Family Violence Project

Introduction

CFCC staff is engaged in a number of efforts focused on how the courts and court-connected professionals address family violence.

Family Violence Project Services

The Family Violence Project staff members (1) provide legal and policy advice to the Judicial Council; (2) analyze and draft family violence legislation; (3) produce committee and council reports analyzing domestic violence issues; and (4) provide legal counsel for mandated studies and reports to the Legislature and Governor. Family Violence Project staff work on producing new and revised rules of court, standards of judicial administration, and forms as needed. Services and projects include:

Domestic Violence Protocol for Family Court Services. In California, contested child custody matters are referred to family court services. Domestic violence is present in many of the cases that are referred for services. The Judicial Council's Center for Families, Children & the Courts is leading the effort to implement a statewide protocol for handling domestic violence cases in family court services (California Rules of Court, rule 5.215).

Domestic Violence Form Translations. CFCC has translated all domestic violence forms into a variety of languages, pursuant to legislation and an interagency agreement with the California Department of Health Services. In addition to translating the forms, CFCC has developed educational materials in a variety of languages to support the translations.

Video tapes on Restraining Orders. The AOC has developed video and written informational materials in English, Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese to help self-represented litigants understand how to apply for or respond to a domestic violence restraining order. These materials are available through family court services programs, domestic violence shelters, family law facilitators, and the main county public libraries throughout the state. The written materials can also be accessed on the California Courts Web site, and people can click to links to the court forms discussed in those materials online. CFCC believes that the materials designed for respondents are the first of their kind produced by a state court system.

Family Violence Project Research

Domestic Violence Courts: A Descriptive Study. This study, completed in May 2000, provides the first descriptive look at California's domestic violence courts and the specialized processing of domestic violence cases. The study can be downloaded here, or you can send an e-mail request to receive a hard copy.

The Statewide Uniform Statistical Reporting System (SUSRS). This system consists of a network of discrete but interlocking studies that can be used alone or combined in different ways to address specific policy questions. SUSRS looks at a wide range of topics, including domestic violence. The statistics provide a rigorous assessment of domestic violence cases across the State of California. They demonstrate the high prevalence of violence in families with contested child custody and the high rate of exposure of children to domestic violence. When analyzed with other case characteristics, it is clear that domestic violence cases often have other serious issues and are complicated by cross-complaints between parents. The statewide statistics also show that violence cuts across all demographic groups and cannot be relegated to a simple case profile. These data are useful in training court personnel, planning programs, and educating the public about the serious and pervasive dangers of family violence.

Family Violence Project Training

CFCC staff is engaged in a number of training efforts focused on how the courts and court-connected professionals address family violence. Projects include providing technical assistance and training to the courts and the public, providing assistance in the area of domestic violence prevention within the Administrative Office of the Courts, assisting in the development of curricula for conferences and training sponsored by the Judicial Council and in the provision of local and regional educational programs, drafting educational and informational material, providing statewide expertise and resources to the local courts and advocacy community by tracking and disseminating state and federal (both case and statutory) changes, and implementing new legislative mandates and monitoring courts' compliance. Additionally, specific efforts include:

Family Violence and the Courts Conference. This annual conference, sponsored by the Center for Families, Children & the Courts, brings together judicial officers, domestic violence victim advocates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, social workers, court staff, batterer program staff, care personnel, law enforcement officers, and other members of county family violence coordinating councils to learn about model programs and new legislation and to plan activities for the future.

Judicial Officers and Court Personnel. The Judicial Council's Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) and the Center for Families, Children & the Courts provide regular training for mediators, evaluators, investigators, court clerks, and judicial officers on domestic violence issues. These trainings take place several times throughout the year and provide court-connected professionals with valuable information on domestic violence as well as promote best practices throughout the state.

Child Custody Evaluator Training. The Administrative Office of the Courts is implementing California Rule of Court, rule 5.230, which sets standards for domestic violence training for court-appointed child custody evaluators and investigators. Many contested child custody cases are referred for child custody evaluations. Given the presence of domestic violence in many of these cases, it is important that child custody evaluators be trained in identifying and responding to domestic violence. Rule 5.230 provides a description of the in-depth domestic violence training child custody evaluators must have in order to perform their evaluations. Training is offered locally in cooperation with local courts and domestic violence experts. Training has already been provided for hundreds of evaluators throughout the state.

Please contact CFCC@jud.ca.gov for more information.