DV New Materials and Training Opportunities

New Materials and Training Opportunities

Best Practices Guide and Case Management Techniques in Civil Interpersonal Violence Cases

This Best Practice Guide has been developed by the Supreme Court’s Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court (FCC), in coordination with the statewide Domestic Violence Advisory Group.  The FCC’s goal is to ensure fair, expeditious, and accessible justice for litigants impacted by interpersonal violence throughout the state of Florida, while also ensuring offender accountability and victim safety. These guidelines and practices have been developed after reviewing Florida Statutes, applicable case law, and best practices in other states. This guide and attached checklists provide with a comprehensive tool to assess their respective domestic violence calendars, protocols, procedures, and case management. Chief judges and trial court administrators are requested to consider using the attached checklists to assess how they handle domestic violence cases and implement as many of the best practices as possible.

Best Practices Guide and Case Management Techniques in Criminal Interpersonal Violence Cases

This Best Practice Guide has been developed by the Supreme Court’s Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court (FCC), in coordination with the statewide Domestic Violence Advisory Group. As part of its charges for the 2022-2024 term, the FCC was tasked with developing a Best Practice Guide for circuits and judges. These guidelines and practices have been developed after reviewing Florida statutes, case law, and best practices in other states. This guide and attached checklists provide the circuits with a comprehensive tool to assess their respective domestic violence calendars, protocols, procedures, and case management. Chief judges and trial court administrators are requested to consider using the attached checklist to assess how they handle domestic violence cases in each circuit and implement as many of the best practices as possible.

A Guide to Injunctions for Protection

All court scenes are portrayals of hypothetical scenarios.

This Domestic Violence Checklist for Litigants was also created to accompany the videos above, and offers further information about the domestic violence process. If you would like to download these 3 videos for use in your circuit, please contact vcsupport@wanbaogong.com.

View Available NCJFCJ Publications

The NCJFCJ has prepared a catalog of available publications from the Family Violence and Domestic Relations Program.

Strangulation Infographic

 This infographic provides a quick look at what constitutes strangulation, some statistics regarding strangulation, and some of the devastating effects of it.

Upcoming Webinars

What Pets can Tell us About Their Families - Understanding the link between animal cruelty, domestic violence, elder abuse, and child abuse to produce better judicial outcomes

Presented by Retired Judge Rosa Figarola, 11th Circuit

Nov 5, 2024 12:00 PM - 1 PM EST

Learning Objectives: As a result of attending this program, participants will be able to:

1.    Explain the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. 

2.   Describe how being aware of the link can provide another tool with which to understand the family dynamics of a given case.

3.  Develop skills to incorporate knowledge of the link into their practice to help promote a better understanding of the family and achieve better outcomes.

Please register in advance for this webinar: http://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qOjF11PvQs2CTeZPfSmbaw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

OFC has applied for CJE's and CLE's.

How the Courts Can Protect our Elders

Presented by Rima Nathan, Clinical Professor and Director of the Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic; Florida State University College of Law

December 3, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1 PM EST

Learning objectives: As a result of attending this program, participants will be able to:

1.  Identify the signs of financial and physical abuse of elders.
2. Describe new legislation that has been implemented to help the courts protect older adults who are being exploited
3. Define ethics and surrogate decision-making
4. Recognize alternatives to guardianship and institute communicating with family members of elders

Register in advance for this webinar: http://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f1lHqPjxTWKLzZJUdkt7fw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Judges that attend will receive 1 CJE. Attorneys that attend are eligible for 1 CLE.

Domestic Violence and the Military Lunch and Learn

Presented by Judge Howard O. McGillin, Jr, 7th Circuit, Heather Housel, DV Attorney with the United States Navy and Captain Brown, Victims' Counsel at MacDill AFB

When: December 10, 2024 12:00pm-1:30pm EST

Learning objectives: At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to: 

1. Participants will become familiar with the US Military’s programs regarding prevention and remediation of incidents of Domestic Violence as readiness enhancing activities.
2. Participants will become familiar with the pre-existing and revised structure of the military justice system regarding sexually violent offenses and the interface with domestic violence response.
3. Participant will become familiar with the areas of overlap and areas of conflict between on-base and off-base responses to domestic violence.

Register in advance for this meeting: http://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MDhXH8lWQXOectykm75GrQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

OFC has applied for CJE's and CLE's for this training.

Navigating OBO’s and Custody in Domestic Violence Cases

Presented by Judge Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson, 11th Judicial Circuit

Feb 5, 2025 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST

Learning Objectives: After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Identify Common Issues in Reviewing OBO’s
2. Evaluate Custody matters while prioritizing the safety and well-being of both the child and victim.
3. Apply the latest case law and legislative updates to rulings. 

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mdfDEakaTTqn76BXjL95og 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

OSCA has applied for CJE's and CLE's.

Calendar

Comprehensive Victim Interviewing Virtual Training

Presented by End Violence Against Women International, this live virtual event will take place November 19-21, 2024. The three day course teaches concrete skills to conduct effective interviews and investigate sexual assault cases. Topics include:

• Trauma impacts on behavior and memory
• Conducting an initial interview and preliminary investigation
• Planning, preparing, and conducting an in-depth victim interview
• Documenting victim statements and other investigative findings
• Follow-up interviews and the evolving investigation

Cost: $299. For more information, please contact www.evawint.org/victim-interviewing 

2025 End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) Conference

This conference will be held April 22-24, 2025, at the Anaheim Marriott, in Anaheim, CA.

The NCJFCJ has begun teaching their Enhancing Judicial Studies program again in various locations. Please contact OFC if you are a judicial officer and would like to attend in 2025.

NCJFCJ 88th Annual Conference

This annual conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois at the Fairmont Hotel on July 20-23, 2025. Please contact OFC if you are a judicial officer and would like to attend in 2025.

For a list of of other national training events, please see the VAWnet calendar.

For events sponsored and/or hosted by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, please see the NCJFCJ calendar.    

If you have questions about upcoming events, please email the Office of Family Courts at vcsupport@wanbaogong.com.