ILLINOIS | FAMILY VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCILSFVCC
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About the IFVCC

Family Violence Coordinating Councils, at both the state and local/circuit levels, provide a forum to improve the institutional, professional and community response to family violence including child abuse, domestic abuse, and elder abuse. Councils provide professional education and prevention; coordinate interventions and services for victims and perpetrators; and contribute to both the improvement of the legal system and the administration of justice.

The purpose of the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council (IFVCC) is to improve the justice system’s institutional, professional and community response to family violence, including intimate partner abuse, child abuse, teen dating violence, and abuse against older adults and people with disabilities.

Initiated under the auspices of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990, Illinois is one of the few states that has a systematically organized, statewide infrastructure that operates at both the state and local levels.

Annually, up to 15,000 professionals from across Illinois participate in trainings and council projects. These include family violence training and education of criminal justice and community professionals; development of criminal justice procedures, protocols, and services related to family violence; and the facilitation of coordinated community response to family violence in local areas. These Local Councils provide opportunities for communication between criminal justice professionals and community service providers as well as encourage the sharing of information and resources, thereby providing for development of a network of safety and assistance for family violence victims.

Chief and circuit judges convene and chair 11 local FVCCs in Illinois. These local councils are composed of professionals who represent agencies and services to help intervene and prevent family violence. Each council has a multidisciplinary membership, including but not limited to:

  • 911/Dispatch Telecommunicator
  • Child Abuse Victim Services/Prevention
  • Circuit Clerk's Office
  • Court Administrator
  • Court Security/Bailiff
  • Department of Children and Family Services
  • Disability Services
  • Domestic Violence Victim Services
  • Education
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Faith-Based Community
  • Judges
  • Law Enforcement
  • Local Council Coordinator
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Health Professional
  • Military
  • Older Adult Services
  • Partner Abuse Intervention Program Provider
  • Person with lived domestic violence experience
  • Private Attorney
  • Probation
  • Prosecutor
  • Public Defender
  • Self-Advocate (person with disability)
  • Sexual Assault Victim Service

In order to promote safety for those who experience violence, accountability for people who cause harm, and community safety, IFVCC strives to do 3 things:

  • Create SYSTEMS CHANGE;
  • Provide PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & EDUCATION; and
  • Strengthen COMMUNITY AWARENESS.

Steering Committee

  • Co-Chair: Hon. Maureen Schuette, 17th Judicial Circuit
  • Co-Chair: Hon. Jennifer J. Clifford, Associate Judge 17th Judicial Circuit
  • Coordinator: Mary Ratliff, IFVCC Program Director
  • Hon. Robert Anderson, 18th Judicial Circuit
  • Sean Black, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault
  • Sandi Cianci, Clerk of the Circuit Court, 21st Judicial Circuit
  • Wendy Cohen, Office of the Illinois Attorney General
  • Carol Costello, Assistant State's Attorney's of Kankakee County
  • Patrick Delfino, Illinois State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor
  • Carole Franke, IFVCC Coordinator, 21st Judicial Circuit
  • Jennifer L. Martin, Office of Health Promotion, Illinois Department of Public Health
  • Denise McCaffery, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
  • Jeanice McDade, Office of Adult Protective Services, Illinois Department on Aging
  • Nisha Patel, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • Vickie Smith, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence
  • Teresa Tudor, Illinois Dept. of Human Services

Envision Illinois

The mission of Envision Illinois is to transform services in Illinois into survivor-centered, seamless, responsive, and sustainable system that fully meets the needs of Deaf people and people with disabilities who are survivors of domestic violence. The project is directed by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois domestic violence agencies, disability service agencies and self-advocates.