SAFE HAVENS: SUPERVISED VISITATION AND SAFE EXCHANGE GRANT PROGRAM

The State of Michigan has been selected as one of four applicants nationwide to receive a $1.1 million demonstration grant under the federal Safe Havens: Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program. This award from the U.S. Department of Justice (Office on Violence Against Women) will be used to support supervised visitation and safe exchange options for families with a history of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The grant of was awarded in response to an application submitted by the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention & Treatment Board (MDVPTB), in collaboration with the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO).

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Because domestic abuse involves the exercise of power and control over an intimate partner, its intensity often increases upon separation or divorce as the abuser seeks to regain lost control over the abused partner. Domestic violence perpetrators often use parenting time as an opportunity to threaten, harass or assault a former partner; they may even direct threats or assaults against their own children as a means of asserting control over their former partners. In some cases, the risks from such behavior are so high as to preclude the perpetrator from parenting time. In cases where the level of risk does not preclude parenting time, however, supervised visitation and exchange services can provide a helpful intervention. Unfortunately, Michigan currently has only a limited number of programs providing such services. Moreover, many or these agencies lack the resources to provide appropriate security measures and staff training. Accordingly, the Safe Havens program seeks to:

• Provide a safe, affordable, age appropriate and activity appropriate means of visitation and exchange of children in domestic relations cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Reduce trauma and anxiety to children of batterers who are afraid that they or the non-abusive parent will be hurt or threatened during any contact with the battering parent;
• Eliminate the risk that children will be physically abused or abducted during supervised visitation and substantially reduce the risk of emotional abuse during visitation with a battering parent;
• Increase visitation center capabilities to provide supervised visitation that is safe and appropriate for domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking situations by developing policies, protocols, and training opportunities;
• Increase Michigan’s capacity to monitor existing visitation centers and to assist in the start-up of new centers;
• Increase the State coordination of supervised visitation centers; and
• Increase information and training available to local supervised visitation center staff and affiliated court personnel.

GRANT ACTIVITIES

To accomplish the program outcomes, the MDVPTB will convene a State Supervised Visitation Advisory Group to develop model protocols and policies. These will be put into practice at four supervised visitation centers serving six counties: Child and Parent Center (Jackson), Every Woman’s Place (Muskegon), HAVEN Inc.(Oakland), and Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan (Grand Traverse, Antrim and Leelanau). Participants in the State Supervised Visitation Advisory Group will include professionals serving domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse victims, court professionals, batterer intervention service providers, child welfare experts, and child support enforcement experts. Grant funds will also be used to establish a resource center for Supervised Visitation and Exchange as a joint effort between MDVPTB and the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

EVALUATION

Grant activities will be evaluated by the Office on Violence Against Women, in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Saunders and Dr. Richard Tolman, faculty members of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Cris Sullivan, Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University.

ABOUT THE MDVPTB

The MDVPTB has worked for 25 years to make Michigan a place where domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking will not be tolerated. The seven members of the MDVPTB are appointed by the Governor to serve three-year terms. The staff to the MDVPTB is administratively housed within the Michigan Family Independence Agency. The Michigan Legislature has designated the MDVPTB as the state entity responsible to:

•  Administer federal grant funding and provide quality assurance monitoring and technical assistance to local domestic violence and sexual assault service agencies.
• Coordinate educational and public informational programs for the purpose of developing appropriate public awareness of the problems of domestic violence.
• Encourage professional persons and groups to recognize and deal with problems of domestic violence, and encourage the development of community programs to prevent domestic violence and provide services to victims of domestic violence.
• Study and recommend changes in civil and criminal procedures which will enable victims of domestic violence to receive equitable and fair treatment under the law.
• Advise the legislature and governor on the nature, magnitude, and priorities of the problem of domestic violence and the needs of victims of domestic violence; and recommend changes in state programs, statutes, policies, budgets, and standards which will reduce the problem and improve the condition of victims.
• Conduct research to develop and implement effective means for preventing domestic violence and treating victims of domestic violence.

Hon. Amy Krause (Lansing) is the Chairperson of the MDVPTB. Other Board members are: Gwendolyn Brown (Detroit), Marie Donigan (Royal Oak), Shirley Mann Gray (Detroit), Mary Beth Kur (Charlevoix) and Hon. Edward Sosnick (Pontiac). Debi Cain is the Executive Director to the MDVPTB. Shelia Hankins serves as the Safe Havens Project Director and Mary Lovik as its Legal Advisor.