The Domestic Violence program partners with community-based organizations to ensure the safety of victims of domestic violence through a seamless system of services.

The Domestic Violence program operates as the central clearinghouse for state and federal funding initiatives for the prevention and intervention of domestic violence. The program's primary responsibilities are the administration and oversight of federal and state funding designated to assist Florida's certified domestic violence centers that provide domestic violence services, as well as providing technical support through the development of policy and practice to support domestic violence victims. In addition, the program certifies, monitors, and funds the centers as authorized in s. 39.903, Florida Statutes. The program also promotes a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to advocacy and the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking crimes.  Partners in this effort include the Office of the State Courts Administrator, the Office of the Attorney General, the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association and local State Attorney's offices, the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, local law enforcement agencies, and community-based victim and legal service agencies.

Florida's 42 domestic violence centers provide crisis intervention and support services to adult victims of domestic violence and their children free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7-days a week.  Services provided by certified domestic violence centers are listed below.

• 24-hour crisis and information hotline
• Safety planning
• Counseling and case management
• Emergency shelter
• Child assessments
• Information and referral
• Community education

Many centers also provide legal and court advocacy, transportation, relocation assistance, life skills training, transitional housing, child care, outreach services, rape crisis intervention, and prevention programs in local schools.

The program serves adult victims of domestic violence and their children.

In Fiscal Year 2018-19, 42 certified domestic violence centers answered 85,976 hotline calls and provided clients with the services listed below.

Services Provided in Fiscal Year 2018-19
Services	Clients Served
Emergency Shelter	14,817
Safety Plans Completed	163,938
Outreach Services	38,869
Information and Referral	360,348
Counseling and Advocacy Hours	293,666
Source:  Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2018-19 Annual Report to the Legislature.

The Domestic Violence program is funded as part of the Family Safety Program budget entity.

Domestic Violence Services. The 2020 Florida Legislature enacted Ch. 2020-06, Laws of Florida, which removes the express requirement for the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to contract with the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) but does not prohibit DCF from contracting with FCADV or another, similar, coalition in the future. The law amends various statutes to remove duties previously held by FCADV and transfers those functions to DCF, unless DCF chooses to contract for the provision of domestic violence services. 

Child Protection Investigation (CPI) Project. In 2009, The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Department of Children and Families, and the Office of the Attorney General created the CPI Project, a program designed to provide a coordinated community response for families experiencing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse by co-locating domestic violence advocates within CPI Units. These co-located advocates provide consultation to child welfare professionals, support and referral services to survivors, and coordination with community partners. The program provides immediate intervention, sometimes within hours of a child abuse report, to help stabilize the crisis and increase safety in the home.  The goal of the statewide project is to enhance family safety and to create permanency for children by focusing on keeping the child safe in the home with the non-offending parent, while increasing perpetrator accountability measures. In Fiscal Year 2018-19, the CPI Projects allowed 12,596 children, whose families were involved in the child welfare system, to remain in the home with the non-offending parent, representing a 10% increase from the previous fiscal year.

Other Reports
Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, and Stalking National Data Collection Efforts Underway to Address Some Information Gaps, U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-11-833T, July 13, 2011.
The Auditor General reports on department operations are located on its website.
Websites of Interest 

Florida State Courts, Domestic Violence Program

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program
U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime

Performance Information
Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan and Planning and Performance Measures, which reports the department's performance on external and internal measures for its various programs. The measures allow the user to view performance at both a statewide and geographic region level.

Chapter 39 Part XII and s. 414.157, Florida Statutes.

Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-500-1119

Website