San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC)
About This Program
Target Population: Anyone affected by Family Violence: domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, and limited sexual assault cases
For children/adolescents ages: 0 – 17
For parents/caregivers of children ages: 0 – 17
Program Overview
In October 2002, the FJC was launched as a public safety initiative by the City of San Diego under the leadership of the City Attorney's Office and the San Diego Police Department. The FJC is a "one-stop" help center that provides the majority of services needed by victims of family violence. Under one roof, 15 agencies have come together to provide medical, legal, and social services to victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, and child abuse. Since opening, the FJC has effectively engaged law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals, clergy, social service workers, volunteers, hospitals, and shelters to provide comprehensive services to approximately 30,000 victims of family violence and their children.
Since opening, the FJC has engaged law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals, clergy, social service workers, volunteers, hospitals, and shelters to provide comprehensive services to approximately 30,000 victims of family violence and their children.
Program Goals
The goals of the San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) are:
- Easy access to comprehensive services
- Protection from family violence
- Less exposure to and use of violence
- Accountability of those who caused the violence (i.e., batterers)
- Economic justice
- Healing of families to enable them to thrive
- Realization of hope
Essential Components
The essential components of the San Diego Family Justice Center include:
- Advocacy
- Childcare
- Clothing
- Counseling
- Court support
- Deaf/hard-of-hearing assistance
- Emergency housing*
- Food
- Forensic documentation of injuries
- Housing for pets*
- Internet access
- Law enforcement/prosecution
- Legal assistance
- Locksmith services
- Medical services
- Military assistance
- Phones (cell phones, phones on site, and phone cards)
- Restraining orders
- Support groups
- Safety planning
- Spiritual support
- Transportation
- Victim compensation
*Provided offsite by referral
Program Delivery
Child/Adolescent Services
San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:
- Exposure to domestic violence, physical and/or sexual abuse.
Parent/Caregiver Services
San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:
- Experienced domestic violence.
Recommended Intensity:
Clients use the services offered as needed. Generally, there are 1,000 walk-in clients per month with 3,000 phone calls to the information line.
Recommended Duration:
The duration of contact depends on the services used.
Delivery Setting
This program is typically conducted in a(n):
- Community Agency
Homework
This program does not include a homework component.
Languages
San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) has materials available in a language other than English:
Spanish
For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).
Resources Needed to Run Program
The typical resources for implementing the program are:
This list of four items:
- Community support from local government, nonprofits, and domestic violence community.
- Space for co-location for on-site partners.
- Dedicated staff to oversee project.
- Dedicated staff from following list of potential on-site partners, for example these are the San Diego partners:
- Adult Protective Services
- California Western School of Law
- Camp HOPE
- Center for Community Solutions, Legal Clinic
- Crime Victims Fund
- Kaiser Permanente
- Military Liaison
- Office of the City Attorney: Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Elder Abuse Units
- Office of the San Diego Family Justice Center
- President's Family Justice Center Initiative, CTAP
- Rady Children's Hospital, Chadwick Center for Children and Families
- San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Family Protection Deputy
- San Diego Deaf Mental Health Services
- San Diego Domestic Violence Council
- San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation
- San Diego Fire Department, Chaplain's Program
- San Diego Police Department, Domestic Violence Unit
- San Diego Police Department, Elder Abuse Investigations Unit
- San Diego Probation Department
- San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Legal & Immigrations Services
- San Diego Youth and Community Services (Action Network on Human Trafficking)
- Sharp Healthcare, Forensic Medical Unit
- Teen Court
- Traveler's Aid
- UCSD School of Medicine
- Victim/Witness Program
Education and Training
Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications
Expertise and experience in the field of family violence. A team of professionals such as law enforcement, attorneys, social workers, advocates, medical, counselors, chaplains, etc. who are willing to co-locate, collaborate, and provide coordinated services.
Education and Training Resources
There is a manual that describes how to implement this program , and there is training available for this program.
Training Contact:
- Mark Foreman, Director
San Diego Family Justice Center
MForeman@sandiego.gov
Training is obtained:
- On-site
- Regional
- National
- International
Number of days/hours:
A two-hour Monthly Orientation is offered at the FJC. The Annual International Family Justice Center Conference is held for 3 days every April. Additional training is available on request.
Additional Resources:
There currently are additional qualified resources for training:
- Casey Gwinn, JD, Volunteer CEO
San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation
casey@sdfjc.org
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research
This program has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 – 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.
Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC).
Additional References
Carney, A. (2004). The San Diego Family Justice Center: A year of experience and intervention, Forensic Nurse, May/June.
Gwinn, C., & Strack, G. (2006). Hope for hurting families: Creating Family Justice Centers across America, Volcano, CA: Volcano Press.
Zimmerman, E. (2006). Where broken families find hope & justice, San Diego Magazine, September.
Contact Information
- Dalia Mohammad
- Agency/Affiliation: San Diego Family Justice Center
- Website: www.sandiegofamilyjusticecenter.org
- Email: DMohammad@sandiego.gov
- Phone: (619) 533-6020
- Fax: (619) 533-6049
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: June 2014
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: October 2018
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: March 2007
