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Illinois DCFS expands Domestic
Violence Co-Location Program to Springfield and Belleville in
partnership with Domestic Violence Organizations
[May 08, 2025]
Springfield, IL – The Illinois
Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) announced today
the expansion of the Domestic Violence Co-Location Program (DVCLP)
into Sangamon and St. Clair counties. First launched in Winnebago
and Lake counties in 2019 and expanded into Cook County in 2022, the
DVCLP is an innovative and collaborative partnership between DCFS,
domestic violence agencies and other community partners aimed at
building DCFS’ capacity to effectively respond to and meet the needs
of families experiencing domestic violence who are also involved
with the child welfare system.
Under the partnership, a domestic violence advocate employed by
Sojourn Shelter and Services will be housed in the DCFS Springfield
field office in Sangamon County, and an advocate employed by the
Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois will be housed
in the Belleville field office in St. Clair County. These advocates
will consult with child welfare professionals as they work with
families who have experienced or are currently experiencing domestic
violence; engage directly with family members, including the adult
and child survivors of domestic violence and the parent using
coercive control and violence; and help link families to services
and supports in their communities.
This expansion builds upon the
department’s existing DVCLP program, launched in 2019 through
collaborations between the department’s Waukegan field office and A
Safe Place, and Rockford field office and Remedies Renewing Lives,
supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Quality Improvement Center on Domestic Violence in Child
Welfare. The program expanded into Cook County in 2022 through
partnerships with Family Rescue and the DCFS office at 6201 S.
Emerald in Chicago, and Sarah’s Inn and the DCFS offices now at 2020
W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago and 4415 Harrison Street in Hillside
while also serving the DCFS offices of 1026 S. Damen and 1911 S.
Indiana in Chicago.
“Domestic violence affects adults and children from all walks of
life in communities all across our state, and breaking the cycle
requires wrapping families with a network of supports,” said DCFS
Director Heidi E. Mueller. “The Domestic Violence Co-Location
Program has been successful in helping parent and child domestic
violence survivors remain safely together in communities in northern
Illinois, and I am thrilled that we are expanding the program into
central and southern Illinois. Through this partnership with the
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, The Network:
Advocating Against Domestic Violence, Ascend Justice, Sojourn
Shelter and Services and the Violence Prevention Center of
Southwestern Illinois, more families will have access to the
resources and support they need to heal and create safe and
nurturing homes for their children.”
“Ascend Justice is proud to be a partner of the Domestic Violence
Co-Location Program (DVCLP). We are thrilled that the DVCLP has been
able to expand to a total of six sites across Illinois in all four
DCFS regions, and we look forward to continued expansion that allows
the DVCLP to serve the entire state,” said Sara Block, managing
director of advocacy and partnerships, Ascend Justice. “Ascend
Justice is grateful to the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the
US Department of Health and Human Services for funding the expansion
and evaluation of the DVCLP. Ascend Justice also appreciates DCFS
for its commitment to this collaboration, the domestic violence
agencies who directly carry out the work of the DVCLP and the
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and The Network:
Advocating Against Domestic Violence for their dedicated
contributions. Through the DVCLP, DCFS and the domestic violence
community in Illinois have the opportunity to be a leader for other
states in meeting the unique needs of children and families.”
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“The Violence Prevention
Center of Southwestern Illinois (VPC) is pleased to partner with
Illinois DCFS and Ascend Justice to expand the Domestic Violence
Co-Location Program (DVCLP) into St. Clair County,” said Darlene
Jones, executive director, Violence Prevention Center of
Southwestern Illinois. “This partnership between the VPC and the
DCFS Belleville office will create a unique opportunity to build
bridges between systems to keep children safe while supporting
families so they can heal.”
"Sojourn is excited to collaborate
with Illinois DCFS to expand the Domestic Violence Co-Location
Program (DVCLP),” said Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc. CEO Angela
Bertoni. “Our staff is thrilled to provide domestic violence
education to DCFS staff and serve as a link to direct services and
advocacy for adults and children impacted by domestic violence in
central Illinois."
The DVCLP is funded through a grant from the Family and Youth
Services Bureau of the US Department of Health and Human Services
and is administered by Ascend Justice. In 2023, the DVCLP served 593
families 1,577 individuals and 958 children in Cook, Winnebago and
Lake counties.
About the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS):
Our vision is for every child and youth in Illinois to grow and
thrive in a loving family. To achieve this goal, DCFS promotes the
safety and well-being of children, youth,?and families by responding
to reports of suspected child abuse and neglect and providing
family-centered care and connection to resources to strengthen
families and keep children safely at home. Our values –?family
focused, integrity, respect, empathy and equity – are at the
forefront of every decision we make to ensure children are safe and
families have the resources they need to succeed. To make an
anonymous report of suspected child abuse or neglect,
visit?childabuse.illinois.gov.
About Ascend Justice: Ascend Justice is a mission-driven
nonprofit legal aid organization. Our mission is to empower
individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the
child welfare system—we strive to help people achieve safety and
stability through holistic legal advocacy and system reform. Learn
more at ascendjustice.org.
About the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV):
ICADV is a statewide membership organization working to eliminate
domestic violence in Illinois and to create a more just, accepting
and safe society for everyone. ICADV serves over 50 statewide
agencies who provide direct service to survivors and their dependent
children. Together with its member organizations, ICADV aims to
increase access to ever-improving services for survivors of all
backgrounds by advocating for strong policies that keep survivors
safer and foster accountability with those who use violence and
coercive control. ICADV educates the public on the root causes of
domestic violence and focuses on preventing the cycle of violence
from continuing.
About The Network: Advocating
Against Domestic Violence (The Network): The Network is a group
of 40+ member organizations dedicated to improving the lives of
those impacted by gender-based violence through education, public
policy advocacy and connecting community members with direct service
providers. The Network leads collaborative work to imagine and
realize radical ways to respond to and end gender-based violence,
focusing on the intersections between systemic violence and
gender-based violence. The Network also operates the Illinois
Domestic Violence Hotline.
[Illinois Dept. of Children and Family
Services] |
