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Meeting Information



family_violence_council

2009 2008 2007 

Family Violence Council:

Addressing Violence throughout the Lifespan

 

DRAFT MINUTES

Thursday, October 16, 2008

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

400 McAllister St.Room 617

San Francisco, CA 94102

 

Members Present (denoted with x):

 

Presiding Judge, or designee: Commissioner Marjorie Slabach

 

Director of Dept. of Aging and Adult Services, or designee: Ms. Mary Counihan

X

Mayor, or designee: Ms. Catherine Dodd

X

Director of DCYF, or designee: Ms. Kimberly Ganade

 

President of the Board of Supervisors, or designee

X

Director of Child Support Services, or designee: Ms. Sheryl Meyers

X

District Attorney, or designee: Ms. Maria Bee

X

Director of Domestic Violence Consortium, or designee: Ms. Beverly Upton

X

Chief of Police, or designee: Lt. Molly Pengel

 

Director of Consortium for Elder Abuse Prevention, or designee: Ms. Mary Twomey

 

Sheriff, or designee: Ms. Delia Ginorio

X

Director of San Francisco Child Abuse Council, or designee: Ms. Kathy Baxter

X

Chief of Adult Probation, or designee: Chief Deputy Patrick Boyd

X

Chair of Batterer’s Intervention Programs Subcommittee: Mr. Antonio Ramirez

X

President of Commission on the Status of Women, or designee: Ms. Andrea Evans

 

X

Director of Animal Care and Control, or designee: Ms. Vicky Guldbech

Public Defender, or designee: Ms. Simin Shamji

X

Chief of Department of Emergency Management, or designee: Deputy Director Lisa Hoffmann

X

Superintendent of SF Unified School District, or designee: Ms. Ilsa BertoliniFamily Violence Council Staff Present:

X

Director of Dept of Public Health, or designee: Dr. Leigh Kimberg

X

Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall, Department on the Status of Women

 

Director of Human Services Agency, or designee: Ms. Maggie Donahue

X

X

Senior Policy Analyst Jill Tregor, Department on the Status of Women

Executive Director Dr. Emily Murase, Department on the Status of Women

 

I.          CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES              

Kathy Baxter called the meeting to order at 3:10 pm, and altered the agenda to include introductions

 

II.        APPROVAL OF MINUTES            

Action: Approved the meeting minutes from July 17, 2008. (m/s/c: Evans/Pengel/Unanimous)

No public comment.

 

III.       ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

A.        1 Year Anniversary of the Family Violence Council

The Commission on the Status of Women designee, Andrea Evans, made welcoming remarks to the Council in honor of the 1 Year Anniversary of the group.  She listed some of the accomplishments of the past year, including the Family Violence Resource Card, the Mandated Reporting Info Sheet, and the Death Review Team Summary. 

 

B.        Domestic Violence Awareness Month Calendar of Events

Beverly Upton informed the Council that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  The Domestic Violence Consortium maintains a list of events happening in October, and will distribute it to members via the Department.  See Appendix A: DVAM Calendar.  Additionally, the Department is conducting a cell phone drive to support the Verizon HopeLine Program during the month of October.  Though the Department collects phones for this program year round, the cell phone drive partners the Department with the Department of the Environment in a concerted effort to recycle no-longer-used City cell phones.  A flyer about this event was included in participant packets.  See Appendix B: Cell Phone Drive Flyer.

 

C.        National Batterer Intervention Program Conference

Antonio Ramirez announced a national conference to be held in May that will address the needs of batterer intervention programs.  He will keep the Council informed as more information develops.

D.        Support for Children and Families

Kathy Baxter announced the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center’s toy drive that will begin soon.  In these challenging times, many businesses and larger donors are unable to support the program as they have in the past, and SFCAPC needs more help to ensure that each family has gifts to give their children this holiday season.  Contact SFCAPC to find out how you can support them.  Additionally, the most recent financial bailout plan created a substantial child tax credit for families.  Contact Chandra Ghosh at the Child Trauma Research Program for information.

