Stories Related to Grant Money To Help Child Victims Of Abuse And Other Household Violence

By Erin Beck Victim advocates and Verizon Wireless announced on Thursday that the cell phone company is giving $12,000 to advocates to better serve children who witness domestic violence. The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network and Verizon held a press conference at the Charleston Town Center on Thursday morning. Emily Chittenden-Laird, executive director of the child advocacy network, said that the funding will go toward bringing in national experts to train West Virginia child advocates on closer collaboration with domestic violence victim advocates and screening for household domestic violence among child abuse victims, and focus groups in West Virginia communities that already have strong relationships between child advocacy centers and domestic violence agencies. She noted that the two types of abuse frequently co-occur, and that caretakers who are experiencing abuse themselves are less able to support child victims. A 2011 National Institute of Justice-funded study, which found often poor collaboration between child welfare agencies and domestic violence agencies, noted that abusers of intimate partners are more likely to commit verbal and physical abuse of children, and that domestic violence is a significant problem for 30 to 40 percent of families in the child welfare system. Verizon also gives the domestic violence coalition a $25,000 grant each year to go toward prevention, awareness and education. Funds for the grants come from Verizon's HopeLine program.