September 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep Clicking to Empower!!!

 

We only have until September 15th!! Please vote often!  The Allstate Foundation launched their "Click to Empower" campaign in July.  The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of domestic violence through social networking venues such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace.

The Allstate Foundation invited four non-profit organizations to participate in the campaign, one of which was the Family Justice Center Alliance.  People can vote for one of the four by accessing the Click to Empower campaign website (www.clicktoempower.org).  Links to the campaign's website can be shared with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace (as discussed above) among others.

However, those who aren't users of Facebook, etc., can still vote.  To vote without a Facebook account, the website requires you to give them your email address, which is used solely for authentication purposes and will not be used by the Allstate Foundation to contact you.

If we can get 5,000 clicks for the Family Justice Center Alliance, the Alliance will receive a $10,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation.  The non-profit that has the most clicks by the end of the 60-day window will receive a $100,000 grant.

If the Alliance wins the $100,000 grant, we will use the money to create a special Emergency Economic Assistance Fund for victims of domestic violence and their children, which could be used to pay for necessities like food and child care, or to help finance a down payment on an apartment.

But we can't do it without your help.  VOTE today and every day until September 15th  to help the Alliance make the Emergency Economic Assistance Fund a reality!

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Your Advocacy is Needed!!!

 

 

The Victim Assistance Program at the State Attorney’s Office provides needed advocacy and support for crime victims trying to negotiate the legal system. They assist all types of crime victims, including victims of domestic violence. We need this supportive service for crime victims, but the proposed Hillsborough County budget eliminated this program! This program is vital to the victims we all exist to serve and needs all of our help to stay in place.

 

Due to overwhelming community support, the County Commission has voted to save this program, with a 10% cut! Please join in thanking the County Commissioners and Pat Bean for their support of victims of crime.

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ABA Commission On Domestic Violence  announces launch of national domestic violence pro bono directory, sponsored by Verizon Wireless’ Hopeline Project

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 17, 2009 – The American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence today announced the launch of the first-ever National Domestic Violence Pro Bono Directory, a comprehensive national database of programs providing pro bono legal services to victims of domestic violence and made public online at www.probono.net/dv.  

Although men also experience domestic violence, research shows the majority of victims are women. Around the world, at least one in four women has experienced some form of violence or abuse during her lifetime, and studies show some 10 million children witness domestic violence each year.  This pro bono Web site, along with ABA and their partners’ other initiatives, is another positive step in the effort to prevent domestic violence and create awareness of the issue.

The online directory includes the types of cases these programs accept – e.g., immigration, housing, restraining orders, family law -- the scope of representation; the frequency and content of trainings for pro bono lawyers; and the on-going supervision and/or support provided to pro bono lawyers. 

Initially made possible through a grant from the Avon Foundation, which funded the research and start-up costs of the project, the commission joined with Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit organization working closely with nonprofit legal organizations across the United States and Canada, to create and develop the online directory.  Pro Bono Net works to increase access to justice for the millions of underprivileged individuals who need but cannot afford a lawyer. 

The Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program will continue to fund the directory for at least the next two years, ensuring it remains the most up-to-date, comprehensive and easily accessible resource for lawyers seeking to assist victims.

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HEALTH SCREENING STUDY MISLEADING, EXPERTS SAY

 

The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) has cautioned against reading the findings of a study published in the August 4th edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association as a definitive rejection of screening for intimate partner violence in health care settings.

Calling the study’s negative conclusions about screening “unjustified” and noting problems with its design and implementation, experts at the FVPF warned that failure to continue and enhance programs that screen patients for domestic violence will cost lives. The FVPF runs the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Methodological Problems
The new study, by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, set out to examine the effectiveness of screening for intimate partner violence in preventing repeat violence and improving quality of life.

However, the intervention and control groups were both asked about abuse using the same self-administered written survey. If a woman in the “screened” group reported intimate partner violence (IPV), the information was given to her clinician before her visit. Whether the clinician used – or ignored – that information was not monitored in a uniform manner.

In fact, according to women who were questioned immediately after their visits, fewer than half the “screened” women said their clinician discussed violence with them.

Thus, the study only measured the difference when positive results were communicated to clinicians vs. when clinicians were not given this information, FVPF leaders noted.

Nonetheless, all the abused women in the study who completed the assessment and received an information card showed some improvement in repeat violence and quality of life, and none reported harms from screening.