 

E.         WOMAN, Inc. Wake-Up Call

WOMAN, Inc. will host its annual Wake-Up Call fundraiser on November 6, 2008, at 8am.  Contact WOMAN, Inc. for more details.

 

F.         Shake Up San Francisco

Dr. Emily Murase reported that City agencies are engaging in a large-scale earthquake/disaster preparedness event the week of October 20, 2008 called Shake Up San Francisco.  This program will be spread to the larger community next year, at the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake.  However, all agencies are encouraged to design disaster protocols and educate staff members about emergency preparedness. 

 

IV.       NEW BUSINESS                                                                               

 

A.        Trauma Recovery Services

 

1.         First Impressions

Participants viewed First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child’s Developing Brain, a video produced by the California Attorney General’s Office Crime and Violence Prevention Center. Additional free copies of this video can be ordered at www.safefromthestart.org.  

 

2.         CASARC

Though no staff member from the Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Resource Center could be present at the Family Violence Council meeting, Kathy Baxter was able to provide a brief synopsis of that agency’s services.  See it’s website for more information: www.casarc.org.

 

3.         Child Trauma Research Program

Dr. Chandra Ghosh presented from the UCSF Child Trauma Research Program.  CTRP has been operating out of UCSF for 13 years, serving children aged 0-6 and their families.  Clinicians provide therapy and services to children alongside their caregivers, because caregivers are the best people to help a child heal from trauma.  If the caregiver is not capable of offering the type of support a child needs, clinicians work with that caregiver to enable them.  CTRP combines direct service and research on the effectiveness of that service.  Research has shown that adverse experiences in childhood lead to problems in adulthood, and 50% of CTRP’s child clients exposed to domestic violence have had 4 or more adverse experiences.  The research also shows that the methodology employed by CTRP works to reduce the negative impacts of trauma on children.  See Appendix C: CTRP Brochure.

 

4.         Trauma Recovery Center/Rape Treatment Center

Stacey Wiggall, a clinician with TRC/RTC presented information about its services.  TRC has found that early intervention makes a difference in the severity of symptoms that develop after trauma.  Services offered are generally brief, about 16 sessions of therapy.  However, services are intensive, with case managers “tracking” clients, with permission, by following up over the phone and at home.  Referrals must come from a provider, unless it is a sexual assault trauma, which can be a self-referral.  RTC is required to file a report of sexual assault with the police, but unless there are extenuating circumstances, the police will not investigate the medical report unless the victim files an official police report pressing charges.  TRC/RTC has the same mandated reporting requirements as social service agencies, and must report to APS and CPS when necessary.  These services are appropriate for stalking victims.  There has been a recent increase in reported rape cases, but Ms. Wiggall was not sure of the factors involved.  CASARC is now a sub-program of the TRC.  For detailed information about TRC/RTC, see Appendix D: TRC/RTC Handout

 

5.         Institute on Aging

Kate Lacey presented information about the Institute on Aging’s trauma recovery services. IOA’s Elder Abuse Prevention program showed a need for counseling, and IOA created the psychotherapy program for older adults.  Most of IOA’s clients are the frail elderly, though they generally see anyone 62 years old or older and any adult with a disability.  Therapists in the program are doctoral students.  They make home visits and provide counseling services at clients’ homes when needed.  This is especially helpful for homebound seniors.  Clients are generally referred by social workers or APS, but can be self-referred as well.  In addition to psychotherapy, IOA has a Geriatric Assessment Service.  This service determines the cognitive impairment a client my have, and helps highlight seniors at risk of abuse.  For more information, contact IOA:  www.ioaging.org.

