City and County of San FranciscoDepartment on the Status of Women

May 16, 2012

Family Violence Council - May 16, 2012

 

Family Violence Council:

Addressing Violence throughout the Lifespan

 

MINUTES

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 3 - 5 pm

San Francisco Civil Court

400 McAllister St., Room 617, San Francisco, CA 94102

 

Members:

  Attendees   Attendees

X

Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, or designee: Ron Albers

 

Director of Human Services Agency, or designee

 

Mayor, or designee:

X

Director of Department of Aging and Adult Services, or designee: Teresa Guillen

 

President of the Board of Supervisors, or designee

X

Director of Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families, or designee: James Baird

X

District Attorney, or designee: Jean Roland, Maria Bee

X

Director of Child Support Services, or designee: Thomas Wolf

 

Public Defender, or designee

 

Director of Department of Animal Care and Control, or designee

 

Sheriff, or designee

X

Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District, or designee: Ilsa Bertolini

X

Chief of Police, or designee: Captain Antonio Parra, Commander Michael Biel

X

Director of Domestic Violence Consortium, or designee:  Beverly Upton

X

President of Commission on the Status of Women, or designee: Stephanie Simmons

X

Director of the San Francisco Elder Abuse Forensic Center, or designee: Talitha Guinn, Herschell Larrick

X

Chief of Adult Probation, or designee: Tina Gilbert

X

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

 

Chief of Department of Emergency Management, or designee

 

Chair of Batterer’s Intervention Programs Subcommittee:

X

Director of the Department of Public Health, or designee: Leigh Kimberg

X

Executive Director of the Department on the Status of Women, or designee: Emily Murase

 

Other Attendees: Janice Avery (Violence Intervention Program), Suzy Bischalaney, Minouche Kandel (Bay Area Legal Aid), Akiko Takeshita (Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach), Mary Twomey (National Center on Elder Abuse), Sonia Melara (Rally Family Visitation Services), Robin Brasso (Democratic Women In Action), Joyce Dorado (UCSF, Dept. of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Services), Stacey Hoang (Staff, Dept. on the Status of Women)

 

I.          CALL TO ORDER/AGENDA CHANGES                          

Kathy Baxter called the meeting to order at 3:13 pm. No amendments to the agenda.

                                                                     

II.        INTRODUCTIONS                                                   

Council members and attendees introduced themselves.

 

III.       APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The Council approved the minutes from February 15, 2012. [Twomey/Bee/ALL]

 

IV.       BUSINESS                                                                 

 

  1. Updates from Agencies                                                                                 
  • Child Abuse Prevention Council: The state is facing a more extreme cut than initially anticipated which will have a negative impact on clients.
  • The Department on the Status of Women won the International Work-Life Balance Award for Continent America for its Gender Equality Principles (GEP) Initiative. Dr. Emily Murase and Policy Director Ann Lehman will be flown to Milan, Italy at the end of May to accept the award. The award ceremony will take place on May 30, 2012 and coincides with the World Family Meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
  • Data collection for the updated Report on Family Violence in San Francisco is being finalized.
  • Lt. Arturo Stellini is taking over the duties previously led by Lt. Jason Fox at the Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. Due to state budget cuts, there has been a decrease in the number of domestic violence advocates.
  • The Community Justice Center will utilize the child abuse intervention program that is being piloted by the Department of Public Health.
  • Deputy Probation Officer Ramona Massey is overseeing child abuse caseloads in the Child Abuse Intervention Program of the Adult Probation Department. The protocol is currently under review.
  • The Human Services Agency’s Adult Protective Services handled 571 cases in April and anticipates that number to increase in May as a result of the recent public awareness campaign.
  • The Department of Child Support Services now has specialized staff working on child support cases where domestic violence is involved.
  • The San Francisco Unified School District is focusing on health awareness events. This week’s campaign, “Rethink Your Drink,” targets obesity. Next year’s campaign will focus on Healthy Relationships, including addressing Teen Dating Violence.
  • The Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families is revamping its violence prevention program. 
  • The cuts in local, state, and federal budgets have hampered the work of Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach since a large percentage of its funding comes from the public sector. The agency has recently seen a substantial increase in the number of adult elder abuse cases ranging from tax schemes to identity theft. Outreach efforts are underway to educate elders about the recent scams.
  • The Health Commission recently elected Sonia Melara as its President. This shift also means that there is currently over 50% female representation on the Health Commission. State Assembly Bill 1674, which requires minimum standards for providers of visitation services, passed the Judiciary Committee, but needs to be reviewed by the Budget Committee.
  • The White House marked June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day for the first time this year.
  • The Police Department Special Victims Unit captured 6 people in transit to Hong Kong. They are suspected of being part of an international ring targeting Asian seniors. The alignment of the Special Victims Unit, along with the assistance of the New York and Philadelphia Police Departments, allowed the law enforcement team to make the arrests. Captain Parra will be retiring on June 8 and when a new captain is announced, he will make introductions to Council members.
  • UCSF is working on how trauma affects differing and diverse groups of people.
  • Talitha Guinn will replace Mary Twomey as a Tri-Chair of the Council. Ms. Twomey wanted to remind the Council that groups like the Family Violence Council gets things done, as in the case of the newly instituted 911 call codes.

 

B.   Court Funding                                                                                               

Judge Ron Albers provided an update on the proposed state budget cuts to the Superior Courts. The Governor’s proposed budget would sweep all reserves, and force the elimination of many court reporter positions.

 

C.  Review of Family Violence Council Work Plan/Recommendations:                       

  1. To improve case outcomes, the City’s response must be coordinated with community providers.
    1. Child Abuse Intervention Program

Ms. Baxter acknowledged the support of Paul Henderson from the Mayor’s Office for advancing a child abuse intervention program for San Francisco.

