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Mission & Values
Mission:
The mission of the Family Justice Center is to facilitate a coordinated and comprehensive approach to family violence through collaboration, education, and advocacy.
Values:
• Everyone deserves to live a life free from violence, and full of dignity, respect, and safety.
• Interpersonal violence intersects with multiple other forms of oppression.
• Interpersonal violence affects every life in our community.
• Trauma impacts all areas of life in both individuals and the larger community.
• Vicarious trauma impacts practitioners doing direct and indirect work.
• Collaboration and teamwork in our office and with our partners is central to the success of our work.
• We believe and advocate for survivors, recognizing that violence is never the fault of the survivor.
• Holding offenders accountable is critical to healing and justice for survivors.
• Inclusivity, diversity, and equality are central to healthy staff, empowering service provision for survivors, and collaborative partnerships.
• Empathy, compassion and empowerment are central to healing.
The mission of the Family Justice Center is to facilitate a coordinated and comprehensive approach to family violence through collaboration, education, and advocacy.
Values:
• Everyone deserves to live a life free from violence, and full of dignity, respect, and safety.
• Interpersonal violence intersects with multiple other forms of oppression.
• Interpersonal violence affects every life in our community.
• Trauma impacts all areas of life in both individuals and the larger community.
• Vicarious trauma impacts practitioners doing direct and indirect work.
• Collaboration and teamwork in our office and with our partners is central to the success of our work.
• We believe and advocate for survivors, recognizing that violence is never the fault of the survivor.
• Holding offenders accountable is critical to healing and justice for survivors.
• Inclusivity, diversity, and equality are central to healthy staff, empowering service provision for survivors, and collaborative partnerships.
• Empathy, compassion and empowerment are central to healing.
What is a Family Justice Center
The President’s Family Justice Center Initiative - February 2007
In October, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative. The Initiative created specialized “one stop shop,” co-located, multi-disciplinary service centers for victims of family violence and their children. The centers, commonly referred to as “family justice centers,” are based on the San Diego Family Justice Center model (www.familyjusticecenter.org); they are designed to reduce the number of places victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse must go to receive needed services. Congress recognized the importance of the family justice center model in Title I of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005). Family justice centers were identified as a “purpose area” under VAWA 2005. Using a “wraparound” service delivery model, the family justice center concept seeks to marshal all available resources in a community into a coordinated, centralized service delivery system with accountability to victims and survivors for the effectiveness of the model.
The family justice center model is identified as a best practice in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention services. The documented and published outcomes have included: reduced homicides; increased victim safety; increased autonomy and empowerment for victims; reduced fear and anxiety for victims and their children; reduced recantation and minimization by victims when wrapped in services and support; increased efficiency in collaborative services to victims among service providers; increased prosecution of offenders; and dramatically increased community support for services to victims and their children through the family justice center model. Please read the entire memo here, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ovw/docs/family_justice_center_overview_12_07.pdf.
Knoxville was chosen as one of the original locations for the Family Justice Center Initiative. The Board of Directors and Staff of the Knoxville Family Justice Center are committed to the best practices outlined in the Presidential Initiative, the Family Justice Center Alliance, and the Tennessee Statewide Alliance.
In October, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative. The Initiative created specialized “one stop shop,” co-located, multi-disciplinary service centers for victims of family violence and their children. The centers, commonly referred to as “family justice centers,” are based on the San Diego Family Justice Center model (www.familyjusticecenter.org); they are designed to reduce the number of places victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse must go to receive needed services. Congress recognized the importance of the family justice center model in Title I of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005). Family justice centers were identified as a “purpose area” under VAWA 2005. Using a “wraparound” service delivery model, the family justice center concept seeks to marshal all available resources in a community into a coordinated, centralized service delivery system with accountability to victims and survivors for the effectiveness of the model.
The family justice center model is identified as a best practice in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention services. The documented and published outcomes have included: reduced homicides; increased victim safety; increased autonomy and empowerment for victims; reduced fear and anxiety for victims and their children; reduced recantation and minimization by victims when wrapped in services and support; increased efficiency in collaborative services to victims among service providers; increased prosecution of offenders; and dramatically increased community support for services to victims and their children through the family justice center model. Please read the entire memo here, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ovw/docs/family_justice_center_overview_12_07.pdf.
Knoxville was chosen as one of the original locations for the Family Justice Center Initiative. The Board of Directors and Staff of the Knoxville Family Justice Center are committed to the best practices outlined in the Presidential Initiative, the Family Justice Center Alliance, and the Tennessee Statewide Alliance.
Guidelines from the Tennessee Family Justice Center Statewide Alliance
- A family justice center (FJC) is a multiagency, multidisciplinary service center where public and private agencies assign staff members on a full-time or part-time basis to provide services to victims from one location in order to reduce the number of times victims must tell their story, reduce the number of places victims must go for help, and increase access to services and support for victims and their children.
- The purpose of a family justice center is to facilitate and coordinate service to victims. Therefore, convicted or suspected batterers/criminals shall not receive services (such as batterers’ intervention services) at a family justice center, as this would pose safety concerns for victims and staff.
- “Victims” include victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abuse, child abuse, stalking, and human trafficking, depending on the availability of services
- Family justice centers are required to maintain memoranda of understanding (MOU) with key agencies, outlining each agency’s support for the FJC and the extent to which each agency will participate (onsite and/or offsite) with the FJC. These MOU’s are to be reviewed and updated annually. Those key agencies shall include, at a minimum:
- City/county government;
- Local law enforcement agency(ies) – city and county if applicable;
- Agency(ies) whose primary mission is to serve domestic violence clients;
- District attorney’s office; and
- Civil-legal agency.
- Staff members at a family justice center may comprise, but are not limited to, the following:
- Law enforcement personnel;
- Community-based domestic violence, rape crisis, and human trafficking shelter and/or court advocates;
- Social service agency staff;
- Child welfare agency social workers;
- Child Advocacy Centers;
- Animal services provider;
- District attorneys and city attorneys;
- Victim-witness program personnel;
- Civil-legal service providers;
- Counseling professionals;
- Medical personnel;
- Public health department staff;
- City/county welfare and public assistance workers;
- Supervised volunteers from partner agencies; and
- Other professionals providing services.
- Clients shall not be required to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law enforcement in order to receive safety planning, counseling, medical care, or other services at the family justice center.
- Clients shall not be denied services on the grounds of criminal history.
- If a conflict is discovered, the conflicting client will be referred to another service provider to receive services.
Our Board of Directors
|
President - Mike Hammond
Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Vice President - Suzanne Elder Bond Community Council Director Treasurer - Amanda Howerton Financial Advisor, Rather & Kittrell Secretary - Deb House Legal Aid of East Tennessee |
Glenn Jacobs
Mayor, Knox County Indya Kincannon Mayor, City of Knoxville Eve Thomas Chief, Knoxville Police Department Tom Spangler Knox County Sheriff |
Our Staff
|
Executive Director
Kathryn Ellis, Ph.D., JD (865) 215-6868 kellis@fjcknoxville.org Administrative Assistant Sherry Smith (865) 215-6806 ssmith@fjcknoxville.org |
Director of Coordinated Community Response
Rachael Searcy (865) 215-6863 rsearcy@fjcknoxville.org Director of Development Sophie Nguyen (865) 215-6877 snguyen@fjcknoxville.org |
Lead Navigator
Megan Bokowy (865) 215-6843 mbokowy@fjcknoxville.org Navigator Amy Moden (865) 215-6843 amoden@fjcknoxville.org |
Our Partners
In House Partner Agencies
Community Partner Agencies
Funding Partners
2019 Annual Report
