Fresno

Free Advocacy Training

Join us!

Free advocacy training by

Nancy K.D. Lemon 

of the Family Violence Appellate Project

Parking is free. MCLE credit available. Seating is limited to 40 persons.

Please CLICK HERE for registration

FVAP Flyer

Information provided is from the given flyer above

AGENDA

Check-in/Welcome (8:30-9:30am)

Workshop A (9:30-10:45am)     

How to Help Domestic Violence Survivors Lay a Record for Appeal in Their Family Court Cases

  • This training will cover what a trial court record is, why the record is important to a DV survivor’s ability to appeal if the family court makes the wrong decision, and how domestic violence advocates and other non-attorneys can help DV survivors prepare their cases for trial and lay a record for appeal without crossing into the territory of providing legal advice. The goal is to provide DV advocates with tools to help them support and work with their clients who are going through the family court process without a lawyer (for lay advocates).

Break (10:45-11:00am)

Workshop B (11:00am-12:30pm)

California’s Statutes Protecting Survivors of Domestic Violence & Their Children in Family Court, and the Science Behind Them 

  • While California has enacted several key statutes that are designed to protect survivors of domestic violence and their children in family court, these statutes are underutilized in trial courts and there are very few appellate decisions interpreting them. This training focuses on the content of the statutes and how they work together. It also describes the neuroscience and social science data that supports the emphasis of the statutes on preventing children’s further exposure to abuse and strengthening the child’s bond with the non-abusive parent. By grounding the statutes in this data, attorneys and advocates can better explain the importance of the statutes to bench officers and their clients and more effectively represent and support their abused clients who are parents (for lay advocates & attorneys).

Lunch (12:30-1:30pm)

Workshop C (1:30-2:45pm)

“How to Lay a Record for Appeal” 

  • This training covers the “Top 10” things that trial attorneys can do to make sure a domestic violence or family law case is positioned for a possible appeal.  The goals of this training are not only to increase the number of cases available for possible appeal, but to enhance the trial court representation available to survivors of domestic violence. While the training is specific to DV and family law cases, attorneys practicing in other areas are welcome, and the training has broader application insofar as much of it covers civil procedure issues (for attorneys).

The following agencies pledge their support for increased advocacy on behalf of sexual violence survivors in the Central Valley:

Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault of Kern County; Calaveras Crisis Center; Center for Non-Violence Community of Tuolomne County; Central California Legal Services; Community Action Partnership of Madera County; Family Services of Tulare County; Family Violence Appellate Project; Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus County; Kene Me-Wu American Indian Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program; Kings Community Action Organization; Marjaree Mason Center; Mountain Crisis Center of Mariposa County; Operation Care of Amador County; Project First Step; RCS Fresno; The Resource Connection; Valley Crisis Center of Merced County; Wild Iris Family Counseling and Crisis Center of Inyo and Mono Counties; Women’s Center – High Desert; Women’s Center – Youth & Family Services

RCS Fresno Sexual Assault Counselor Training

January Training for RCS Advocate* is now open for registration, please CLICK HERE.
Cost is $50 with eManual or $55 with hardback manual and eManual due the first day of training, January 5th at 8 am.
The training schedule is as follows:
January 5th to the 9th from 8 am to 5 pm, Kremen Education Building, room 173 (ED173)!
For any questions, please email Stephanie Canales at [email protected] or please call our Fresno office at 559-497-2900
*Please note that the training does not automatically make you an advocate, you must work or volunteer with that given state certified agency & other sister agencies may request for you to go through their own training.

RCS Fresno Welcomes New Board Members

Posted on by Priscilla Meza

Congratulations and welcome to RCS Fresno’s Board of Directors! Thank you for helping to end rape and sexual violence and empower survivors, while supporting safe, consensual relationships in Fresno County. (You can read about our history and the rest of our board members on the About Us part of our website.)

Please join us and welcome (in alphabetical order):

Sgt. Jeffrey Kertson

Deputy Chief, ICAC Task Force, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse Units,

Fresno County Sheriff’s Office

Bernadette T. Muscat, Ph.D.

Chair, Department of Criminology,

California State University, Fresno

Kendra Rogers

Director of Community Investment,

Granville Homes

Jan Slagter, Ph.D.

Chair, Department of Women’s Studies,

California State University, Fresno

Lisa Sondergaard Smittcamp

Fresno County District Attorney-Elect

How College Students Can Take a Stand To End Violence On Campus!

Posted on by Priscilla Meza

by Stephanie Canales, Advocate

Can you imagine a University without students? there will be no graduation ceremonies, no classes, extracurricular events, concerts, special guests. Companies and businesses would lack professionals to carry on their work. Students form a vital part of our society. We don’t always realize that students influence social values: dating rules, dressing styles, vocabulary, music, etc. The power that students have over what is modern, appealing or even socially acceptable is huge.

