CCAFV: Family Violence Prevention in the Schools

Westland Area Latino Outreach
During 2001-2003, in collaboration with the United Way of Central Ohio, the Coalition provided funding for victim advocacy, parenting workshops, and young teen education programs for Columbus’ growing Latino community. The two primary goals of this initiative were 1) to reinforce the belief that family violence is a crime and that violence in the home does not have to be tolerated and 2) to increase the awareness of legal remedies and available community resources for every victim of family violence. This initiative has helped to increase the awareness of family violence issues and resources as well as build the capacity of the Westland community to be better equipped to deal with complex community issues.

Action for Children Outreach
Keeping Children Safe
From 2000-04, nearly 800 childcare providers in central Ohio underwent training to recognize, prevent and report child abuse and neglect. Working with Action for Children, the Coalition funded the development of a comprehensive childcare curriculum that was presented to center directors and staff.

The Art of Positive Parenting (TAPP)
The Art of Positive Parenting (TAPP) has existed 1978, TAPP has helped tens of thousands of parents learn how to use positive communication skills with their children, resulting in a strong foundation for building children’s self esteem and parent-child relationships that grow stronger through the years. Children with high self esteem do better in all facets of life. Families who practice positive communication skills find greater enjoyment and more successful ways of navigating the difficult times. TAPP is a parent-education program that provides intensive training across a six-week, 12-hour course. It promotes using communication, rather than corporal punishment, to improve parents' relationships with their children. With Coalition funding from 2001-2004, TAPP has moved under the umbrella of Action for Children.

Download and read a news story on the TAPP Initiative (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Mental Health Provider Training
Central Ohio social service agencies and non-profit organizations will benefit from professional development programs designed to help them better understand and to recognize the symptoms of family violence.

A Coalition-sponsored training held in February 2002, trained more than 350 mental health professionals to help ensure the creation of effective treatment plans and appropriate referrals.

In October 2005, nearly 200 social workers, counselors, and other service providers attended a Coalition program entitled "Ethical Professional Practice and Family Violence: Issues, Challenges and Solutions." This three-hour workshop explored ethical issues faced by service providers every day in working with families experiencing violence. Through case scenarios, participants delved into the entire spectrum of family violence including child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse.

Elder Abuse Awareness
In 2000, the Coalition provided funding for the Family Violence and Elderly Initiative educational campaign of The Ohio State University Extension Franklin County. The Initiative reached over 7,000 senior citizens and their service providers. Phase II of this program will partner with Senior Options and other community agencies to provide training to Meals on Wheels volunteers to help them identify and respond to elder abuse.

Training for Interpreters and Advocates
The face of Columbus is changing - becoming more diverse by the day. And, our community is richer as a result of these new cultures. However, family violence may not be viewed the same by different cultures, making it difficult for attorneys, employers, physicians, social workers, faith leaders, and others who interact with victims to respond appropriately.

In April 2004, the Coalition sponsored a joint training titled (Re)Interpreting the Wheel, drawing on the resources of all five of its task forces to address the issue of family violence in the context of culture. More than 300 interpreters, advocates and service providers attended the two-day training. To view photos of this event, visit our photo gallery.

Resource notebooks from the training are available at no charge. To request a copy, please contact Julianne Morrowat the Coalition at 614-722-5985 or Julianne@ccafv.org.

Research
In collaboration with the Columbus City Prosecutor’s Office, Capital University Law School Family Advocacy Clinic, Legal Aid Society of Columbus, The Ohio State University OB/GYN Perinatal Clinic, and CHOICES, the Coalition conducted a research project surveying victims who interacted with service providers and our courts during 2002. The results will help guide the work of the Victim Services Task Force and other relevant task forces.

Three primary objectives were identified for this survey. They were as follows:

To assess areas in which the Coalition and its task forces could assist the community in gaining a better understanding of this population of domestic violence victims;
To gain an understanding of this population’s perceptions of domestic violence; and
To determine the needs of and serves sought by this population of domestic violence victims.

To read more about this survey and our findings, please download the PDF version below. If you are unable to download the survey, please contact Julianne Morrow to request a copy at 614-722-5985 or Julianne@ccafv.org.

Domestic Violence Victim Report 2003
Our Domestic Violence Victim Report: A Survey of Identified Domestic Violence Victims 2003 is available online. It is important to understand that the individuals participating in the survey did not represent the entire population of domestic violence victims in Franklin County, Ohio. For further information, please download a pdf version.

For more information about the Victim Services Task Force or any of its initiatives, please write to us.