Trauma-informed comprehensive legal services and case management for victims

Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) has served crime victims since 1973 and has focused on victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking since the 1990s. Trauma victims have endured creates barriers to crime reporting and justice access, and language, culture, and disabilities often intensify access barriers.

Purpose and Population/Geographic Area Served—LACLJ will achieve two primary project goals: 1) increase availability of victim-centered, trauma-informed services while removing access barriers and 2) strengthen referral networks/collaborative approaches to supporting crime victims with access barriers. The project will address barriers that include LEP, deafness/hearing impairment, blindness/visual impairment, and/or physical or mental health disabilities. LACLJ will serve clients residing in Los Angeles County California who are victims of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking. Clients will be from low-income households and, in addition to facing common justice access barriers (e.g., poverty and isolation), will have access barriers as a result of LEP and/or physical and mental health disabilities. Many will also face barriers related to immigration status since 58% of LACLJ clients are undocumented immigrants.

Primary Activities—LACLJ will provide direct services in accordance with stated OVC program goals/objectives: 1) deliver culturally-relevant services to victims with access barriers; 2) develop and implement disability and language access plans; 3) collaborate with OVC’s designated TTA provider to train staff and community partners in using best practices to serve victims, including those with access barriers; and 4) ensure service delivery improvements through data collection and evaluation. Project activities will include reviewing/modifying processes/procedures and communications/messaging to ensure optimal accessibility for all victims; developing and delivering training for LACLJ staff on identifying and resolving access barriers while employing best practices in victim-centered, trauma-informed services; developing an LACLJ Client Advisory Board to ensure victim input in service design; conducting project evaluation for continuous improvement; connecting victims with access barriers to appropriate community resources that supplement legal services; and training community partners to improve identification/resolution of access barriers.

Expected Outcomes—Project activities will result in the following outcomes: 1) staff will have/use improved systems, tools, and processes to ensure accessibility; communications will use trauma-informed and adaptive communication principles; trainings support staff and community partners in delivering victim-centered, trauma-informed services for victims with access barriers; victim insights enhance service provision; evaluation sustains continuing improvement; and community partners have greater capacity to identify access barriers and more appropriately cross-refer victims for services.