Family Violence Prevention Council of Broome County was formed by County Executive Order in December 1985. The original formation of the Council was in response to a cluster of serious child abuse incidences that highlighted the need for better coordination in addressing the problems of abuse and neglect. In 1999, the Council expanded to address all issues of family violence including elder mistreatment, intimate partner violence and child abuse.

The mission of the Council is to provide leadership to the community in its effort to reduce the incidence and severity of all forms of family violence. A largely professional volunteer organization with seven working subcommittees, it has devoted numerous hours to a wide variety of activities that focus coordination, advocacy, and education on the prevention and treatment of abuse and neglect and the corollary systems issues. The Council is supported by two staff.

Bylaws, guiding the direction of the Council, provide a detailed structure of membership to assure that those organizations which form the network of services for this population are represented in the decisions made by the Council. The forty-member Council is of an administrative nature that helps assure that decisions are made and the directions chosen for the Council are based on the strongest expertise in our community. Furthermore, the top-heavy membership helps assure that these decisions have the ready support of those organizations necessary to implement action.

About Us

Formerly the Broome County Child Abuse Council
as formed in 1985 through County Executive order

Purpose
The purpose of the Family Violence Prevention Council is to provide a forum to address the incidence and effects of family violence.

The Council shall strive to:

• Prevent family violence, maltreatment and neglect in all its forms - child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse;
• Protect the most vulnerable members of families and end family abuse where it has occurred;
• Strengthen and support families and individuals to live lives free of family violence.

Mission
The Mission of the Family Violence Prevention Council shall be to reduce the incidence and severity of Family Violence in Broome County including child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and elder abuse, by developing and implementing a comprehensive, coordinated community program for preventing, as well as identifying, assessing and treating all forms of Family Violence.

Vision
The range of supports and services for families and individuals affected by family violence will be improved as a result of the partnering of organizations and individuals within the forum of the Council.

Functions of the Council

Interagency Coordination - Maximize institutional responses to family violence by encouraging and/or developing mechanisms to facilitate sharing of information among agencies and coordinating the management of cases.

Program Development - Encourage and support the coordinated development of programs and services designed to provide treatment and prevention services for family violence. The council reviews and assesses community needs and implements a three-year comprehensive plan to address those needs.

Training of Professionals - Facilitate early intervention of family violence by supporting and training for all professionals to increase skills in identification, assessment, reporting/referral procedures and appropriate responses. This function includes the mandated reporter training for child abuse and neglect.

Community Education - Expand, develop and implement education and public information programs designed to inform the community of critical family violence issues, heighten community awareness of resources and promote community support for actions directed toward preventing and responding to family violence.

Advocacy - Affect the formation of local, state and federal legislation relating to all aspects of family violence by:

1. Reviewing current legislation to assess effectiveness and identify needed changes.
2. Recommending appropriate new legislation.
3. Monitoring legislation and to assure that they are consistent with defined legislative needs and objectives.

Definition of Family
Family or household members or intimate partners and individuals meeting at least one of these definitions:

• are legally married to one another
• were formally married to one another
• are related by blood, adoption or marriage
• have a child in common regardless if they were married or lived together at any time
• are unrelated but are continually or at regular intervals living, or have lived, in the same household
• are unrelated persons who have had intimate contact with another and access to another's household

Organizational Membership
Prevent Child Abuse New York
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC)
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Family Violence Prevention Council Membership and Organizational Structure
Family Violence Prevention Council Committee Information
Accomplishments of the Family Violence Prevention Council