Family Justice Centers

Services Available:

• Orders of protection
• Safety planning
• Civil-legal assistance
• Filing police reports
• Prosecution assistance
• Counseling
• Therapy
• Access to shelter
• Housing assistance
• Support groups
• Access to public benefits
• Access to parenting program
• Mental health assistance
• Lethality assessment program
• Access to all services provided by WRAP (Wo/Men Rape and Resource Assistance Program)

If you would like to donate items or volunteer at the 1 Safe Place Family Justice Center, please call 731-432-4251.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center:

• Helps victims of elder abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault & exploitation, and child abuse
  
• Does not require an appointment
• Offers a safe space to talk with an advocate and/or counselor
• Offers safety planning
• Offers lethality assessment reviews
• Provides a location to talk with a police officer in a quiet and secure setting
• Assists in finding emergency shelter
• Provides a location to meet with a prosecutor or victim-witness coordinator
• Provides referrals to other agencies
• Assists in finding transportation
• Helps with Orders of Protection
• Helps with resume writing
• Provides victims with a safe space where they can begin to heal from their trauma

Please, contact the Anderson County Family Justice Center if you are interested in helping us serve our community. We have a variety of options for ways you can assist that range from providing charitable donations to volunteering to work with clients. We are always open to new ideas, so even if it's something we don't currently offer- don't hesitate to reach out. For more information email us at info@fjcanderson.org.

Services Available:

• Therapy/Counseling
• Orders of Protection
• Legal Aid Representation for orders of Protection
• Court and Sexual Assault Advocacy
• Forensic Sexual Assault Exam
• Transportation to and from Branch House and Court
• RAD Classes (Rape Aggression Defense)
• Specialty Services for Ages 17-24 (self-care, budgeting, equestrian therapy, anti-bullying, creative writing, transportation, etc.)
• Safe-at-Home Program
• Victim’s Compensation
• Legal Aid Clinic
• Emergency Food, Clothing, and Hygiene Items
• Emergency Shelter
• Victim Impact Statement
• File Report with Law Enforcement
• Transitional Housing
• Assistance with Utilities and Rent
• Group Therapy
• Safety Planning
• Information on Victim’s Rights and Criminal Justice Events
• Applying for Public Benefits
• Crime-Victim Funds for ages 60+ and Vulnerable Adults
• Speak with a Prosecutor
• Outreach Programs and Training
• Pet Foster Homes
• 911 Phone

On-site Partners: Frontier Health, Safe House, Abuse Alternatives, YWCares, Legal Aid, Ballad Health.

All donations are accepted through the Branch House website or contact the Executive Director Deb Richmond.

In order to provide sustainable services to victims of interpersonal violence, volunteers and interns are needed on a continual basis. Volunteers and interns are the powerful catalysts and changemakers needed to effectively serve our community. Call 423-574-7233 for more information.

Services Available:

• Triage/Assessment/Referral/Connection/Follow-up
  
• Legal Assistance for Orders of Protection
• Counseling Adults and Children
• Therapy Traditional and Non-Traditional (Yoga; Music; Movement/Dance; Bars)
• Support Groups
• Access to shelter
• Referrals for health, housing,
• Access to Public Benefits
• Parenting classes
• Safety planning
• Court Navigation and Advocacy
• Lethality Assessment Program
• Opportunity to file a police report
• Access to Health

On-site Partners: Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Children's Advocacy Center; Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office; Partnership for Families, Children and Adults; Nurture the Next; McNabb Center; Hamilton County Mental Health Court, Street Grace, Southern University.

Services Available:

• Orders of Protection
  
• Criminal Justice Advocacy
• Coordinated Community Response
• Victim Advocacy
• Shelter Advocacy
• Law Enforcement Coordination
• Court Advocacy
• Referrals for housing, mental health services, parenting services, and drug treatment programs

On-site Partners:

Community Health of East Tennessee, Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, 8^th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, New Tazewell Police Department, Tazewell Police Department, TN Voices

How can you help? – The Claiborne County Family Justice Center actively seeks to partner with volunteers and donors to assist with activities and needs at the Family Justice Center. For those interested in helping the Family Justice Center provide necessary services to victims, please contact us at 423-919-8012. Together we can create a safer community for families in Claiborne County.

