Resources
Legal System
Too often, survivors experiencing trauma, mental health, or substance use, encounter additional harms in legal systems. NCDVTMH works to address these barriers across civil and criminal systems, including family courts, juvenile, dependency courts, drug courts, and other specialty courts, as well as child welfare systems, so that survivors and their families can access desired protections and resources without fear of stigma, family separation, or criminalization related to trauma, mental health, or substance use.
Key Resources
Family Courts and Child Custody
Decades of work by the domestic violence (DV) field have resulted in improvements in the family court system’s capacity to handle cases involving DV. However, persistent stigma and misunderstanding still harm survivors, especially those who have experienced coercion related to mental health or substance use.
Trauma-Informed Legal Advocacy (TILA) Project
The TILA Project offers guidance on applying trauma-informed principles to working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the context of legal proceedings.