“August is like the Sunday of summer.” Unknown

August, the month of vacations, and preparations for back to school, and the long, final summer weekend of Labor Day.

Domestic ViolenceGoes Back to School

As our thoughts turn to the new school year, as we buy school supplies, backpacks, and jeans, here are some suggestions for additional student preparations. The greatest blessing you can give your child is to be the advocate for their needs.

• Just as you would visit the school on the very first day if your child had diabetes, a seizure disorder or a peanut allergy, report any disruption of the family unit to the school staff.
• Has there been a recent split in households, someone moved out or moved in, is there chronic discord, a divorce, a new boyfriend or girlfriend at the house all the time? A new home or apartment, a new neighborhood? Does your child have new health or behavior issues?
• Don’t wait until mid-October for parent-teacher conferences. Plan ahead. The teachers go back a few days early, so call and ask to meet with the teacher beforehand, or a contact person at the school, if possible. Provide copies of your protection or restraining order and any other pertinent information. Tell them if your ex or anyone related to him (new girlfriend, etc) is not allowed to pick-up or visit with the children. Provide pictures of your ex.
• Remember that the para-educator and the staff on the playground are often not the teacher, and will need the same information. Make sure the information is also provided to your child’s school bus driver and the school resource officer.
• If your child’s school has a counselor, make an appointment to meet with that person as well.
• Remember, well informed is well prepared. Help your children start off the school year with confidence. CCSF Team

Domestic Violence doesn’t take a vacation. No two weeks at the beach, no week at grandma’s house, no staycations. Where the abuser is, domestic violence is there, masked perhaps, but ever present, lurking, waiting to pounce, by word or by deed. Waiting to crush, to wound, to pierce, and to spill over onto others’ lives, and take hostages of hearts and souls. Promises are rarely kept, good behavior can crumble in an instant. Mentally pack your safety plan and take all the same precautions as at home. LK

We Don’t Recommend This!

You may have heard of Restorative Justice. This is our response to this practice. Restorative Justice is “an approach to justice that aims to repair the harm done to victims. In doing so, practitioners work to ensure that offenders take responsibility for their actions, to understand the harm they have caused, to give them an opportunity to redeem themselves, and to discourage them from causing further harm. For victims, the goal is to give them an active role in the process, and to reduce feelings of anxiety and powerlessness.” (This is the Wikipedia definition.) In an article by Amanda Kippert for domesticshelters.org, we are told that “in many communities across the U.S. domestic violence survivors are being offered [Restorative Justice] as an option, either in place of or in addition to the criminal justice system”. It appears that the concept behind Restorative Justice comes largely from the indigenous culture. It offers the person harmed the opportunity to state what justice looks like to them. We encourage everyone to read the entire article by Kippert. We were left with many questions and concerns; here are a few: 1) Because Restorative Justice is largely based on a practice found in the indigenous culture, it is deeply rooted in the social mores and traditions of that culture. It is not a value or practice that is universally held deeply. 2) Who does the vetting of both the abuser and the victim? How much knowledge, experience and training does that person have in the wiles and ways of an abuser? 3) If it is considered a practice designed to help women who have been identified as victim defendants, a better practice would be to further inform and educate the law enforcement and legal communities about Reactive Abuse. 4) It does not ensure that an offender, who is operating under a deep need for power and control, will not take the opportunity to place himself in another situation whereby he can further abuse. 5) Why would being given an opportunity for a victim to be heard by the offender, to speak her mind, so to speak, change the mind of the offender? 6) Couple counseling for those involved in domestic violence is never advised. Why would this be any safer or any different? 7) DV victims are frequently “gaslighted” or “brainwashed” or could be too fragile emotionally to make a sound decision about the use Restorative Justice . 8) We believe that Restorative Justice, if employed, under the best vetting and most controlled circumstances, should always include the criminal justice system. It should never be a choice as an alternative. 9) Ms. Kippert quotes from other research, “recidivism rates for violent crimes were not significantly lowered with the use of restorative justice … “ And as we know, domestic violence, in any of its forms, is violent to a person’s soul, and therefore Restorative Justice does not seem to be a worthy alternative under any circumstances. CCSF Team

Missions Fest Seattle 2024

Missions Fest 2024 will be in October this year, October 18 & 19 at Highlands Community Church in Renton. CCSF will have a booth there again this year. We’d be delighted if you stop by and introduce yourself. And as we’ve said in the past, come listen to the many speakers, hear the beautiful music, and tour the booths of mission organizations from around the world. God does amazing work through their efforts!