LegalLegal AdvocacyAdvocacy ManualManual 2019 Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 Advocacy Techniques ............................................................................................................. 3 Communication ........................................................................................................................ 3 Confidentiality and Privilege ...........................................................................................................5 Avoiding the Unauthorized Practice of Law .....................................................................................6 Safety Plans ....................................................................................................................................9 Preparing for the Possibility of Future Violence .................................................................... 11 Safety during a Violent Incident ............................................................................................. 11 Technology Safety Planning ................................................................................................... 12 Preparing to Leave ................................................................................................................. 15 After Leaving .......................................................................................................................... 16 Children and Abuse ................................................................................................................ 17 The Objective of a Protective Order ..................................................................................... 18 Assessing the Victim’s Case .................................................................................................... 18 What a Protective Order CANNOT Do.................................................................................... 19 Evidence for your Protective Order and Future Legal Proceedings ....................................... 19 Frequently Asked Questions ......................................................................................................... 21 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 22 What Has Changed ....................................................................................................................... 22 Law Enforcement Protocols for Responding to Domestic and Sexual Violence .................... 28 Challenges Unique to Intimate Partner Abuse ............................................................................... 29 Batterer-Generated Risks ....................................................................................................... 31 Challenges Unique to Sexual Violence ........................................................................................... 33 Reporting Sexual Assaults ...................................................................................................... 33 Reporting a Sexual Assault to a Physician .............................................................................. 34 Reporting a Sexual Assault to the Police ................................................................................ 35 The Court System and Process....................................................................................................... 35 Criminal Justice System v. Civil Courts ................................................................................... 35 Important Legal Terminology: ................................................................................................ 36 The Civil Court Process: Steps towards Getting a Protective Order ...................................... 40 The Criminal Court Process: The Steps in a Criminal Trial ..................................................... 42 Helping a DV/SV Victim Through the Criminal Justice Process .............................................. 44 Using I-CAN! ........................................................................................................................... 45 Frequently Asked Questions ......................................................................................................... 46 Protective Order Eligibility: .................................................................................................. 48 1 Family Abuse and Non-Family Abuse Protective Orders ................................................................. 48 One Standard of Abuse: ......................................................................................................... 48 Family Abuse Protective Orders ............................................................................................. 49 Non-Family Abuse Protective Orders ..................................................................................... 50 The Types of Protective Orders ..................................................................................................... 53 Emergency Protective Order (“EPO”) .................................................................................... 53 Preliminary Protective Order (“PPO”) .................................................................................... 53 “Full” Protective Order (PO) ................................................................................................... 54 What to Do if the Respondent Violates an Order: .......................................................................... 54 The Effect of Full Protective Orders on the Respondent’s Gun Rights .................................. 55 Out-of-State Protective Orders ..................................................................................................... 55 Registering a Foreign Protective Order in Virginia ................................................................. 55 Registering a Virginia Protective Order in another State....................................................... 56 Immigrant Clients: ............................................................................................................... 59 Tips for Effective Communication: ................................................................................................. 59 Barriers to Working with Immigrant Clients: .................................................................................. 59 Visas for Undocumented Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence ................................................ 60 Navigating the U.S.C.I.S. Website: ................................................................................................. 60 Overview of Immigration Issues for Domestic and/or Sexual Violence Victims .................... 65 I-360: Violence against Women Act (“VAWA”) Self-Petition ................................................. 65 I-918: The U-Visa .................................................................................................................... 65 I-751: The Battered Spouse Waiver ....................................................................................... 67 I-914: The T-Visa ..................................................................................................................... 67 Gender-Based Asylum Petitions ............................................................................................. 68 Frequently Asked Questions: ........................................................................................................ 68 Family Law Basics ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Separation ............................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Divorce ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Reasons for Divorce................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. What are the steps to getting a divorce? .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Property Settlements: ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Spousal Support ...................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Child Custody .......................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Legal Aid Contact information: .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Addendum .......................................................................................................................... 69 Power and Control Wheels: .......................................................................................................... 76 Protective Order Forms and Laws: ................................................................................................. 87 2 Introduction This handbook provides sexual and domestic violence victim advocates (“victim advocates”) with a comprehensive guide for helping domestic and sexual violence victims/survivors through the process of obtaining a protective order. Readers coming to this handbook at various stages of knowledge and experience should consider that it provides both basic and intermediate levels