The family justice center (FJC) model centralizes social and legal services available to intimate partner abuse (IPA) victims in order to facilitate their help-seeking and improve their experiences and the response to IPA. Little, yet promising, research has highlighted the effectiveness of this model. The purpose of this paper is to explore experiences of victims of IPA at one FJC.
In total, 24 respondents who utilized a FJC in a western county in the USA were interviewed using a survey that included both descriptive quantitative and qualitative questions. Descriptive analysis was performed on the quantitative portion and content analysis on the qualitative portion.
Most of the respondents used the FJC multiple times and for multiple services. Most were referred by a shelter or a hotline. The most common services used were housing services, followed by counseling. Overall, these respondents felt supported by FJC staff and were satisfied. However, some of the respondents who did indicate satisfaction in the quantitative portion of the survey expressed concerns in the qualitative portion.
The study is limited by a small sample size; however, it has implications for recruitment, outreach and training as well as methodological implications for how FJCs should be evaluated.
This paper adds to the scant literature on FJCs and the FJC model.
