Children's Advocacy Program &
Child Witness to Domestic Violence Programs

Task Force on Family Violence services have expanded as our society began to understand the far-reaching impact of family violence in our community.  This recognition led to the establishment of our Children’s Advocacy Program in the year 2000.  The Children’s Advocacy Program supports the TFFV mission to address all the aspects and effects of domestic violence in our city and create systems which place at-risk children at the center of our concern.  Our work with children has grown significantly over the last six years. 

TFFV’s work in this area includes the following:

Case Management Services
Since 2000, with Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding support from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of Crime Victim Services, TFFV Child Victim Advocates have provided specialized case management and legal assistance services to protective parents whose children have been victims of physical and/or sexual abuse.  The goal of this program is to protect children from further maltreatment and to advocate within the systems working with children affected by violence.  Services include meeting with clients to conduct an abuse assessment, assisting parents in filing restraining orders, coordinating legal services with our partner agency Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc., working with police and child welfare personnel, accompanying clients to court hearings and creating a comprehensive plan to address the economic, housing, transportation and other daily living needs that must be met to keep the child safe.  Referrals to the Children’s Advocacy Program come from the TFFV Courthouse Restraining Order Clinic and partners throughout the Milwaukee community.  Each year we serve over 1,200 parents and children in this program. 

Child Witness to Domestic Violence Project
The TFFV Child Witness to Domestic Violence Project’s goal is to reduce the harmful effects of children’s exposure to domestic violence by training professionals who work with children in the Milwaukee community, providing coordination among Milwaukee County Child Abuse Review Team (CART) membership, offering direct case management services for families affected by domestic violence and facilitating twelve-week educational support groups for children who have witnessed violence.  Launched in 2005, the Task Force received Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) funding support to hire a full-time Child Witness to Domestic Violence Specialist to support the multi-disciplinary Child Abuse Review Team with training, advocacy, referral, and case coordination services for cases in which children have been impacted by witnessing domestic violence. 

System Advocacy
In 2002, the Milwaukee County Child Abuse Review Team (CART) developed a Joint Protocol on a Collaborative Response to Child Maltreatment for our community with the goal of enhancing our systemic response to child maltreatment.  The completion of the protocol was a vital step in establishing the first full-member Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in the state of Wisconsin.  Presently, eleven different community systems belong to CART; The Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, City of Milwaukee Health Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department, Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee County Law Enforcement Executive Association, Sexual Assault Treatment Center, Task Force on Family Violence of Milwaukee, West Allis Public Schools and West Allis Police Department.  Each of these entities has a unique role in responding to child maltreatment within Milwaukee County.