ABSTRACT
The mission of the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) in the Department of Defense (DoD) is to prevent, identify, intervene, and treat all aspects of child abuse and neglect and spouse abuse. Also, FAPs are designed to support family preservation without compromising the health, welfare, and safety of the victim; strengthen family functioning in a manner that increases the competency and self-sufficiency of military members; and collaborate with state and local civilian child protective services. To achieve these ends the Service FAPs provide a comprehensive range of programs and services in addition to intervention and treatment. These activities include training and education, primary and secondary prevention programs ranging from advocacy for nonviolent communities to programs targeted to at-risk populations, program evaluation to measure trends and outcomes of prevention and treatment, and, a central registry of all maltreatment reports. The Department of Defense, through the Office of Family Policy, in conjunction with headquarters-level organizations at each Service, funds, develops, and implements policy, manages, and evaluates child and spouse abuse prevention and intervention programs.
