Virginia Elder Justice Training and Services Project
The Virginia Elder Justice Training and Services Project ran from October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2016. This time limited project addressed issues of abuse in later life in Washington County and the City of Bristol. Eighteen local and statewide agencies joined in partnership to focus on enhancing the safety of victims aged 50 and older and holding offenders accountable.
In October 2012, a coalition of eighteen City of Bristol, Washington County, and statewide agencies was awarded funding for a three-year project through the Enhanced Training and Services to End Violence and Abuse of Women Later in Life Program, Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice. The project was granted a one-year no-cost extension and was completed September 30, 2016.
The Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services serves as lead agency for this project to address abuse in later life and will provide administrative and fiscal oversight. The Virginia Center on Aging manages the project and provides technical assistance to the local and statewide partners.
This project provides:
- day-long trainings for criminal justice professionals, victim advocates, and governmental agency staff, with a nationally developed curriculum
- a community needs assessment
- a formal structure to strengthen collaboration across and within the organizations that serve older victims in the community
- additional opportunities for prosecutors and judges to participate in national trainings on abuse in later life
- the creation of new services in the community for victims of abuse in later life
We are pleased to report that District Three Governmental Cooperative, the Area Agency on Aging serving Washington County and Bristol, Virginia, was able to identify and receive funding to continue the services created as a part of this project and that their local Coordinated Community Response Team continues to meet following the completion of this grant project.
Project accomplishments to date:
- Sponsored trainings in best practices for criminal justice professionals, victim advocates, governmental agency staff, and other professionals working with older adults to increase their knowledge and skills in addressing abuse of adults 50 and older in the community and promoting collaboration among public and private agencies working with older adults. Since the start of the project, this grant has provided more than 1562 person-training hours to local professionals.
- Conducted a community-wide needs assessment on issues of abuse in later life to guide our planning.
- Developed a new position, the Abuse in Later Life (ALL) Specialist, who was hired in November of 2014. The ALL Specialist provides care management and coordination of services among providers for victims age 50 and over and offers outreach in the community on the issue of abuse in later life.
- Established an emergency fund for victims who are in immediate danger to help them become safe.
- Assisted the local sexual and domestic violence coordinated community response team (CCRT) in establishing a specific sub-committee of local public and private agencies which meets quarterly to collaborate on addressing challenges in serving victims of abuse in later life with the goal of promoting victim safety and holding abusers accountable.
- Provided technical assistance to District Three Governmental Cooperative as they sought sustaining funds to continue new services beyond the end of this grant project. We are pleased to report that such funds were secured.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2012-EW-AX-K004 awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.
For more information on this project, contact Courtney O'Hara at cdohara@vcu.edu.