FVVS has made great strides over the past four years. However, there is still much work to be done. FVVS is proud of its accomplishments and believes that the program can be duplicated and improved upon by other tribes or communities. Three key elements must be in place before a program can be successful:
- Funding
- Cooperation of other entities
- Coordination of services
Funding for a similar program is obviously one of the first obstacles to overcome. The success of FVVS stems from its past ability to pull together, enhance and coordinate various victim-oriented State and Federal grant projects and convince the Tribal government to buy into the concept and provide financial support. Adequate funding allows for the employment of a qualified and well-trained staff that is committed to dealing with such social ills as domestic violence and sexual assault.
In order to deal successfully with issues of family violence, a multi-disciplined approach is necessary. FVVS had to garner the cooperation of many other entities such as law enforcement, the judiciary, social services and healthcare agencies. Once cooperation is achieved, the next step is to coordinate services, as each entity will have its own agenda.
The coordination of services from a multitude of agencies is likely easier in a reservation setting than in a city of any size, but not impossible. The Choctaw Tribe is relatively small and for the most part, self-contained. Everything from law enforcement, the judiciary and social services to the school system and healthcare is tribally operated. Therefore, it was easier for FVVS to identify and get to know all of the players that needed to be at the table.
FVVS believes strongly that the program as a whole could be replicated in most any setting.
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