsends the message to thepublic that anyone, regardlessof age, race, sex ordiversity, can be a victim of abuse. Posters, flyers, andbrochures were sent to domestic violence programs, localdepartments of social services, local health departments,and many community groups throughout the Commonwealth.The electronic version of the campaign materialswere made available to local domestic violence programsfor their personalization. Additional information andresource materials for this campaign can be found onlineat: www.closerthanyouthink.org. 73Domestic Violence Action TeamThe OFV coordinates the Domestic Violence Action Team(DVAT), a multi-disciplinary team representing the VirginiaDepartment of Social Services, the Virginia Department ofHealth, the Office of the Attorney General, the Departmentof Housing and Community Development, the VirginiaSexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services, local domestic violenceprograms and local departments of social services. DVATfocuses on the statewide response to victims of domesticviolence. In 2008, DVAT addressed the need for greatercollaboration between local domestic violence programsand local departments of social services, particularly withregard to the issue of elder abuse and the service needs ofelderly victims. As a result of DVAT discussions, a successfultraining curriculum is being modified to address thisspecific need. DVAT is also working on the developmentof guidelines for home-based advocacy. These guidelinesshould be available for distribution in 2009.Virginia Department of State Police 74In addition to its role as the state law enforcement agency,the Virginia Department of State Police (VSP) serves asthe central repository for crime data reported by locallaw enforcement agencies. Through the Uniform CrimeReporting Program, VSP collects and analyze crime statisticson selected crimes. VSP produces a report of crimestatistics each year, Crime in Virginia, available online at:http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Crime_in_Virginia.shtm.In 2008, VSP also received funding as part of the VirginiaPartnership of the Grant to Encourage Arrest Policiesand Enforcement of Protection Orders (GEAP), a collaborativeeffort of five state agencies and one non-profitorganization. In October 2007, VSP was awarded a totalof $222,912 in GEAP funding for a two-year grant cycle,ending September 30, 2009. VSP’s grant funding supportstraining and technical assistance to law enforcementagencies across the Commonwealth regarding protectiveorder issues in domestic violence cases. In addition, VSPaudits local law enforcement agencies’ protective orderfiles to ensure accuracy in the Virginia Criminal InformationNetwork (VCIN) and National Crime InformationCenter (NCIC) systems. VSP also provides training onnew software used by law enforcement (Messenger) andmagistrates (E-Magistrate). Further, VSP works closelywith the Office of the Executive Secretary of the SupremeCourt of Virginia to ensure accurate and timely entry ofprotective order information in the court case managementand VCIN systems.Virginia Sexual andDomestic Violence Action Alliance 75The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence ActionAlliance (VSDVAA) is a recognized leader in Virginia’sresponse to domestic and sexual violence. VSDVAA isa non-profit organization dedicated to increasing publicaccess to resources and services, offering opportunities forprofessional development for victim services providersand victim advocates, and initiating legislative and policychange. VSDVAA is the statewide coalition, or alliance,of 47 domestic violence programs, 39 sexual assault crisiscenters, allied organizations providing services to victimsof domestic violence and sexual assault, and individuals.24
To accomplish its mission, VSDVAA relies upon federaland state grant funding, membership fees, and privatecontributions. In 2007, VSDVAA received 45% of itsapproximately $2.3 million budget from federal grantprograms, including funding from the Office on ViolenceAgainst Women. VSDVAA received 44% in funding fromstate appropriations for the operation of the Virginiaand Sexual Assault Hotline, for statewide data collectionthrough the VAdata system, and for statewide training,technical assistance and resource development. Finally,11% of VSDVAA’s funding was from private sources,including membership fees, training fees, and privatecontributions. 