NORWICH – Representatives from Chenango, Broome and Otsego county agencies gathered Wednesday for a training session at Catholic Charities of Chenango County. The primary focus of the training was to update participants on legislative changes pertaining to domestic and interpersonal violence.
The session was presented by the Pace Women’s Justice Center of White Plains. Topics such as the police perspective on domestic violence, safety planning, stalking, elder abuse and teen dating violence were covered in the day-long program.
“Domestic Violence is an issue that is often misunderstood and misrepresented,” said Dan Auwarter, director of the Crime Victims Program at Catholic Charities. “The more knowledge we have, the more we grow in our understanding of how to serve domestic violence victims.”
Hosting the training allows Catholic Charities of Chenango County to act as what Auwarter describes as “the hub” in distributing information about these topics. “Having multiple disciplines represented and receiving the same information allows us to better serve our clients,” said Auwarter.
According to Beth Neuland, Rape Crisis Coordinator and Community Educator at Catholic Charities, it is also an opportunity for agencies across the region to meet and network. “We often have clients from out of county,” said Neuland. “It’s nice to know the people you are working with.”
The Justice Center, a part of Pace University, conducts inter-agency training throughout the year across New York State.
Individual presenters, all affiliated with the Center, included Cindy Kanusher, Esq., Rebecca Fialk of the Hebrew Home for the Aged and Assistant Chief Anne Fitzsimmons of the White Plains Police Department.
Chenango County agencies and individuals that were represented included the Public Health Department, Probation Department, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Dispute Resolution, the Crime Victims Program and Catholic Charities of Chenango County.