- Home
- » Systemwide
- » Courts
- » Court Improvement/Court Reform
- » Family Violence Courts
Family Violence Courts
Family violence courts represent communities' efforts to support more effective collaboration among domestic violence services and child welfare systems and to create a single point of entry for families experiencing both domestic violence and child maltreatment. The following resources describe strategies for addressing domestic violence and child maltreatment concerns in a unified approach. Resources include State and local examples.
National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Helps advance social change in courts and communities across the country by providing training, technical assistance, and policy development on issues of family violence.
A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts (PDF - 557 KB)
Labriola, Bradley, O'Sullivan, Rempel, & Moore (2009)
Explores how criminal domestic violence courts have evolved, their rationale, and how their operations vary across the United States.
The Greenbook Initiative
Provides resources and information from a study of six communities that implemented guidelines from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. The report outlines lessons learned when the organizations agreed to establish collaborative structures and develop policies and procedures to enhance the safety and well-being of battered women and their children.
Unified Family Courts: A Saving Grace for Victims of Domestic Violence Living in Nations With Fragmented Court Systems
Schwarz
Family Court Review, 42(2), 2004
View Abstract
Discusses the problems involved with fragmented court systems that serve domestic violence victims and the need for a unified family court that hears all cases for a single family, resulting in better service provision and fewer conflicting orders being issued.
State and local examples
Ada County Family Violence Court: Replication Manual (PDF - 2960 KB)
Morse (2007)
Describes the Ada County, ID, project and offers practical implementation suggestions for child welfare agencies or courts interested in using a "one family, one judge" approach. Also see the Case Coordinator Handbook (PDF - 1700 KB) and Comprehensive Evaluation Report (PDF - 3810 KB).
Domestic Violence Advocacy in Dependency Court: The Miami-Dade Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence Handbook (PDF - 2170 KB)
Maze, Aaron, & Lederman (2005)
Describes the development, implementation, and daily operations of a program in Miami-Dade County, Florida, designed to address co-occurring domestic violence and child maltreatment in a dependency court setting.
The Santa Clara County Juvenile Domestic and Family Violence Court (PDF - 214 KB)
Sagatun-Edwards, Hyman, Lafontaine, & Nelson-Serrano
Journal of the Center for Families, Children and the Courts, 4, 2003
Describes an innovative court-based intervention program in California and presents an evaluation of its effectiveness.