National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
800-537-2238
www.vawnet.org

Battered Women's Justice Project
Criminal and Civil Center
800-903-0111 ext. 1
www.bwjp.org

Battered Women's Justice Project
Self-Defense Center
800-903-0111 ext. 3
www.bwjp.org

Health Resource Center on
Domestic Violence
888-792-2873
www.endabuse.org

Resource Center on Domestic Violence:
Child Protection and Custody
800-527-3223
www.ncjfcj.org/dept/fvd

Sacred Circle: National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women
877-733-7623
www.sacred-circle.com

Alianza: The National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence
800-342-9908
www.dvalianza.org

Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence APIA Health Forum
415-954-9988
www.apiahf.org/apidvinstitute

Institute on Domestic Violence in the
African American Community
877-643-8222
www.dvinstitute.org

National Training and TA Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health
312-726-7020
www.dvmhpi.org

NATIONAL AND SPECIAL ISSUE RESOURCE CENTERS

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV), a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, employs a multidisciplinary staff and supports a wide range of free, comprehensive and individualized technical assistance and training, as well as specialized resource materials such as resource packets, applied research papers, and training materials. In addition, the NRCDV operates a number of special projects designed to explore issues more deeply or develop more comprehensive assistance to a particular constituent group. These special projects include the Domestic Violence Awareness Projects, VAWnet – the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (funded by CDC), the Women of Color Network, Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence, and the recently completed national Domestic Violence Shelter Study (conducted with support from the National Institute of Justice).

Battered Women’s Justice Project

The Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) consists of two partnering agencies that operate in separate locations:

• The Criminal and Civil Justice Center is a project of the Minnesota Program Development, Inc. The criminal section focuses on effective intervention through interagency coordination and policy development that guides individual practitioners in their understanding of the use of arrest, prosecution, sentencing of abusers, victim safeguards, and batterer intervention programs. The Center provides technical assistance and advocacy to domestic violence victims of military personnel and supports the development of a coordinated response to domestic violence on military bases. The civil section provides leadership in the civil legal arena by improving victim access to civil court options and legal representations in civil court processes. Staff provides consultation to advocates, attorneys, battered women, court personnel, and policy makers on advocacy, representation and pro bono assistance, judicial practice, monitoring, civil court model protocols, and public policy. The civil justice component typically deals with legal issues, including civil protection orders, divorce, custody, child support, economic restoration, landlord-tenant, credit, employment, arbitration, mediation, and immigration.

• The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, with offices in Philadelphia, PA, addresses issues that arise when battered women are charged with crimes. The Clearinghouse strives to prevent the revictimization of battered women defendants by providing technical assistance, resources, and support to battered women who kill their abusers while defending themselves or their children from life-threatening violence or those who are coerced by their abusers into committing a crime.

The National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence

The National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence (HRC), a project of the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), works to improve health care and public health responses to victims of family violence. The HRC works closely with the American Medical Association and other professional health associations to produce practice and policy guidelines for health care professionals responding to domestic violence. The HRC provides technical assistance, training, public policy recommendations, and materials and responds to over 7,000 requests for technical assistance annually. A number of the resources developed for health professionals and the domestic violence advocates who work with them are available on the FVPF web site, www.endabuse.org

Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody

The Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody specializes in child custody issues arising in domestic violence cases and works to improve the response of Child Protective Service agencies in dealing with the joint issues of domestic violence and child abuse. A project of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Center increases access to accurate information and tangible assistance in cases involving family violence. They help ensure that cases are handled in a manner that recognizes the complexity of the legal, cultural and psychological dynamics of domestic violence and provides protection and relief for all victims in the family.

Sacred Circle, National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women

Sacred Circle, The National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women, addresses violence against Indian women in the context of unique historical, jurisdictional and cultural issues. Sacred Circle provides leadership in establishing a multi-faceted, systemic response to facilitate nonviolence in American Indian communities. Sacred Circle is a project of Cangleska, Inc., a tribally-chartered nonprofit organization that provides domestic violence services to the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

The primary audience of Sacred Circle includes more than 500 Federally-recognized American Indian nations in the United Sates. Its focus is directed toward professional providers serving those communities, including tribal law enforcement personnel (judges, prosecutors and court workers), probation officers, shelter advocates, and staff of batterer intervention programs. Through its toll-free information line, Sacred Circle provides specialized technical assistance to approximately 2,000 information requests annually.

National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, & Mental Health

The National Center is committed to developing comprehensive, accessible, and culturally-relevant responses to the range of trauma- and mental health-related issues faced by domestic violence survivors and their children, promoting advocacy that is survivor-defined and rooted in the principles of justice, and eradicating the social and psychological conditions that contribute to interpersonal abuse and violence across the lifespan. The Center offers information about current practice, model approaches and policies, and successful collaborations as well as individualized training, capacity-building assistance, and consultation.

POPULATION & CULTURALLY-SPECIFIC INSTITUTES

Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC)

The Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (Institute) seeks to raise awareness of the impact of domestic violence in the African American community, to identify community needs and best practices needed to eliminate domestic violence, and to facilitate local and national conference and training forums on domestic violence. The Institute organizes community forums, conducts research, and performs policy analysis. Additionally, the Institute produces publications and uses other forms of media and works collaboratively with other organizations to share knowledge and experience for developing culturally competent responses to domestic violence among African Americans.

The National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Alianza)

Alianza is a group of nationally recognized Latina and Latino advocates collaborating with other Latino organizations and individuals to promote understanding, sustain dialogue, and generate solutions for eliminating domestic violence within Latino communities. Alianza has established El Centro, the National Latino Research Center on Domestic Violence in collaboration with Georgia State University, and the Alianza Training and Technical Assistance Division in collaboration with the National Compadres Network in California. Alianza addresses critical domestic violence concerns through policy advocacy, research, training and technical assistance, community and organizational capacity building. Alianza has initiated several forums where best practices and models for use in domestic violence intervention and prevention activities in the Latino community have been presented.

Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence (API Institute) Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

The Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence is a national training and technical assistance provider and a clearinghouse on gender violence in Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. It serves a national network of advocates, community members, organizations, service agencies, professionals, researchers, policy advocates and activists from community and social justice organizations working to eliminate violence against women. Its goals are to strengthen culturally-relevant advocacy, organize communities, and influence public policy and systems change. It analyzes and addresses critical issues, provides technical assistance, trains advocates and systems personnel, conducts primary and secondary research, and engages in policy advocacy. The API Institute is a program of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

Immigrant Family Violence Institute

The Immigrant Family Violence Institute is a project of the International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis. The Institute, working in partnership with domestic violence and immigrant service providers in six cities, is developing, documenting, and disseminating promising practices to eliminate domestic violence against immigrant populations. Through a community based partnership among practitioners, researchers, immigrant survivors and immigrant leaders the Institute will identify the unique challenges and approaches required to enhance direct services addressing domestic violence among immigrant populations.

Hispanic Family Violence Institute

The Hispanic Family Violence Institute is a national and regional training and research collaboration between the Regents of New Mexico State University (School of Social Work) and La Casa, Incorporated. The Institute will focus on domestic violence training and research needs to assist victims within the Hispanic community. They will provide both regional and national training to advocates, social workers, community members, educators, and others. One of the Institute’s long-term goals is to assist domestic violence service providers by providing improved access to Spanish language interpreter services.