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Safe Havens
Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program [CFDA #16.527]
GRANT OVERVIEW:
The Safe Havens: Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program is a discretionary funding stream established in the 2000 Violence Against Women Act. CJCC is proud to be only the second recipient of this grant in the State of Georgia.
The Safe Havens program was established to fund communities to create a coordinated response to the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and/or stalking in child custody cases. The grant pays for the creation of a supervised visitation and exchange program in a local community, the creation of court protocols and procedures, and a coordinated community response to violence against women and children in custody cases or proceedings.
CJCC is proud to be partnering with SAFFT Visitation Center, Forsyth County Family Haven, and No One Alone (NOA's Ark) in Dawson County to create a coordinated community response to domestic and dating violence in the child custody context.
CJCC and it’s partners will work together to establish supervised visitation and exchange programs that specialized in serving families involved in child custody disputes where domestic or dating violence, and/or sexual assault are a factor in Forsyth and Dawson counties. The partners have established a core consulting committee – that includes judicial partners – to create the protocols and procedures that will govern the visitation program. As part of the grant program, CJCC and its partners are receiving guidance from the Vera Institute of Justice’s Supervised Visitation Initiative, an Office on Violence Against Women funded technical assistance provider.
CJCC PRIORITIES/MAIN OBJECTIVES:
CJCC hopes that the state’s experience working in Forsyth and Dawson counties to establish the supervised visitation program will position the agency to provide technical assistance to other Georgia communities. CJCC and its partners hope to accomplish the following:
- A safety audit and needs assessment about supervised visitation services in the domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and child abuse contexts in Forsyth and Dawson counties.
- The establishment of a sustainable coordinated community response to the issue of violence against women in child custody cases.
- The establishment of model protocols and policies for criminal justice, civil legal, and service provider response to the issue of violence against women and children in child custody disputes.
- A safety net for women and children victims of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, child abuse, or stalking to be able to abide by court-ordered custody or exchange decisions.
- Ultimately, CJCC and its partners hope that a well-established supervised visitation and exchange program will help prevent parental abduction, as well as, further abuse that a victim may suffer during visitation or custody exchanges.
Learn more about the State of Georgia’s Safe Havens Project:
