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In 1995, Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center collaborated with the YWCA and Family Services of Northwest Ohio to establish the Lucas County Domestic Violence Task Force. Accomplishments of the Domestic Violence Task Force include:

Creating a Collaborative Community:Providing spaces and places to draw individuals and professionals committed to cooperatively addressing domestic violence issues within our community. For example, the Domestic Violence Task Force lobbied to improve victims’ access to the courts for purposes of obtaining protection orders; to heighten victims’ safety within the courtroom; to improve victim notification procedures; to enhance domestic violence training for law enforcement officials; to supplement domestic violence crime reports; to improve law enforcement evidence-gathering capabilities; to improve methods for obtaining immediate background checks on all domestic violence suspects; to establish police roundups on domestic violence warrants; and to develop dedicated domestic violence units in the city prosecutor’s office, the Toledo Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Children Services Board. Previously selected as a subject for the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service survey of best programs initiated through VAWA grant funds.

Forging Partnership with Community Leaders:Developing working relationships with key community champions, including City Council and County Commissioners, to collaboratively address domestic violence issues at the community and policy levels.

Collecting and Analyzing Community Data:Subcommittee of the Task Force charged with collecting disparate data pertaining to domestic violence and periodically reporting that information back to the Task Force in order to help shape priorities and strategies.

Implementing a Fatality Review Board:This entity systematically examines all local domestic violence related fatalities and associated interventions to identify trends, risk factors and gaps in service, improve multi-agency and interdisciplinary prevention and intervention measures, gather data and information to inform public policy and awareness, and to ultimately reduce the incidence of domestic violence related fatalities in Northwest Ohio .

Developing Community Batterer’s Intervention Protocol:Collaborative effort to create standards for batterer programming and systematic community processes for accessing services.

Creating and Updating the Lucas County Domestic Violence Protocol: In 1997, drafted and adopted a comprehensive Domestic Violence Protocol . The protocol was prepared pursuant to two grants awarded to Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center by the Toledo Community Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in coordination with the Toledo Police Department and the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority. The Domestic ViolenceProtocolwas updated in 2005.

Providing Training and Resources to the Community: Brown Bag Educational seminars relay information to the community about domestic violence topics every other month. Established a lending library. Produced a multidisciplinary video. Displayed billboards and printed and disseminated information cards and bookmarks containing emergency telephone numbers. Distributing emergency cell phones to victims of domestic violence.The Task Force also assisted with the creation of an updated community resources listing that can be accessed through Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center ’s website.

Participating with collaborative community projects:Working cooperatively with community entities on domestic violence related events is another extension of the Task Force’s mission. Supported local projects such as Take Back the Night, Court Watch, Face Forward, YWCA Week Without Violence, Clothesline Project, Silent Witness Project, Children Who Witness Violence, and Hands Are Not For HittingRecently, the Task Force participated with the Greenbook Initiative, the DEN Report, and a training curriculum development project with Family Council. Secured funding for the Lucas County Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership through Alliances (DELTA) Project.