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Domestic Violence Conference

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San Mateo County Domestic Violence Conference: Improving Outreach in Our Diverse Community October 12, 2007 College of San Mateo 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m   Domestic violence is a serious issue that crosses all social, economic and racial boundaries. But in far too many cases, victims of domestic violence do not report the crime and instead suffer in painful silence. This silence is particularly prevalent in minority communities. Battered women may face communication or cultural barriers and have less access to legal and social services. In some cases, their abusers may use immigration status as a tool of control.   That is why we urge you to participate in the upcoming San Mateo County Domestic Violence Conference: Improving Outreach in Our Diverse Community, which is being organized in partnership with CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse). The purpose of this free conference is to create a forum where allied professionals and community members can come together to learn more about what is happening in our County to reach traditionally underserved populations and to learn best-practices on crafting outreach strategies from experts in the field.   Our keynote speaker will be Dr Sujata Warrier, who will discusses what it means to intentionally reach underserved populations, what defines an underserved community; what diversity exists within a particular group, and how to develop a plan for outreach and engagement. Dr. Warrier is the Director of the New York City Program of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and a co-founder of the first domestic violence program for South Asian women in the United States. She serves on the board of the Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence. Dr. Warrier is keynote faculty for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court judges on the implications of cultural and ethnicity in domestic violence. Dr. Warrier provides technical assistance on the issue of domestic violence and battered immigrant women and trains professionals in health care, law enforcement, criminal and civil justice and human and social services.   The Panel Discussion following Dr. Warrier’s presentation will be comprised of representatives from traditionally underserved communities, such as the Asian Pacific Islander Institute, the Kumares (representing the Filipino community), the Promotores (representing the Latina community), and others. Panellists will discuss current best practices, what methods are working, and what is still needed.   Conference attendees will break out into facilitated groups to brainstorm an 18-month first draft plan for outreach to underserved communities with 6, 12, and 18-month benchmarks. These will be presented to the full group during lunch with a plan to follow-up with presentations at a future Domestic Violence Council meeting. Each group will give brief report out from each discipline on their next steps with Dr. Warrier facilitating.   At the end of the conference, we will be presenting the 2007 Barbara Hammerman Award , the County’s annual recognition of a law enforcement officer who has demonstrated dedication and exemplary service to victims of domestic violence.   Parking: Free Parking for the conference is located in Student Lots 1 and 2. The South Cafeteria Building, in the Conference will be held, is visible from these two lots.   Information on parking or the map of the campus   .