HHS Creates New Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a new Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Three of the priority goals of the new OFVPS will be to:

• Develop an ACF-wide strategy and action plan for the prevention of and response to domestic violence across social service programs. This ACF-wide strategy will better leverage existing services available for survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and dating violence; maximize public-private partnerships; and strengthen coordination with other federal and state government funding mechanisms for survivors.
• Maintain and lead coordination and collaboration efforts across agency partners, including continued and strengthened partnerships with the new HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Health’s Director of Sexual & Gender-Based Violence, the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and more.
• Prioritize the continued implementation appropriations to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“This new office underlines ACF’s commitment to prevention programs, survivor services and a whole family approach to serving families when they need it most,” said ACF Assistant Secretary January Contreras. “ACF will continue to implement a comprehensive strategy to promote violence prevention through programs and resources that impact survivors’ physical and behavioral health, safety, well-being, housing, economic mobility and family stability.”