76In addition to its operation of the Virginia FamilyViolence and Sexual Assault Hotline, VSDVAA providesmany unique initiatives to the Commonwealth of Virginiaincluding: a Training Institute on Sexual and DomesticViolence; a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer &Questioning Task Force; a Women of Color LeadershipConference; and public awareness initiatives such as theBeating Hearts Display, the Art of Surviving Exhibit, theRed Flag Campaign, and Rural Outreach Enhancementof Sexual Assault Services Project (ROESAS). Informationfor some of these initiatives is provided in this Report;however, additional information can be found online at:www.vsdvalliance.org.Virginia Family Violence andSexual Assault HotlineThrough a grant from the Department of Social Services(DSS), VSDVAA operates the statewide Virginia FamilyViolence and Sexual Assault Hotline. The Hotline linksthousands of survivors and professionals to the appropriateservices in their communities. The Hotline providescrisis intervention services, referrals to community domesticand sexual violence resources, and information andresources for victims, families and individuals throughoutthe Commonwealth. The Hotline also ensures thateach community in Virginia has the resources it needs toeffectively respond to sexual and domestic violence andeducates professionals, communities, and legislators on howto stop sexual and domestic violence from happening andhow to help those who have been hurt by violence. In2007, the Hotline received 48,051 calls, an average of 132calls per day.Public Policy and Legislative InitiativesPublic policy is a critical component of comprehensive andeffective victim advocacy. VSDVAA monitors the developmentand implementation of state and federal laws thataffect victims of sexual and domestic violence, non-profits,and sexual and domestic violence programs. VSDVAA alsoworks collaboratively with state agencies including theDepartment of Social Services, the Department of CriminalJustice Services, Department of Health, Departmentof Housing and Community Development, Office of theAttorney General, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,State Crime Commission and others. VSDVAA also holdsan annual Legislative Advocacy Training Day and LobbyDay in order to inform members and elected representativesabout legislation related to sexual and domestic violence.Helping Children Who Are Exposed toDomestic ViolenceStatewide, a significant number of children are exposedto domestic violence, which has a profound impact ontheir lives. VSDVAA has been an active agent for theenhancement of services for these children throughoutthe Commonwealth.In 2006, VSDVAA, in partnership with the VirginiaDepartment of Social Services, Office of Family Violence(OFV), accepted a three year grant from the United StatesDepartment of Health and Human Services to develop aprogram to improve services to children who have beenexposed to domestic violence and their non-abusing parents.In addition to the OFV, VSDVAA developed partnershipswith three local domestic violence programs: ACTSTurning Points in Dumfries, Family Resource Center inWytheville, and Samaritan House in Virginia Beach, todevelop and test new service enhancement strategies. AnAdvisory Council was also formed to oversee the grantprogram.In 2006, during the first year of the program, a statewideneeds assessment of all certified domestic violence programsindicated a concerning gap in services for Virginiachildren who have been exposed to domestic violenceand a lack of necessary resources and trained advocatesto provide comprehensive services to this population. Asa result, the Advisory Council developed new servicesfor children and their non-abusing parents in domesticviolence shelters as well as within communities. TheAdvisory Council also worked with VSDVAA to develop25
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Page 6 and 7: ExecutiveSummaryOn a daily basis, d
Page 9 and 10: Domestic andSexual Violencein Virgi
Page 11 and 12: Table 1: Children Present During Fa
Page 13 and 14: Source: Domestic Violence Services
Page 15 and 16: children and youth and made increas
Page 17 and 18: Source: Virginia Department of Crim
Page 19 and 20: for the prevention of family violen
Page 21 and 22: Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violen
Page 23 and 24: tims of domestic violence who have
Page 25 and 26: developed pursuant to Senate Bill 2
Page 27 and 28: improve the functioning and effecti
Page 29 and 30: Virginia Department of Health,Divis
Page 31: grant assists homeless families in
Page 35 and 36: COLLABORATIVE EFFORTSIn addition to
Page 37 and 38: 2008 LegislativeUpdateDuring the 20
Page 39: FutureRecommendationsAs evidenced i
Page 42 and 43: 5Virginia Sexual and Domestic Viole
Page 44: Appendix A36
Page 48 and 49: Domestic Violenceand Sexual Assault
Page 50 and 51: Carroll CountyFamily Resource Cente
Page 52 and 53: Greene CountySexual Assault Resourc
Page 54 and 55: Mecklenburg CountyMadeline’s Hous
Page 56 and 57: Total Action Against PovertyWomen
Page 58 and 59: Crisis CenterP.O. Box 642Bristol, V
Page 60 and 61: Local FatalityReview TeamsChesterfi
Page 64: The design and printing of this Ann

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