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Santa Clara is the fourth most populous county in California
and the largest in the San Francisco Bay area. Better known
as Silicon Valley, this is an extremely expensive, high paced,
and multi-ethnic community. According to Oregon State University's
Government Information Sharing Project, the racial and ethnic
makeup of Santa Clara's 1997 population were as follows: white
(49 percent), Latino (25 percent), Asian (21 percent), African
American (4 percent) and Native American (less than 1 percent).
Santa Clara residents comprise a workforce that ranges from
highly skilled professionals to a large number of agricultural
workers, many of whom are migrants. Despite the proliferation
of wealth in Silicon Valley, 21 percent of households in San
Jose, the county's largest city, are considered Extremely
Low or Very Low Income (1990 Census). Thirty-one percent of
children throughout Santa Clara are eligible for free and
reduced lunches. Although domestic violence cuts across all
racial and economic levels, a 1998 study by San Jose State
University found that 83 percent of the 845 convicted batterers
in the Probation Department's domestic violence unit earned
less than $25,000 annually.
Since 1990, domestic violence related calls to police departments
throughout the county have ranged from 7,000-9,000 per year.
Amongst these, 5,000-8000 involved the use of a weapon. In
1998, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office received 5,404
restraining orders, with the highest numbers being issued
for the cities of San Jose and Gilroy, of which 58 percent
involved children. In 1998, law enforcement jurisdictions
issued 1,413 emergency protective orders, of which 52 percent
involved children. The District Attorney's office handles
approximately 4,000 domestic violence cases annually. In 1998,
it prosecuted 20 domestic homicides, 49 cases involving pregnant
victims, 14 cases involving teenage victims and 404 cases
in which children were present. In 1999, 2,511 individuals
were enrolled in batterer intervention programs.
In 1998, Santa Clara's five domestic violence shelters reported
handling 10,060 crisis calls, provided individual counseling
to 1,915 adults and 419 children, and gave emergency shelter
services to 669 children. According to the Santa Clara County
Domestic Violence Council, one third of all 1999 countywide
hospital emergency room admissions involved domestic violence.
The Santa Clara Department of Family and Children's Services
(DFCS) Emergency Response Unit received 20,000 referrals in
1999. The DFCS provides monthly family maintenance services
to 1,318 families and monthly family reunification services
to another 900 families. In 1999, over 1,900 children received
permanent and adoptive placement services.
To address the challenges of developing and implementing a
coordinated system approach to the co-occurrence of domestic
violence and child maltreatment, Santa Clara County will focus
on building capacity within and across systems, designing
tools and strategies to share and manage information and resources,
and creating a feedback loop that will create opportunities
for evaluation, learning, and growth.
Santa Clara County Documents:
Column by the Hon. Leonard P. Edwards (PDF)
Santa Clara Newsletter (PDF) Fall 2003
Lessons Learned in Santa Clara County (PDF)
Santa Clara County Stakeholder Readiness Assessment Report (PDF)
Toward a More Coordinated, County-wide Response to Family Violence(PDF) August 2007
Assessing the Impact of the Greenbook Initiative and Related Efforts Since 2001 (PPT) February 2007
Implementing Recommendations in the Greenbook: Lessons Learned in Santa Clara County
Contact Information:
Maria Jose Moraga
Former Greenbook Project Coordinator
408-882-0900 ext. 213
mmoraga@kidsincommon.org
www.kidsincommon.org
Dana Bunnett
Executive Director
Kids in Common
1605 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
408-882-0900 x240
dbunnett@kidsincommon.org
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