Services Available:

• Navigation and Client Services
• Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) and Client Transitioning, including 24/7 Crisis Hotline and Emergency Shelter
• Coordinated Community Response and Special Programs, including Coordinated Response to Elder Abuse (CREA), LGBTQ+ and Training
• Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA)
• Camp Hope

Services Available: Order of Protection Assistance, Civil-legal Support, Advocacy -

Domestic/Sexual Violence, Safety Planning, Counseling, and Emergency Shelter/Transitional

Housing. All services are free, and no appointment is necessary.

Partners Include: Johnson City Police Department, Frontier Health – Safe House, Legal Aid of East TN, 1st Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, 1st Judicial District Court Clinic, Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, ETSU, Washington County Sheriff's Office, VA, and TN Voices.

The Knoxville Family Justice Center (KFJC), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the hub for victims of domestic violence in Knoxville and Knox County. The KFJC houses eight (8) onsite agencies and partners with more than forty (40) offsite partners to provide victims with access to a range of services and support. The onsite partners are the KFJC, the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, the Knox County Sheriff’s Family Crimes Unit, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation Section 8 Housing, the Knoxville Police Department’s Special Crimes Unit, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the McNabb Center, the State of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, and the YWCA.

If you would like to donate to the Knoxville Family Justice Center, you can do so here: http://fjcknoxville.org/donate.html

Services Available: Victims of domestic or sexual violence may talk to an advocate, plan for their safety, speak with a police investigator, get civil legal advice from an attorney with Orders of Protection or other needs, file a police report, receive counseling, education, information on Safe Houses and housing assistance, get spiritual support, help with

transportation, or communicate their desired outcome to a prosecutor. Services are free and confidential.

We accept donations of gently used clothing, furniture and household items, new undergarments, personal hygiene items, diapers, etc. from 8:30-5:00, M-F.

Partners Include: 8^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Shelter Society, Scott Appalachian Industries Sexual Assault Services, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Children’s Center of the Cumberlands, Scott County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Oneida Police Department

Services Available:

• Assistance when petitioning for an Order of Protection
• Receiving updates regarding OP service, court dates, compliance, etc.
• Establishing a support system to help clients address their victimization
• Safety Planning with an advocate from DV Shelter
• Accessing shelter services (food, clothes, housing and employment assistance, etc.) without having to go into shelter
• Meeting with a specialized DV Prosecutor from DA's office
• Meeting with a specialized DV Victim Witness Coordinator from the DA's office
• Meeting with a specialized DV Officer from the Sheriff's Office
• Meeting with a Sexual Assault Advocate from Scott Appalachian Industries
• Meeting with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society to discuss various legal matters (divorce, court proceedings, power of attorney, etc.)
• Accessing referrals to the Children's Center of the Cumberlands for child advocacy or child/adult counseling
• Connection with an advocate who can be in court with victims
• Connection with the District Attorney General's Child Support Division
• Access to a free "Dress for Success" closet where clients can choose clothes to wear for court appearances
• Referrals to various community partners for other services clients may need
• Education and awareness regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, stalking and human trafficking

Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering or donating items of need.

Services Available:

• Orders of protection
  
• Safety planning
• Civil-legal assistance
• Filing police reports
• Prosecution assistance
• Counseling
• Therapy
• Access to shelter
• Housing assistance
• Support groups
• Access to public benefits
• Access to parenting program
• Mental health assistance
• Lethality assessment program
• Information about the criminal justice system and victims’ rights
• Criminal Injuries Compensation assistance

If you would like to donate items or volunteer at the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center- Overton County, please contact the Site Coordinator, Brittany Shaw at 931-644-3963.

Services Available:

• Orders of protection
  
• Safety planning
• Civil-legal assistance
• Filing police reports
• Prosecution assistance
• Counseling
• Therapy
• Access to shelter
• Housing assistance
• Support groups
• Access to public benefits
• Access to parenting program
• Mental health assistance
• Lethality assessment program
• Information about the criminal justice system and victims’ rights
• Criminal Injuries Compensation assistance

If you would like to donate items or volunteer at the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center – Putnam County, please contact the Director, Amy Stockwell at 931-528-1512.

A.      A family justice center (FJC) is a multiagency, multidisciplinary service center where public and private agencies assign staff members on a full-time or part-time basis to provide services to victims from one location in order to reduce the number of times victims must tell their story, reduce the number of places victims must go for help, and increase access to services and support for victims and their children.

B.      The purpose of a family justice center is to facilitate and coordinate service to victims. Therefore, no programming targeting offenders should be offered on-site at the FJC. This includes but is not limited to batterers intervention classes, supervised child visitation programs, court-ordered domestic violence, or sexual assault offender programming.

