Nat'l Eval of the DV Victims' Civil Legal Assistance Program

PROJECT SUMMARY FOR 2000WL-VX-0002 This evaluation will: document the range of local activities and programs supported by the FY 1998, FY 1999, and FY 2000 Civil Legal Assistance (CLA) grants; examine how local non-CLA funded programs complement VAWO-funded programs; document grantee planning and implementation efforts; examine the special conditions imposed on grantees to preserve victim safety and confidentiality; and determine the effectiveness of these programs in meeting the needs of the women they serve. To accomplish this, the project will: 1) conduct an annual, national survey of all CLA grantees for the three years of the grant; 2) assess non-VAWA funded civil legal services within the grantees' communities; 3) at 20 grantee sites conduct interviews, document reviews, collaboration surveys, and collection of statistical data on clients served, client characteristics, and services provided; and 4) at 8 grantee sites conduct interview with approximately 240 domestic violence victims, case tracking, analysis of other statistical data, and focus groups of victims, civil attorneys, shelter staff, and others. The evaluation will reveal how well the grantees are meeting the needs of domestic violence victims in their individual communities, whether victims are safer and more secure, and what effects the grantees are having on the civil and criminal justice system and on the community.