“To say that this study does not support screening is misleading at best, since both groups were screened identically and offered the same information card with referrals,” said FVPF President Esta Soler. “We need to continue screening, and to train health care providers so they know how to help if a patient discloses domestic violence and how to connect abused patients to skilled service providers who can provide support. This study did not examine the impact of that kind of intervention at all. Furthermore, it is most disturbing that authors downplayed some of their own important findings that actually support screening.”

The study found statistically significant improvements in psychological quality of life and depression for patients whose providers were told that that they reported domestic violence and it found no harms associated with screening. Unfortunately, a large proportion (more than 40 percent) of the women were lost to follow-up and when this was taken into account in post hoc testing, the differences in quality of life and depression disappeared.

“At a time when, on average, three women are murdered each day by their husbands or boyfriends, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women in the United States experience two million injuries from domestic violence each year, we should be using every tool at our disposal to identify and help victims of domestic violence,” added FVPF Director of Health Lisa James.

“It is critical to understand that both groups in this study were screened, both groups were offered referral cards, and researchers failed to study or report on whether and how clinicians talked to the victims of violence about abuse, its impact on health and how to get help,” James added. “It is especially disappointing that this study emphasized the negative and ignored some positive findings, in order to conclude there is not sufficient evidence to support screening and assessment in health care settings.”

An editorial in the same issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes: “Specific interventions to prevent the recurrence of abuse for women at risk of violence should be implemented and rigorously tested” without further delay so we can truly understand the impact of health interventions in the lives of women.

 

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FJC Partner Council Spotlight

Northside Mental Health Center is a not-for-profit community mental health agency.  The TANF (temporary assistance for needy families) program is the Northside program represented at the Family Justice Center.  The TANF program works with people who make less than 200% of the poverty guidelines set by the Federal government, have children and have no health insurance.  TANF accepts clients from anywhere in Hillsborough County.  The TANF program offers outreach, case management and therapy services including: individual, couple’s, family and group therapy.

 

We have many successes in our program and one sticks out specifically.  There is a woman who is a refugee from another country.  She experienced a significant amount of trauma in that country.  She moved to the US and did okay for several years.  She was re-traumatized and then had a significant break and spiraled downhill with her mental health.  She became psychotic and lost her ability to speak English.  When she first entered therapy all she could do is cry and rock in her therapist’s office.  She was unable to work or drive and experienced paralyzing social anxiety.  Through much diligent and painstaking work on her part and her therapist’s part she is now driving to and from her appointments, looks people in the eyes in the hallways of our agency and has been able to work part-time.

 

Thank you Northside, for all you do!

 

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Early Childhood Council 

of Hillsborough County, Inc.

 

In conjunction with the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health

 

Presents it’s 2009 Annual Conference

 

Meeting the Needs of Young Children and Families:

“Every Moment Matters”

 

November 18 –20th 2009

 

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay

2900 Bayport Drive

Tampa, Florida 33607

 

For more information or to register, please click the link below

 

 

http://www.ecctampabay.org/info/index.php?view=details&id=13%3A2009+ECC+Conference&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=45

 

 

 

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FJC Volunteer Program

 

Are you interested in volunteering at the Family Justice Center? The Family Justice Center is always looking for people who are willing to share their time and service to help us to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all those we serve. For more information Please contact the Outreach Coordinator at 813.935.2015 or outreachcoord@fjchc.org .

 

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The Family Justice Center Training Academy

 

Nuts and Bolts:

  The Basics of Domestic Violence

Advocacy Training

August 31st and September 1st, 2009

and October 5th and 6th, 2009        

8:30am to 5:00pm

FJC

***12 CEU’s***

***14.5 FREE General  CLE’s***

 

Nuts and Bolts is a four part (FJC 101, 201, 301, 401), 2-day training offered to advocates, volunteers, interns, clergy, and other community based providers who work with victims of domestic violence. Topics include, dynamics of domestic violence, safety planning, lethality  assessment, confidentiality, boundaries, working with diverse populations, dating  violence, and effects of domestic violence on children and adolescents. 

 

 

Children with Sexual Acting Out Behaviors

October 13th, 2009 from 9:00am to 11:00am

FJC

*** 2 CEU’s***

 

An introductory course for professionals working with children, sponsored by the Sexual Abuse Intervention Network.  This course enables participants to distinguish between normal and problematic sexual behaviors in children.  Topics including characteristics of sexually abusive youth, defining childhood sexual abuse, strategies for preventing further victimization and the legal process in Hillsborough County are also covered in this course.