C.       “Victims” served at family justice centers include victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abuse, child abuse, stalking, and human trafficking, depending on the availability of services.

D.     Family justice centers are required to maintain memoranda of understanding (MOU) with key agencies, outlining each agency’s support for the FJC and the extent to which each agency will participate (onsite and/or offsite) with the FJC. These MOU’s are to be reviewed and updated annually as appropriate. Those key agencies shall include, at a minimum:

1.      City/county government;

2.      Local law enforcement agency(ies) – city and county if applicable;

3.      Agency(ies) whose primary mission is to serve domestic violence clients;

4.      District attorney’s office; and

5.      Civil-legal agency.

E.       Staff members at a family justice center may comprise, but are not limited to, the following:

1.      Law enforcement personnel;

2.      Community-based domestic violence, rape crisis, and human trafficking shelter and/or court advocates;

3.      Social service agency staff;

4.      Child welfare agency social workers;

5.      Child Advocacy Centers;

6.      Animal services providers;

7.      District and city attorneys;

8.      Victim-witness program personnel;

9.      Civil-legal service providers;

10.  Counseling professionals;

11.  City/county welfare and public assistance workers;

12.  Supervised volunteers from partner agencies; and

13.  Other professionals providing services relevant to the purpose of an FJC.

F.     Clients shall not be required to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law enforcement in order to receive services at the family justice center. 

G.     Clients shall not be denied services on the grounds suspected or confirmed criminal history. 

H.      Family justice centers shall not conduct criminal background checks (including warrant checks) on victims seeking services without their express, prior written consent. No FJC client shall be required to consent to such a check in order to receive services at the FJC.

Family justice centers are not merely a co-located building, but rather serve as a vital coordinating entity in each community, facilitating collaboration among all agencies that address domestic violence, keep domestic violence crime victims safe, and hold abusers accountable.

A.     Family justice centers and their partners (in addition to other appropriate agencies and individuals) shall maintain an active and ongoing Coordinated Community Response (CCR) team.

1.      A CCR is a multi-disciplinary criminal justice intervention in domestic violence that works to ensure safety for victims and accountability for abusers. Each agency has a role in this collaboration, providing a consistent response from both public and private domestic violence service providers. The CCR tracks the system’s response to domestic violence cases, monitors compliance with policies and procedures, identifies gaps in victim safety and abuser accountability, and facilitates change to address developing trends.

2.      CCR teams shall meet regularly (quarterly, at a minimum) to plan and implement appropriate assessments and interventions, in order to achieve improved victim safety and abuser accountability. 

B.     Each family justice center shall consult with community-based domestic violence, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abuse, stalking and human trafficking agencies (where available and applicable) in partnership with survivors of violence and abuse in the operations process of the family justice center.

C.     Each family justice center shall establish procedures for the ongoing input, feedback, and evaluation of the family justice center by survivors of violence and abuse and community-based crime victim service providers and advocates.

D.      Each family justice center shall collaborate with local community-based crime victim service providers and local survivors of violence and abuse to develop policies and procedures that ensure coordinated services are provided to clients and to enhance the safety of clients and professionals at a family justice center.

A.     All family justice centers shall maintain a formal client feedback, complaint, and input process to address client concerns about services provided or the conduct of family justice center professionals, agency partners, and volunteers providing services in a family justice center. This input process may include, but is not limited to, client exit surveys and client focus groups.

B.    Each family justice center shall maintain an informed client consent policy and shall be in compliance with all state and federal laws protecting the confidentiality of the types of information and documents that may be in a victim’s (physical or electronic) file, including, but not limited to, medical and legal records. At no time shall a victim be required to sign a client consent form to share information in order to access services. 

C.    Family justice centers and partner agencies shall follow federal and state laws regarding mandatory reporting, such as child abuse, elder/dependent adult abuse, homicidal/suicidal statements, and any other applicable laws/policies. Each FJC shall obtain written acknowledgement that the victim has been informed of this policy. 

D.     A victim’s consent to share information pursuant to the client consent policy shall not be construed as a waiver of confidentiality or any privilege held by the victim or family justice center professionals. 

E.      The family justice center should have appropriate safeguards in place for serving clients in conflict (partners or ex-partners). FJCs should determine what services can be provided and make arrangements to protect the safety and confidentiality of the clients.

F.     Each family justice center shall maintain a formal training program for their staff, volunteers, and representative professionals of MOU partner agencies. The program should include at least 6 hours of training per year required of personnel that regularly work on-site.