 

6.         Victim Services

The goal of the Victim Services unit of the District Attorney’s Office is to make the criminal justice system more accessible and humane for victims of violent crime.  The 14 Victim Advocates primarily make referrals and do collaborative work with other social service agencies on behalf of victims.  They also accompany victims to court, and can sit with them on the stand if needed, and they advocate for victims and support them through the compensation process.  The 8 Victim Compensation staff members help victims receive compensation through the state compensation program.  Victims must cooperate with the prosecution, be a victim of a violent crime, and have no felony probation history.  Victims can receive compensation for mental health services, medical services, relocation, burial fees, and lost wages.  Victim Services has specialized advocates in child assault, homicide, elder abuse, API domestic violence, and other specific crimes.  Victim Services has no money on hand for immediate needs like food or clothing, but can make referrals.  As this office is a part of the DA’s Office, there is no client confidentiality, and advocates may need to disclose information to support the prosecution’s case. 

 

There is a new law going into effect in January 2009 that provides funding for mental health counseling for child witnesses of violence up to $5,000.  Victim Services will be administering this program.  There must be documentation that the child witnessed violence.  The DA’s Office is working with the Police Department to ensure that names of witnesses are included on police reports so that these reports can be used to help child witnesses receive benefits.  The documentation must be from a law enforcement agency or CPS.  If a child witnesses street violence, such as a shooting near a school, and is not included in the police report as a witness, that child’s family can ask an advocate at Victim Services to help them file their own police report to document his/her witness statement.  Victim Services is working with the school district to look at offering group services at schools after a violent incident. 

 

As a topic for a future meeting, it would be good to discuss resiliency and family strengths. Members agreed that it was important to understand that not all children exposed to violence have negative outcomes, and practitioners need to understand what helps children and families heal.

 

B.        Children of Incarcerated Parents Program

The U.S. incarcerates people at a higher rate than any other country, and the Public Defender’s Office saw a trend of very high recidivism among its clients.  With a goal of creating healthy family relationships, the PD’s Office created the Children of Incarcerated Parents (CIP) Program within the Re-Entry Unit.  CIP collaborates with many other systems affecting the clients, building relationships within the City.  There are 1,200 inmates in San Francisco jails, and over 60% of them are parents.  A large number of those parents are primary caregivers.  The jail formerly had a very restrictive child visitation policy, and the CIP Program has worked to loosen these rules to allow children who want to visit a parent to do so, as long as the imprisonment is not for crimes against that child.  With the support of the Sheriff’s Department, visitation has increased 300%.  The social worker with the CIP Program has about 100 clients.  The PD’s Office has a new report available, an evaluation of the CIP Program, available on the Office’s website, www.sfpublicdefender.org.  Antonio Ramirez expressed concerns about certain policies of the Public Defender’s Office, and the Council agreed that the discussion of the increased incarceration rate, intervention and accountability, and how to facilitate re-entry would be a good topic for a future meeting. 

 

C.        Report on Family Violence

The Family Violence Council legislation calls for annual reporting on family violence trends.  The Steering Committee will be soliciting data from various sources over the next few months, and will compile a FY07-08 Report on Family Violence in San Francisco for approval at the January 2009 Council meeting.  Catherine Dodd of the Mayor’s Office urged the Council to provide real-time data in place of an annual report, especially in light of the budget crisis and impending mid-year cuts to social services.  The Steering Committee will attempt to do this, as possible.  Participants are encouraged to provide any relevant statistics to Laura Marshall at the Department on the Status of Women as soon as possible. 

 

V.         PUBLIC COMMENT                                                           

There was no public comment.

                                               

VI.       ADJOURNMENT                                                     

The Family Violence Council adjourned at 4:40 pm.

 

Know Your Rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)

Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decision in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business.  This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.  For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance, or to report a violation of the Ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force at 415-554-7724.  To obtain a free copy of the Sunshine Ordinance contact the  Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, City Hall, Room 244, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4689, phone: 415-554-7724, fax: 415-554-7854.  Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can also be obtained from the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org.

Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code § 2.100] to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA  94102 ; telephone 415-252-3100; fax 415-252-3112; website: sfgov.org/ethics.