The Domestic Violence Unit (referred to as the DV Unit) is comprised of Domestic Violence Specialists who:

• Help DCF staff coordinate and develop appropriate and effective interventions in child abuse cases that involve domestic violence;
• Provide case consultation, technical assistance, training, and assessment services to DCF staff, community agencies, and domestic violence programs;
• Provide direct services to, and advocate for, families whose cases involve both domestic violence and child abuse;
• Develop program and policy initiatives designed to address the overlap between domestic violence and child abuse and issues related to children and youth who experience domestic violence;
• Serve as liaisons between DCF staff and domestic violence programs;
• Advocate for increased services for adults and children affected by domestic violence and child abuse; and
• Develop strategies to hold offenders accountable

Goals of the DV Unit:

1. To enhance the safety of abused children, youth, and battered adults;
2. To hold batterers accountable for their actions; and
3. To work in partnership with others to provide a coordinated community response to domestic violence and child abuse.

For More Information/Assistance:

For more information about domestic violence, please go to our Resources Page.

For assistance, please contact the Domestic Violence Unit.

A Definition of Domestic Violence:
A pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors including physical,sexual, psychological, emotional, and economic coercion that an adult or adolescent uses to obtain and maintain control over their intimate partner.

Domestic violence does not typically include child abuse, child-to-parent violence, or sibling-to-sibling violence, which are considered to be forms of family violence for our purposes. (See Family Services Policy 61.)