DOVER – The House passed legislation Tuesday that would provide a more holistic and streamlined approach to addressing the needs of victims and their families.
Sponsored by Rep. Krista Griffith and Sen. Nicole Poore, House Bill 340 would pave the way for the creation of Family Justice Centers, bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of professionals in a centralized location to offer coordinated services to victims of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, child abuse, and elder abuse.
“There are known barriers preventing victims of violent crimes from accessing vitally important resources and support services, and our Family Justice Center Steering Committee has been working hard to address these challenges,” said Rep. Griffith.
“Family Justice Centers are widely recognized as a best practice in the field of family intervention and prevention services. By integrating legal assistance, counseling, advocacy, and other critical resources in one place, we can ensure that victims receive the support they need in a more efficient and compassionate manner.”
“Here in the First State, we have many incredible resources and staff available to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse,” said Sen. Nicole Pore, However, it can be incredibly overwhelming to navigate all of these services, as they are often housed across a number of agencies and geographic locations,” said Sen. Poore, Senate prime sponsor of House Bill 340.
“Through the creation of Family Justice Centers, we will consolidate and streamline all of these wonderful services into a convenient-to-use ‘one-stop shop’ that takes the logistical burdens away from families so that they can focus on their recovery.”
While there are many government and non-government victim resources located throughout the state, survivors often cite transportation limitations, difficulty navigating complex systems, and the trauma of retelling their stories as barriers to accessing the full spectrum of services they require.
Family Justice Centers would address this by co-locating, coordinating, and integrating services so that victims and their children travel to fewer places and tell their stories fewer times. The centers would offer wrap-around services that include victim assistance services, basic life services, and legal services.
“The passage of House Bill 340 marks an historic day for the State of Delaware and is the result of many years of hard work by those committed to improving services for victims and survivors of domestic violence,” said Michael K. Newell, Chief Judge, Family Court of the State of Delaware.
“As Chief Judge of the Family Court, and Chair of the DVCC, I support the creation of Family Justice Centers in each of Delaware’s counties and remain committed to ensuring the success of this project.”
“As an agency committed to providing trauma-informed, impactful services to victims of domestic violence and their children, CHILD, Inc. supports the creation of Family Justice Centers in Delaware through HB 340,” said Lori Sitler, Ph.D., Executive Director, CHILD, Inc.
“Family Justice Centers coordinate services to victims and survivors through a multi-disciplinary approach of public and private agencies working together in co-located space. The Family Justice Center model is an international best practice to reduce trauma and redundancy in service delivery and CHILD, Inc. looks forward to contributing to its formation and success in Delaware.”
“The Family Justice Center (FJC) Steering Committee and workgroup members are grateful that we are moving one step closer to creating FJCs in Delaware,” said Laura Carothers Graham, Deputy Director Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.
“The allies and stakeholders who have served on the FJC Steering Committee and Workgroups know that when survivors seek services related to their abuse, they are given referrals to resources in different places depending on their needs: food, shelter, medical treatment, counseling, legal services, law enforcement, employment support. Added to the stress of multiple appointments with multiple providers in multiple locations, survivors are grappling with physical and mental trauma, the need to retell that trauma again and again, the likelihood of young children in tow, and limited or no transportation,” she said.
“Especially for survivors with limited resources, the challenge of accessing services – vital services from hard-working providers, but dispersed services – can be a significant barrier to leaving abusive situations. The coalition of FJC Steering Committee and workgroup members looks forward to continuing the hard but necessary collaborative work to make the establishment of FJCs in Delaware a reality – to improve outcomes for survivors, their families, and our State.”
Under HB 340, Family Justice Centers would be overseen by the Criminal Justice Council, a group consisting of the Chief Judge of the Family Court, legislators, the attorney general, cabinet secretaries, victim advocates, medical and legal professionals, and survivors.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.