First Steps Outreach

Tell your friends!

Stephens Project We are all about empowering children and adults in our neighborhoods, in our schools, our families and in our communities.

So excited. Getting ready to launch "Stephens Project". It's a new innovative concept where we at first steps outreach are the school liaison between the bully, the bullied and the school..Stay tuned for more. Launch date is coming soon...we are working hard to put a stop to domestic violence through going to the root cause, bullying. They go hand in hand. You see here's how it works: A young child is bullied and abused at home . The bullied becomes the bully at school. It starts at at home and it's domestic violence because being bullied are part of the same . Years go by and guess what? The bully has grown up to be an abuser.. this is the cycle of bring abused. We must put a stop to it and I think we can. We have a plan that is going to rock the world of being bullied. This is something no one has ever done before . We're going to need your support .. it will cover cyber bullies too.. if you want to help stop bullying stay tuned for updates.

Court access important to domestic violence victims
Carolyn Copps Hartley 11:46 p.m. CST November 25, 2014
Tiffany Allison 3.png

(Photo: Special to the Register )

The Des Moines Register recently published several articles on domestic abuse, including one about Tiffany Allison, who was abused by a man who spent only 10 months in prison for his offense.

Allison is working to require habitual offenders to serve at least 80 percent of their sentences, as opposed to the mere one-third that her abuser served for a felony domestic violence offense. Tougher sentencing of violent habitual offenders will both punish and deter offenders and keep our communities safer.

While these efforts to improve the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence are laudable, it was disappointing to see the Register's coverage take such a narrow approach to interventions. The criminal justice system is only one piece of a coordinated community response to personal violence.

RELATED: Victim: Repeat offenders need stiffer penalties

Unfortunately, the role of civil legal remedies is often overlooked. In fact, research of the needs of domestic violence victims found that 59 percent of these women were dealing with legal issues unrelated to their abuser.

While civil protective orders are the most common civil intervention for domestic violence, civil courts can address a myriad of needs for victims in addition to immediate safety concerns. Economic issues present a significant barrier for women trying to leave an abusive relationship. Domestic violence is also a chief cause of housing instability and homelessness for women and children. Victims may have difficulty securing or keeping employment, as abusers often interfere with their ability to get to work.

Civil legal services can assist domestic violence victims with a divorce, child custody and support, tax problems, debt relief, identity theft, and employment and housing discrimination, to name a few. These remedies eliminate or reduce barriers that might keep victims trapped in an abusive relationship.

Unfortunately, access to these civil remedies can be challenging without the help of an attorney. Although the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment addresses a defendant's right to counsel in a criminal case, this right is not guaranteed in most civil proceedings unless the case involves a restriction of physical liberty, such civil commitment.

Thus, many victims, particularly those who are low income, are left without access to an attorney in civil matters.

Iowa has simplified some court processes through online forms and instructions for people without legal counsel. However, victims still face significant barriers navigating the civil legal system.

Research has shown that victims are less successful getting civil protective orders when they do not have lawyers, especially if their abusers have an attorney. Typically less than 20 percent of petitioners have legal representation when filing a civil protective order. Victims who file petitions on their own often experience longer delays and greater biases in the court system.

The scarcity of representation and the difficulty in obtaining a protective order is especially concerning, as such an order is often a way for victims to take that initial step away from their abusers.

Iowa Legal Aid is an important resource for domestic violence victims. In all 99 counties, Iowa Legal Aid provides civil legal services that address victims' needs and provides access to the courts.

However, it is woefully underfunded and frequently ignored as a critical lifeline for victims and children. Domestic violence is not just a criminal issue, and jailing perpetrators is not enough. A coordinated community response needs to support victims by providing meaningful access to our civil justice system.

CAROLYN COPPS HARTLEY, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Iowa School of Social Work. Contact: [email protected].

My friend Melissa Fleming and board member with First Steps Outreach reminded me that we all must guard our hearts even when it's out family. I talked about remnants of domestic violence recently. Remnants may be a family member trying to get you and the abuser back together, or adult children who learned the abusive behavior and now they are trying to manipulate you. Just remember to guard your heart!

Have you heard the term "spiritual abuse?" Unfortunately domestic violence and spiritual abuse can go hand in hand. Victims of any kind of abuse need a support system, not only to be safe but to get through the thought process of why someone would be doing this to them.