Program Initiatives

• Governor's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board

  Executive Order 04-11 was signed in 2004 establishing the 14-member Governor's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. The Board is charged with reviewing all adult domestic violence-related fatalities in Kansas, describing trends and patterns regarding the facts and circumstances of these fatalities, recommending improvements to prevent future fatalities and determining if adequate resources and trainings are in place for those who respond to domestic violence crimes.

  
  

  Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board (FRB)
  Audrey Cress, Kansas Department of Corrections, Chair of Board
  Joyce Grover, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Co-Chair
  Steven Halley, Family Peace Initiative
  Paula Taylor, Newman Regional Health
  Rev. David Meier, St. Peter's Lutheran Church
  Barry Wilkerson, Riley County Attorney
  Diana Schunn, Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick Co.
  Kelly Shand-Adams, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
  Kelly Young, Family Preservation
  Molly Baumgardner, Kansas State Senate, 37th District
  
  Advisory Member
  Stephanie Russo, DV Survivor
  Juliana Carlson, PhD, University of Kansas
  Dorthy Stucky-Halley, Office of Kansas Attorney General
  Regina Franklin, LMSW
  
  
  FRB Analyst
  Vacant
  900 SW Jackson, Room 304 North
  Topeka, Kansas 66612
  785-213-6645

  DVFRB Annual Report 2015 Final

• Governor's Advisory Council on Domestic and Sexual Violence Response

  The Governor’s Office partners with the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, the Kansas Attorney General's Office, the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, the Kansas Department of Corrections, and many local agencies to create comprehensive training curricula for professionals in the criminal justice system who respond to domestic and sexual violence.  The purpose of the training project is to infuse Kansas with a consistent, coordinated response to domestic and sexual violence from the time of a 911 call reporting an incident, through the investigation, arrest, prosecution, probation or parole and release of offenders.  This training effort is funded through a Federal Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Grant (ICJR) by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, formerly a Grant to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (GTEAP).
  
  To request a training, please see the Grant Initiatives section on this page.

• Kansas Academy for Victim Assistance Steering Committee

  The Kansas Academy for Victim Assistance Steering Committee supports The Kansas Governor’s Grants Program (KGGP) with oversight of the Kansas Academy for Victim Assistance (KAVA).  The Committee also assisted with the creation of the 2016 Kansas Statewide Training and Technical Assistance Strategic Plan.
  
  In 2011, a State Victim Assistance Academy (SVAA) Steering Committee was formed to update the existing B.A.S.I.K. Training materials and training techniques.  The committee applied for federal funding to assist with the curriculum updates and to assist with providing multiple training events to eliminate a full waiting list.  In 2012, KGGP received the SVAA grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).  The SVAA Steering Committee worked with OVC to enhance B.A.S.I.K. Training, including implementation of a statewide needs assessment, attending the Colorado and Nebraska SVAAs, development of a curriculum with an emphasis on skill practice and trauma-informed care, development of evaluation tools, and selection of diverse faculty from the field.  This collaborative effort has led to the enrichment of B.A.S.I.K. and transformed it into the Kansas Academy for Victim Assistance (KAVA).  The committee is now known as the Kansas Academy for Victim Assistance Steering Committee and includes state and local stakeholders, as well as a partnership with Washburn University.