National Training on St. Pete’s Beach Katie Williamson, Criminal Justice Liaison in O’Neill
The snow was up to my knees as I opened up my front door to head for sunny Florida. Emily, the Volunteer Outreach Coordinator in Norfolk, and I were fortunate enough to attend the National Training Institute on Protection Order Practices for Attorneys and Advocates in St. Petersburg, Florida on November 17-19th. We could not wait to put our toes in the sand, enjoy some fresh seafood, and of course learn some new information. I was not disappointed in the training at all and learned so much useful information about protection orders. I learned that some states actually have protection orders specific to the circumstance. For example, there are Sexual Violence Protection Orders, Domestic Violence Protection Orders, Dating Violence Protection Orders, Harassment Protection Orders, and Stalking Protection Orders. In Nebraska, we unfortunately only have Domestic Violence Protection Orders or Harassment Protection Orders. I would love for Nebraska to incorporate more options of protection into their judicial system in the very near future!
We also learned:
9Self-Care – my new self-care song may or may not be Shake It Off by Taylor Swift… (Stop judging)
9How to assist with Interstate Custody and Relocation Cases
9Inter-jurisdictional enforcement of protection orders
9About working with Victims of Stalking in Protection Order Proceedings
9How to collaborate for safety with the Military and Civilian Response to Intimate Partner Violence
9Empowerment and the role of an advocate in each situation
9Teen Dating Violence and ways to intervene and prevent
9Increasing Survivor Safety with Firearms and Domestic Violence
9Culture Competency and Working with Immigrant Survivors
While at the training, I also gained a lot of knowledge about lesson plans to use with children and teens. This will be a great asset for me as I teach at Developing Eagles every week and just started a program with the Jr. High that is one time a month. I am so grateful I was able to attend this training and can’t wait to use my newly gained knowledge every day.
