DVRT and SART volunteers respond to the police department or hospitals to provide emotional support, information on domestic violence, sexual abuse, community resources, and a safety plan. Teams are composed of trained citizens who respond to the police departments on an “on-call” basis. All volunteers go through a rigorous screening process followed by an intensive 40+ hour training. Upon successful completion of the training, volunteers are able to speak to victims in a confidential nature. Additionally, individual supervision is provided to volunteers within 24-hours of their call-out.
The goals of the Teams are to:
- Decrease the emotional trauma experienced by victims by providing them with an opportunity to express her or his emotional response to the crisis and educating her or him about the dynamics of domestic violence.
- Increase a victim’s ability to make an educated decision about their options by increasing their awareness in regard to available community resources, legal options, and understanding of the legal process.
- To increase the victim’s access to community resources by providing the victims with the necessary information to access available community resources and assisting them in contacting those resources.
The New Jersey Association on Correction is responsible for response teams in Passaic and Camden Counties and now operates in most police departments throughout the state. The implementation of the teams has proven invaluable in strengthening and diversifying the victim’s support systems.
Camden County Domestic Violence Services (DVT) Phone: 856-963-5668
