Human Service Studies faculty and students assisted the Vctim's Advocacy Council of Alamance (VACA) in assessing the Coordinated Community Response Protocols developed for handling cases of domestic violence.
After reviewing cases of domestic violence in the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, service gaps were identified. VACA has responded by working to address the gaps and has invited Dr. Bud Warenr to conduct another assessment of the protocols in the fall to determine if improvements have occurred.
At the March 8, 2016 meeting of the Victim’s Advocacy Council of Alamance (VACA), Dr. Bud Warner and Human Service Studies senior Anna deDufour presented the findings from a comprehensive assessment of the Coordinated Community Response Protocols established in Alamance County in 2015 to ensure that victims of domestic violence received the legal and social services they needed. Warner and deDufour, along with HSS students Meredith Berk, Lindsay Sinicki, and Matthew Sheehan, worked with the Alamance County District Attorney’s office in reviewing case files to determine the treatment victims received as compared to the ideals specified in the protocols. VACA, which is composed of representatives from social service agencies involved with domestic violence and representatives from the various county law enforcement agencies, had requested the assessment to get an impartial view of how the system to aid domestic violence victims was working.
Key findings presented to VACA revealed that despite improvements, gaps in the handling of domestic violence cases still existed, and that communication between various segments of the system to deal with domestic violence needed to be reviewed and updated. VACA members have immediately begun to develop plans to address these areas, and have asked Warner to reassess the system next fall to determine if improvements have occurred.
Human Service Studies faculty members Dr. Beth Warner, Professor Sandra Reid, and Dr. Bud Warner have been involved with assisting VACA since 2012 in creating the Coordinated Community Response Protocols for domestic violence, working closely with Cindy Brady, Executive Director of the Family Justice Center, and other members of the VACA network.