2022-11-09 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF CENTRVILLE RES. #22-0____ A RESOLUTION PROCLAMING NOVEMBER FAMILY COURT AWARENESS MONTH WHEREAS, November is Family Court Awareness Month which provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our support of a family court system that prioritizes child safety and acts in the best interest of children. WHEREAS, According to the Center for Judicial Excellence, 864 children have been murdered by a divorcing/separating parent in America since 2008. The Family Court Awareness Month effort is organized by a number of local and national organizations determined to bring awareness about the conservatively estimated 58,000 children a year who are ordered into unsupervised contact with physically or sexually abusive parents. WHEREAS, In 2021, 220 cities and counties, along with eight states, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Texas, publicly demonstrated their commitment to child safety in the family court system. Mayors, county officials, and governors around the country have pledged their support with proclamations and/or resolutions officially declaring the month of November as Family Court Awareness Month in their respective communities. WHEREAS, Family court professionals should receive training surrounding the topics they rule about every day, which include domestic violence, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, trauma, and coercive control, as well as victim and perpetrator behaviors. WHEREAS, Many are shocked to discover that most states do not have mandated domestic violence training requirements prior to a judicial officer presiding over family court cases and ultimately, are misguided in determining the fate of innocent children who are living with familial violence. In the states that do have requirements for domestic violence training, it is very minimal; in fact in at least one state, barbers and beauticians have more mandated domestic violence training than do its judges. WHEREAS, Many families in our community are struggling in silence and facing the reality that child safety is not being prioritized, and that our bench officials need tools to help ensure children are not living trapped in trauma and abuse, and even worse, dying at the hands of a dangerous parent. WHEREAS, the mission of the Family Court Awareness Month Committee (FCAMC) is to increase awareness on the importance of empirically-based education and training on domestic violence, childhood trauma, child sexual abuse, coercive control, post separation abuse for all professionals working on cases within the family court system, and to increase awareness on the importance of using scientifically valid, evidence-based, treatment programs and services that are proven in terms of safety, effectiveness, and therapeutic value, and;