The person who is a victim of domestic violence and often referred to as the at risk parent.

Consulting committee made up of key collaborative partners from the community that assist Supervised Visitation Program grantee communities with reviewing policy, service delivery, and sustainability.

A systematic set of procedures undertaken for the purpose of setting priorities and making decisions about program or organizational improvement and allocation of resources.

A person who commits domestic violence.

BIPs were developed to help battering parents stop their violence in intimate relationships. The primary goal of a BIP is to help offenders understand their socialized beliefs about male dominance; that violence and abuse are intentional and a choice designed to control their intimate partner; that the effects of abusive behavior damage the family; and that everyone has the ability to change.

Common behaviors and actions used by batterers to control their partner and children including, in a visitation and exchange setting, freqently changing the visitation schedule in a way that causes problems and anxiety to children and adult victims; passing messages to the adult victim by way of the children; or bringing to the visit a toy or object that the children or adult victim associates with past abuse.

The general rule that an individual’s information will not be shared outside of the visitation center unless the individual gives the center permission to do so.

Rule violations, problematic behavior that necessitates a change in the level of monitoring, attempts to continue abuse, and instances in which action is taken by staff (such as ending a visit) or by an outside third party, such as law enforcement.

A complex process where practitioners develop, over time, knowledge, skills, and attitudes in order to work effectively with individuals who appear and may be different from them. This process is life-long and involves continuous self-assessments and critical thinking. It also requires that the practitioner take into account the long history of oppression and the individual's experiences of it in his or her life and understand how power shapes cultural differences; a practitioner's knowledge of cultural differences; intersectionality; the ways in which information is gathered, presented, and processed; and the ways in which practitioners use the skills they develop.

A pattern of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are transmitted from generation to generation for the purpose of successfully adapting to society and the environment. The shared experiences or other commonalities of groups of individuals based on factors of identification that have been developed in relation to changing social and political contexts, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability, nationality, religion, and language.

The parent with physical and/or legal custody of the children.

The differences that exist in people that may affect the identification of and the manner in which domestic violence is addressed. Some of the differences include, but are not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, language, age, socio-economic status, and disability.

Domestic violence, also referred to as battering, refers to physical, psychological, emotional, financial, stalking, or sexual abuse that takes place in the context of an intimate (or prior intimate) relationship and can involve a pattern of purposeful and assaultive behaviors that can be used to maintain control and compliance of the victim.

Operating in a manner that accounts for cultural and lingual differences, as well as other dimensions of diversity, among families who use center services; not excluding anyone overtly or unintentionally because of cultural differences or related circumstances, including, but not limited to, immigration status, religious affiliations, or ability to pay; and making services accessible to every family needing the protected environment of visitation centers to facilitate safe visitation and exchange of children.

The parent who does not have physical and/or legal custody of the children.

A person-centered practice of welcoming and introducing family members to supervised visitation and safe exchange.

Individual identifying information for or about an individual including information likely to disclose the location of victims of domestic violence. Personal and identifying information includes a first and last name; a home or other physical address; contact information, including a postal, email, or internet protocol address, or a telephone or facsimile number; a social security number, and any other information, including date of birth, racial or ethnic background, or religious affiliation that, in combination with the other information listed, would serve to identify any individual.

A deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. Policy states an organization’s mission and scope of what must be done. Policy and procedure are interrelated, but not the same. Typically, a policy change requires the approval of the board of directors.

The social, psychological, and ethically sound method of procedure that promotes safe visitation and exchanges.

The overarching philosophy and perspective that promotes safety for children and adult victims of domestic violence.

The quality or condition of being secluded from the presence or view of others. The state of being concealed; secrecy.

A legal term describing certain specific types of relationships that enjoy protection from disclosure in legal proceedings. Privilege is granted by law and belongs to the client in the relationship.

A person who represents himself or herself in court, without the aid of an attorney.

A specified series of actions or operations, which have to be executed in the same manner in order to always obtain the same result under the same circumstances. Procedures provide the details of how policy will be carried out and how employees will fulfill the mission and scope of the agency.

Orders issued by civil or criminal courts to prevent violence or threats of violence that may include provisions awarding temporary child custody and support.

Behaviors or actions often exhibited by adult victims while attempting to protect their child or children from being harmed directly or indirectly by a batterer.

Written or oral outlines of actions to be taken by a victim of domestic violence to secure protection and support after making an assessment of the potential dangerousness of the situation. They are individualized plans developed by adult victims, often in conjunction with domestic violence advocates, to reduce the risks they and their children face and can include safety plans for children. These plans include strategies to reduce the risk of physical violence and other harm caused by a batterer and strategies to maintain basic human needs such as housing, health care, food, childcare, and education for the children. The particulars of each plan vary to meet the unique concerns and circumstances of children and adult victims.

A universal practice that incorporates socially and psychologically sound procedures to help insure the safety of child(ren) and adult victims.

A court order commanding the appearrance of a witness who is subject to penalty for noncompliance.

A subpoena ordering the witness not only to appear, but also to bring specified books, papers, or records.

Supervision of the transfer of a child from one parent/adult to another by a third party in a controlled, professional environment. The supervision is usually limited to the exchanges, with the remainder of the parent/child contact unsupervised.

A third party who oversees parent/child interaction to ensure the safety of the child and adult victim before, during, and after supervised visits ad exchanges.