Court Advocacy
Our Court Advocates empower and counsel survivors by providing emotional and public support as requested.
The Morning Star Advocacy Program was established in 1997 with one part-time advocate assisting victims of domestic violence in Davidson County General Sessions Court. This became a full-time position in 1998 serving victims in both General Sessions and Circuit Courts. Due to the number of victims needing assistance, in 2005 an additional part-time advocate was added to our staff.
In 2006, certain Orders of Protection were transferred to Juvenile Court and the part-time Court Advocate increased her hours to full time.
In 2008, Morning Star Sanctuary opened a satellite office in the Davidson County Justice Center building where two additional Court Advocates were located to assist victims with their petitions for Orders of Protection. Morning Star was offered the opportunity to provide this new service because of the credible working relationship with the court system that had been achieved over the years.
Our Court Advocacy services for the Nashville office include:
• Assistance in filing for Orders of Protection
• Assistance with Personal Safety Planning
• Instructions and explanations regarding Case Outcomes
• Testifying in Court when needed
• Referrals to Attorneys, victim assistance programs and other pertinent community resources
We give adults referrals and additional information for available resources regarding healthcare facilities, mental health services, legal resources, housing, child care, public transportation, group and individual counseling for both adults and children, as well as job readiness training. We also provide a model for developing and maintaining good parenting skills.Services pertinent to children include referrals to community resources that are specific to the child's needs and age-appropriate safety planning.
In 2016, Morning Star Sanctuary Court Advocates in General Session Court, Juvenile Court, Circuit Court and the satellite officer in the Justice Center:
- Served over 1,500 people
- Assisted over 900 victims of domestic violence
- Provided over 2,410 orders of protection
- Answered over 1,000 crisis calls