According to local University, CSU Fresno statistics, around 60% of the people on campus are women.  At any graduation ceremony, there are  hundreds of women from different backgrounds and nationalities. However, 20% of women on campuses are at risk or have experience sexual assault. This means that 1 out 5 women students will suffer  the trauma of  sexual assault, not only physically but in their hearts and minds.

The vast majority of cases of sexual assault are committed by someone who is known by the victim. Therefore, women on  campus are being sexually assaulted by their friends, boyfriends, husbands, family members, and even those who is perceived as authority figures; which includes but not limited to a professor or even Law Enforcement. Men are also at risk but only 1 out 10 cases are males and they are usually assaulted by other men.

If you are troubled by these numbers, you can do something about it. You can  attend  campus events organized by the Women’s Resource Center and campus clubs. Many student activists from the Women’s Studies Department collaborate and create a safe space where students from our campus disclose how violence and sexual assault have affected their lives. Listening to their experiences is shocking and it puts a face on how important is that all of us take a stand against it.

Thanks to Title IX and VAWA, universities are mandated to take action against sexual assault. But without students’ input and innovation and power, any effort to end sexual assault on campus is like giving classes to empty chairs. Students can speak against sexual assault and against old dating styles. Dating can be  fun and important for our development as human beings. Why not learn how to communicate safely about consent during sexual encounters so people are less likely to get hurt?

The trauma of sexual assault can be  devastating. People suffer from social isolation, depression, anxiety, chemical dependency and increased risk of suicide. Who could study for a final exam when suffering from trauma symptoms?  Sometimes the traumatized person does not even recognize or accept that something is wrong.

A campus free of sexual assault not only makes dating better but also increases the chances of success for both men and women. Let’s take a stand against sexual assault today and innovate our dating culture towards a brighter future for everyone. RCS Fresno invites you to make a personal commitment to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault. Pledge to not be a bystander to the problem, but to be part of the solution to end sexual assault.

Case Scenario

Posted on by Priscilla Meza

A local college student was sexually assaulted in the parking lot of the college she was attending. The perpetrator was someone she didn’t know well but had seen in one of her courses.

Following the assault, she experienced extreme fear, self-blame, embarrassment, panic, difficulty sleeping and depression. She felt angry at herself though she could not imagine how she could have avoided the assault.  Her friends were not supportive, and she felt blamed by their remarks. Others told her she was overreacting or that she may should have been more careful.

She stopped going to school altogether and  felt guilt that her parents were paying her tuition. She was afraid to see the perpetrator on campus or in any of her classes. When the semester ended, her parents asked to see her grades. She felt more fear, anxiety and distress when she realized she had to give her parents an explanation that they might not believe. Her parents did listen, but they urged her to return to school and file a police report.

She was not ready to return to school or to file a police report. She still suffered from the trauma symptoms and felt overwhelmed by the situation. She notices that she is consuming alcohol to the point of intoxication more and more frequently. She is beginning to miss days at her part-time job.

After consuming alcohol on a weekend night, she finds an RCS Fresno brochure and calls the 24-hour confidential crisis line printed on it.

 Questions:

  • Describe differences between procedural and ad hoc responses to an issue. 
  • Describe the process that advocates follow when answering crisis calls.
  • Why and to what extent are services confidential?
  • Why is a victim’s choice whether to report important?
  • Describe support options for the survivor if she chooses to report the sexual assault.
  • Describe the procedure controlling what occurs after a sexual assault is reported on campus.
    • This includes but not limited to reporting the day of assault, 1 or more years after the assault occurred, and if perpetrator is known or unknown.
  • Describe which Fresno county agencies can offer services for only as many of the following categories that you feel have reliable information:
    • Confidential consultation regarding sexual assault or other violence 
    • Student peer education
    • Campus bystander intervention education
    • Disabilities
    • Immigration status
    • Gender orientation and/or identification
    • Reproductive health
    • Sexual assault forensic exam
    • Child abuse and neglect
    • Legal consultation regarding civil matters (e.g. Landlord-tenant, family law, stalking, u-visa, etc.)
    • Housing
    • Medical
    • Vocational
    • Transportation
    • Food security
  • Explain your rationale for providing information for only those Fresno county agencies as you feel have reliable information.
  • Describe the procedure to follow for clients with issues in fields or areas for which you lack information and/or expertise.

RCS Fresno continues to receive similar calls through its 24-hour crisis line. As the only rape crisis center serving Fresno County.

Please email your responses to the questions to [email protected] for review. Discussions will be scheduled next semester to consider best practices for response to this scenario.

In the meantime, if you or someone you know would like to speak to one our sexual assault counselors, please contact our 24-Hour Crisis Line at (559) 222-7273. RCS services are free and confidential!