Children's Institute, Inc.: Project ERIN

Project ERIN

(Emergency Response Intervention Network)

Two important facts about domestic abuse:

1. Children are often severely traumatized by witnessing family violence. Many learn that aggression is the way to solve differences. This perpetuates a cycle of violence from one generation to the next.
2. Victims of family violence are most likely to be open to the possibility of intervention in the heat of the moment. By the time the violent event passes, many will talk themselves out of whatever resolutions they’d made during the confrontation.

Armed with this insight, CII launched Project ERIN in 1997 to have family violence specialists respond to domestic violence calls along with police officers. Counselors give immediate support at the scene, and then follow up in the days and weeks after the incident to connect children and families with medical and therapeutic services, develop safety plans, and provide access to legal support.

Since its inception, Project ERIN has helped thousands of children (most under the age of seven). The prosecution of batterers has become more effective due to an increase in the cooperation of victims, and law enforcement officials are now asking for Project ERIN to be expanded throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

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