Until that time, those seeking a protection order will need to continue to visit the court administrator’s office on the second floor. She’d like to have the intake office and kid’s room up and running by Sept. Graham is hoping the area soon will be filled with items people purchase from the Amazon wish list or drop off at the Victim Assistance Office in downtown Akron.
The kids’ room, painted a light blue, is currently empty, besides a full-time desk where an advocate and intern will sit and a small child’s desk with two chairs. Volunteers recently painted both rooms during the United Way’s Day of Action. This will be a kids' room and an empty office next to it will house a new intake office. Garofalo will staff a new intake office that will be the first stop for people seeking protection orders. Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge Katarina Cook talks about changes being made in the court to help domestic violence victims with Mikayla Garofalo, a Victim Assistance employee. The judge figured the space, about the same size as a conference room, would be large enough for several children and victim advocates. They considered blocking off an area of the waiting area, but because the space is open to the fourth floor, they figured this option could get noisy.Ĭook and her staff, who have been working on cleaning out the court, zeroed in on a room that was nearly empty. More: Technology upgrades to courts here to stay, officials sayĬook and other court officials looked for a better place for children to wait while their parents are in court. Seven children recently clustered around the fish tank in the third-floor waiting area of Summit County Domestic Relations Court while their mother was in a court proceeding. In 2021, for example, 1,040 people sought civil protection orders and 523 of them had children, according to court statistics. When they come to court, they might not have anyone to take care of the kids. The process of getting an order involves two steps in which a temporary order is given and then - after both parties have the chance to be heard - a final order may be put in place.Ībout half of the Summit County residents who seek civil protection orders have children.
People who are dating can also request protection orders, though these aren’t sought as often as civil protection orders. The court also received this number of requests last month.Ĭivil protection orders involve disputes between people who are domestically tied, such as being related, married or having children together. In June and July of last year, domestic court received near-record of requests for more than 100 civil protection orders both months. The changes come at a good time, with summer being the time of year when requests for civil protection orders are at their highest. The joint effort was aided by grants from the city of Akron’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). “Everybody does their part.” New efforts helped by city, federal grants “This is us all working together collaboratively,” said Katarina Cook, the administrative judge in domestic court. The attorney, a Victim Assistance Employee, will provide legal advice to people seeking protection orders. The other changes include hiring a part-time magistrate to help handle requests for protection orders and adding three full-time advocates and a part-time attorney. The new kid’s room is part of a joint effort by Victim Assistance and the domestic relations court to improve services for those who need help because of domestic abuse. “We want to be prepared as much as possible,” she said. Graham said people who come to court to seek a protection order may be in a volatile situation and not have supplies like diapers with them. The wish list can be found on Amazon under VAP CWWV Community Baby Shower, which is short for Victim Assistance Program Children Who Witness Violence Community Baby Shower. “We don’t have funding for the items needed for the children.” “The room is bare,” Leanne Graham, the president and CEO of Victim Assistance, said while standing in the new and mostly empty room on a recent afternoon.
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