(Posted 2024 October)
We are fortunate to have so many dedicated partners in Fairfax County who share our work and vision for helping our community thrive. Recently, at the “This Is Us” Wellness and Recognition Event, the partners below were recognized for their outstanding partnerships with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services.
Northern Virginia Family Service
NVFS has been a critical and long-term partner with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Division of DFS. NVFS is a participant in the Domestic Violence Action Center partner referral pilot project aimed at assessing efficacy of DVAC partner referrals.
NVFS has been partnering closely with DSVS Clinical Services around serving victims/survivors as well as those who cause harm. We are looking at opportunities to partner in providing groups in South County, reducing wait lists, and responding to the changing standards with Domestic Violence Intervention Programs. They have come to the table every time we have asked to collaborate and have provided valuable feedback and partnership in each endeavor.
NVFS is the sole partner on the Resilient Kids Thriving Families grant from the Office on Violence Against Women. When the other grant partner needed to back out of the grant, NVFS did not flinch when we asked them to take on more work. They are nimble in their response to the needs of the community and creative when it comes to meeting the needs of children who have been exposed to DV. They have been able to respond quickly in the aftermath of DV- related homicides that have touched whole communities. They developed and are operating the only group for children and their parents exposed to DV in Fairfax County.
NVFS also graciously partnered with DSVS in the Culmore Conversations when it was apparent that DSVS was not the best situated agency to take on the work that was needed. NVFS has collaborated with DSVS and Second Story and leads conversations about violence prevention every month in a community with extraordinary opportunity and high needs. The Culmore Conversations have created many opportunities where they did not previously exist.
SafeSpot has been a long term and valuable partner to Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Division of DFS in serving the needs of children impacted by sexual and domestic violence. Their leadership of the child maltreatment multi-disciplinary team has supported a culture of collaboration among law enforcement, attorneys, child welfare practitioners, and service providers that centers the protection of children and reciprocal learning. They create a supportive experience for the families they serve throughout the forensic assessment, family advocacy, and child counseling process with attunement to the experience of families impacted by domestic violence.
The Women’s Center has long been a valuable partner to DSVS. The Women’s Center is one of the founding members of the Domestic Violence Action Center partnership and currently partners with Fairfax County on an OVW federal grant to provide community-based bilingual advocacy services.