Fairfax County Domestic Violence Community

The DV Network, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, the George Mason School of Law Foundation and DVAC are collaborating to develop a family law partner to be located at DVAC.  Please click here for more information and to learn how to make a donation to this important effort!

Check out this compilation of informative fact sheets from the DV Network's Coordination Committee.  Click here for the pdf file, which can be printed as a booklet or as individual sheets on different topics.

Click here for the Fairfax County DVPPCC 2013 Annual Report.

Upcoming Meetings

• The DV Network will next meet on April 15, 2014 from 10-12 conference room 2/3 of the Fairfax County Government Center.
• The DVPPCC (Domestic Violence Prevention, Policy, and Coordinating Council) will next meet on Thursday, April 10, 2014 from 7:30am to 9:30am at the Massey A Level Conference Room.  
• SAVE THE DATE:  The DV Community 3rd Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, October 6th from 8am to 12pm.  More information coming soon! 

Announcements

• Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS) is hiring a Court & Community Advocate.

• NVFS is hiring a Bilingual Mental Health Counselor/ Therapist to work with trauma survivors.  Please visit their website for information and to apply.     

• Kathy Prudden, a private therapist in northern VA with an art therapy specialty, and the Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services are soliciting artwork from survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence for a display later this spring in Seattle at the annual EVAWI Conference. Consider encouraging clients, sponsoring groups, or talking with others who might be interested in participating in this project. This flyer details the project with its goals and guidelines. Please contact Kathleen Kelmelis (703-324-2285) or Kathy (contact information on flyer) for additional information.   

Ongoing groups: The Compassion Training for Couples in Conflict (not intended for couples who have already experienced violence) is held on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the Government Center, Suite 339.  Please contact Sonia Valenzuela (703-324-9484 or Sonia.Valenzuela@fairfaxcounty.gov) for more information. 
 
April 2, 2014: Beyond Engaging Men: Building Community, Accountability and Sustainability webinar will be held at 3:00pm.  Register here.    
 
April 2, 2014: The next Fathers In Touch parenting group starts at Gum Springs Community Center from 6:30 – 9:00pm and will continue on Wednesday evenings through June.  Please see the flyer for more information.

April 3, 2014:  Shelter House is hosting Creating New Beginnings: Benefit Breakfast for Family Homelessness and Domestic Violence from 7:30am to 9am at the Westwood Country Club (800 Maple Avenue E, Vienna, VA).  Please visit their website for more information and to register. 

April 3, 2014 & other dates throughout April:  Ft. Belvoir’s SHARP (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention) program will host several events in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  See this flyer for the entire list.   

 April 3, 2014: Free yoga class will be held at DVAC (Room 2700 of the Historic Courthouse) from 4-5:30pm.  Contact Allison Medina with questions:  amedina@thewomenscenter.org.  

April 6, 2014: The Fairfax County Police Department’s Victim Services Section will again launch National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with its 2^nd Annual 5K Walk/Candlelight Vigil. The event will kick off at 4:30 with registration, followed by guest speakers and the 5K.  A candlelight tribute to crime victims and survivors will be held immediately following the 5K.

April 7, 2014:  In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, several Northern Virginia agencies, including the Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services and The Women’s Center, are sponsoring TOTALLY!, a show by Kimleigh Smith.  The event, for mature audiences only, will be held starting at 6:30pm at the Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale Campus Theatre (CE Building, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003). 
 
April 10, 2014: DV Network’s Tier Two training will be held from 9am to 12pm in the Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Room 9/10.  April’s training will be a follow-up to our successful March Teen Dating Violence training.  JCADA will be presenting their teen prevention program called “It’s Not Love.”  Tier Two training is open to all professionals and volunteers who completed the Tier One training.  Please register here. 
 
April 10, 2014: From 11am to 9pm, the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Foundation is holding a fundraiser at the Greene Turtle restaurant in Fairfax City.  Proceeds will help the FCPD Victim Services Section meet the immediate needs of crime victims in our community.  Please bring this flyer with you. 

April 22-24, 2014: EVAW International’s Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking.

April 26, 2014:  SafeSpot Child Advocacy Center is hosting the Champions for Children 5K Race/Walk at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston.   The race starts at 9am.  Please register: www.SafeSpotFairfax.org.

May 28-30, 2014:  Save the date for the Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse 20^th Annual Conference.  More details coming soon at: http://www.vcpea.org/.  

June 9-10, 2014:  Danger Assessment and Risk Management conference in Minneapolis, MN.  Visit here for more information and registration.

June 12-13, 2014:  Reduce the Risk: Strangulation Prevention Conference and Law Enforcement and Prosecutor Institute training will be held at the Holiday Inn in Lynchburg. Breakfast, lunch, and periodic refreshments will be provided. The registration rate is $60 for day one, $85 for both days. Scholarship funding is available. The Conference Planning Committee is currently seeking continuing education credits for various disciplines. For more details on registration, scholarships, and continuing education credits, please visit http://tinyurl.com/strangulationconf2014 or www.vsdvalliance.org. 

Click here to submit events for the community calendar.

Obama Targets College Sexual Assault Epidemic (ABC News, 1/22/2014) See the Resources section for the full report.  

‘Cabin Fever’ in Cold Weather Can Cause Uptick in Domestic Violence, Experts Say (ABC News, 1/8/2014)

Dispelling the Super Bowl Myth (YWCA, 2/1/2014)

Fashion Designers Uses Mannequins to Send a Message that Hurts (Upworthy)

Why Crime Victims Need Their Own Voice in the Criminal Justice Process (Washington Post, 1/27/2014)

In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, VAWnet released a collection of resources on the topic.

Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action report by the White House Council on Women and Girls:  This report analyzes the most recent, reliable data about rape and sexual assault in our country. It identifies those most at risk of being victims of these crimes, examines the cost of this violence (both to survivors and our communities), and describes the response, too often inadequate, of the criminal justice system. The report catalogues steps this Administration has taken to combat rape and sexual assault, and identifies areas for further action.

Practical Implications of Intimate Partner Violence Research for Victim Advocates and Service Providers

Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States 2013-2017  

Laying the Foundation for Virginia’s Coordinated Response to Human Trafficking

The Just Ask workgroup, including the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Fairfax County Police Department, the Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Hidden Brook Communications, and other faith-based and community organizations, has developed an outreach campaign on teen sex trafficking called “Just Ask.”  Check out their website at:  http://justaskva.org/. 

Additionally, FCPS has released a series of videos on the teen sex trafficking.

Reminder from Alice’s Kids:  If children you are working with is in need of clothes, shoes, glasses, registration fees, a musical instrument, etc., etc., we are here to help!  Just "like" Alice's Kids on our Facebook page and you can see the kinds of assistance we provide!  

Bullying video