 

  1. Child Advocacy Center

A project of the Child Abuse Intervention Program, the Child Advocacy Center is scheduled to open its doors at the beginning of 2013. While reviewing accreditation standards, the Center discovered that many other centers only recently started adding mental health to its programs. Mental health care will be an important focus of the new Center.

 

  1. Elder Abuse Forensic Center

An update was provided during Talitha Guinn’s presentation. 

 

  1. Current Issues in Domestic Violence

Beverly Upton reported that domestic violence homicide rates are down by 80% and remain at the lowest level in a decade. The Domestic Violence Consortium is working with the Mayor’s Office to help the Police Department implement a language access center to ensure multilingual services are provided. The Consortium is looking at 5 models from different municipalities on officer involved domestic violence policies to determine the best for San Francisco. At a future meeting, a draft policy will be distributed to Council Members for review.

 

The Mother’s Day Press Conference hosted by Supervisor John Avalos to restore funding for domestic violence services was a huge success. A majority of the Board of Supervisors were present and showed their commitment to retaining funding for domestic violence service providers. Joaquin Torres from the Mayor’s Office announced the Mayor’s commitment to maintain funding for domestic violence services over the coming 2 years..

 

  1. Public Awareness Campaign

Ms. Guinn raised the idea of a broad-based family violence public education campaign and invited members to collaborate offline. Mary Twomey, Maria Bee, and Janice Avery volunteered for the committee.

 

  1. 2011 Comprehensive Report on Family Violence in San Francisco: Addendum to 2010 Report

Suzy Bischalaney completed the gathering of data from Council Members and is moving forward with drafting the narrative for the 3rd Annual Report that will cover the periods July 2010 – June 2011. Data tables are also ready for review. A special meeting will be set for June 20, 2012 to review the draft report before a finalized version is submitted for review and possible adoption at the August meeting. Council Members are invited to think about 1 or 2 doable action items for the next 12 months that can be included in the report.

 

D. New Business                                                 

  1. Elder Abuse Awareness Month

Ms. Guinn, Director of the Elder Abuse Program, provided information on elements of elder abuse that are often overlooked. Nationally, about 10,000 people turn 65 on a daily basis. San Francisco is unique in that it has one of the highest percentage of seniors in an urban area and many other cities are turning to San Francisco for best practices in senior care. The percentage of people affected with dementia increases with age. The types of abuse include neglect, emotional/ psychological, financial/material exploitation, and physical. Seniors experience domestic violence as well as sexual abuse. It is estimated that 80% of women with disabilities will be sexually abused in their lifetime, with sexual assault occurring between 1.5-5 times. The Forensic Center makes house visits, medical evaluations, educates, advocates, and conducts outreach regarding elder abuse. Last year, the Center has served 370 elder abuse victims to date. A short 2.5 minute video on elder abuse was shown.

 

During Elder Abuse Awareness Month, the Center put up 40 bus shelter ads, 480 interior bus cards, and 96 bus tail ads to raise awareness about the issue. The District Attorney’s Office held a press conference on May 1, 2012 to kick off the awareness campaign. A financial elder abuse guide will be available at the Legal Assistance for Seniors Conference on Elder Abuse, May 21, 2012. Scholarships are available.

 

  1. ACTION: Family Violence Council appointment to the San Francisco Sentencing Commission

Ms. Upton summarized the state realignment project which includes the creation of a Sentencing Commission for each county. In San Francisco, the Sentencing Commission is led by the District Attorney’s Office and the Family Violence Council is to appoint one Commissioner to the seat. Minouche Kandel, Staff Attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, introduced herself and provided a brief background about her policy work, training, and other related experiences, including writing an amicus brief for the Claire Joyce Tempongko case that is up for review by the California Supreme Court. Members voted unanimously to appoint Ms. Kandel to the San Francisco Sentencing Commission. [Twomey/Murase/ALL]

 

  1. San Francisco Police Department Special Victims Unit Staffing and Training Update

Captain Antonio Parra provided background on the Special Victims Unit (SVU) where what was once 12 separate specialities is now housed under a central unit. The SVU is more efficient in handling complex cases. Investigators are crossed trained to handle the various spectrum of cases such as domestic violence cases and sex crime cases. SVU staff members are currently coordinating a Special Victims Unit Summit to gather regional law enforcement agencies to share best practices and develop coordinated efforts.

 

Commander Beale stated that with the SVU, investigators are no longer working in silos and can now handle cases that they may not have been equipped to previously. The City’s SVU is a model for other cities and counties.

 

Dr. Murase asked about staffing at the SVU, particularly on cases involving domestic violence. Commander Beale stated that officers are cross trained to handle multiple disciplines, including domestic violence cases. Whereas there were only 12 domestic violence inspectors before, there are now more officers and inspectors that are trained to handle those cases. Another aspect of the SVU is that inspectors’ caseloads have decreased to allow for more time to work on assigned cases. There is an aggressive case management system by lieutenants in which they review cases daily with inspectors.

 

V.        ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                

 

  1. Key Legislation

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is currently being debated in Congress. The Domestic Violence Consortium has issued a written statement in support of Tom Ammiano’s TRUST Act regarding Secure Communities and the federal policy’s negative impact on immigrant crime victims.

 

  1. Events

Dr. Murase provided a handout on the City and County’s budget hearing schedule and a flyer for the MissRepresentation film screening and Girls’ Town Hall meeting on June 2, 2012.

 

Ms. Twomey stated it was a pleasure serving on the Council alongside Ms. Upton and Ms. Baxter, and all the other members.

 

VI.       PUBLIC COMMENT                                                           

No public comments.

           

VII.     ADJOURNMENT                                                     

The meeting adjourned at 5:04 pm.