 

 

FJC Orientation for new On-Site Partners

 September 21st, 2009 from 9:00 am to 12:30pm

FJC

 

Basic operational procedures of the FJC, and vital safety policies

 and   procedures, equipment, and scheduling procedures between agencies.

 

 

The Child Welfare Domestic Violence

Cross-System Training Series Presents:

 

Compassion Fatigue

This class focuses on how exposure to family violence affects those in the helping professions.  Discussion will consist of coping and adapting measures to assist in the prevention of burn-out.***3 CEU’s*** Presenter: Christina Bellamy, L.M.H.C.

September 9, 2009 from1pm to 4pm, September 25 from 9am to noon

 

 

 

Please Register for All Trainings at

http://www.fjchc.org/public/events.html

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Hillsborough County Sexual Abuse Intervention Network

 

Presents:

 

“A Developmental Approach to the Assessment of Children with Sexual Behavior Problems”

 

Presenter:  Craig Latham, Ph.D., Latham Consulting Group, LLC.

 

Friday, September 4, 2009

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Family Justice Center

9309 N. Florida Avenue

Tampa, Florida

 

Register for this free training at www.fjchc.org/public/events.html

 

Who should attend?  This FREE training is funded for professionals working in Hillsborough County.  Persons who do not work in Hillsborough County can email Renee Ristow at rristow@fjchc.org to put their name on a space available list.  This training is designed for psychologists, therapists, juvenile probation, juvenile diversion program staff and other professionals working with youth with sexual behavior problems

 

About the presenter:  Dr. Latham has worked with violent and emotionally disturbed adolescents since 1980.  He was the Sr. Forensic Child Psychologist for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and served as a consultant to the United States Secret Service.  In 1990, Dr. Latham left state service for private practice.  Dr. Latham currently remains in private practice and continues to serve as a consultant to various local, state and federal agencies. He is active in many professional and advocacy organizations including the Massachusetts Adolescent Sexual Offender Coalition; Massachusetts Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers; and is an adjunct faculty member at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, where he teaches the Forensic Specialty track.

 

About the workshop:  This workshop will focus on a threat assessment approach to assessing treatment needs and risk in children that is similar to the model used by the U.S. Secret Service in analyzing the potential for violence of sources and incorporating it into a developmentally sophisticated assessment.  This workshop will also provide an overview of legal and ethical  issues that arise in the assessment of children; data gathering techniques, including structured interviewing, self report inventories, offender specific psychological tests, generic psychological tests etc; psychological, actuarial and interview techniques as well as suggestions about report writing for the courts and treatment providers.  For more information visit www.fjchc.org/public/events.html.

 

Licensed mental health providers (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT), psychologists and school psychologists can receive 6 Continuing Education Credits at no cost through the Family Justice Center of Hillsborough County- Provider #50-7820 (expires 3/2011).

                                        

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Community Meetings

 

­ FJC Partner Council

 Meetings are held the last Wednesday of every month.   The next meeting will be on September 30th, 2009 at 9 am at the Family Justice Center.

­ Sexual Abuse Intervention Network (SAIN)

 Meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will be on September 16th, 2009 at 9 am at the Family Justice Center. Contact Renee Ristow at: rristow@fjchc.org with any questions.

­ Sexual Violence Task Force

Meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Family Justice Center.  The next meeting will be on September 26th, 2009 at Noon. There will be a Strategic Planning meeting on September 11th at noon at the Child Abuse Council. Contact Marilyn Bray at mbray@crisiscenter.com  with any questions.

 

 

    Hillsborough County Domestic Violence Task Force Committee  Meetings:

­ Domestic Violence Task Force

September 10th, 2009 at 10:30a at the Crisis Center

 

­ Fatality Review Planning Committee

( Formerly Project L.A.U.R.A)

 September 17th at 2pm at the Family Justice Center. Contact  Roseanne Cupoli at: rocupoli@thespring.org or 813-247-5433 ext. 309.

 

 

­    Public Policy Committee

(working on DV and Child Welfare project). September 15th, 2009 at 3:00pm at the Family Justice Center. Contact Nikki Daniels at: ndaniels@fjchc.org or 813-490-9401.

 

 

­   Community Education & Awareness Committee

October 15th, 2009 at 9:00am at The Family Justice Center.  Contact Donna Vento at: dmvento@thespring.org or

813-247-5433 ext. 315

 

 

 

 

The Family Justice Center of Hillsborough County

9309 North Florida Avenue

Suite 109

Tampa, Florida 33612

 

 

The FJC Training Academy is made possible by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.