Page 12 - Delaware Lawyer - Spring 2023

FEATURE | A DELAWARE FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER
evaluation12 of Delaware’s domes- tic violence intervention programs by Barbara Goldberg & Associates LLC,13 it was found those who par- ticipated in the treatment had lower recidivism rates and showed high- er levels of accountability for their actions. Accountability is not achieved in the short term, and the evaluators found that Delaware’s program fa- cilitators are knowledgeable and well equipped to lead litigants through a robust, long-term program.
In partnership with the Cen- ter for Court Innovation, the Do- mestic Violence Court of St. Louis and our domestic violence inter- vention programs, the Delaware Family Court has implemented a domestic violence compliance calen- dar in New Castle and Kent Counties (and plans to expand to Sussex County by the end of 2023). These calendars are currently populated by PFA respondents who consented to a PFA or have had a PFA ordered
against them after a full trial where the PFA included the directive to sign up with a domestic violence intervention program. Those re- spondents are automatically put on the compliance calendar in their county and must appear regularly before a Family Court Commis- sioner or Judge to provide informa- tion about how treatment is going. The treatment provider is present for these calendars to provide additional information and corroboration for each respondent and calendar.
This means that Family Court receives accurate information from both the treatment provider and the respondent, which will increase accountability and will allow the Court to act quickly if a respon- dent is not complying with an order. The ultimate goal of the compli- ance calendar is for respondents to successfully complete the course, while increasing their level of aware- ness around trauma, abuse and healthy coping mechanisms. In addition to the domestic violence intervention programs (provided by Child Inc. in New Castle County, and Turning Point in Kent and Sus- sex Counties), respondents can seek evaluations for substance abuse14 and mental health15 treatment. Each county also has visitation centers16 for both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence that provide ways to visit with children safely. All of these services can be included in the compliance calendar hearings to ensure that individuals are connected and engaged with services.
Compliance calendars are one tool that the Court can use to increase familial safety, especially where the respondent and petitioner are still in contact (whether through children or if they are trying to salvage their rela- tionship). Having the Court involved and invested in the respondents’
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