Now it appears that the ‘training’ will be extended to ‘educate’ the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the promotion of effective removal of fathers from their own children.
Do you think the facts will be provided to the DHHS either? It’s time for the lies (that’s right, LIES) being promulgated by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) to be exposed for exactly what they are, as regards their ‘training’ of NH’s family court judges and marital masters. These same falsehoods are about to start being propagated to the DHHS as well.
The job listing below was recently pointed out by a sharp-eyed NH Citizen concerned about the inaccuracies being spread far and wide by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV).
Note: This article was originally posted in 2006.
Job Posting for DHHS Trainer
NHCADSV provides judges and marital masters in NH with ‘training’ (though the term ‘indoctrination’ seems more accurate) to supposedly benefit ‘battered women and their children’ by “promoting effective interventions.”
In other words, the NHCADSV convinces the family courts that fathers are violent, should be presumed to be violent, and should be kept from their children whenever a mother makes an allegation of abuse, and even when a mother claims only to be in fear.
Do you suppose the NHCADSV is including in their ‘training’ the data from the federal government showing that mothers are more than twice as likely to abuse or neglect their children as fathers, in general?
Job Listing:
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence is hiring a DHHS Trainer responsible for development and delivery of comprehensive training programs for DHHS personnel, in conjunction with the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). The DHHS Trainer will oversee implementation and evaluation of the Domestic Violence Specialist Program, a cross-system collaboration with DCYF to promote effective interventions for battered women and their children. The trainer will also represent the Coalition on committees addressing social system responses to the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect. Must have excellent training and communication skills and experience in developing training programs; knowledge of domestic violence, children’s exposure to violence and co-occurrence issues; and familiarity with child protective services system. The position is 35 hours/week. Send resumes by June 2 to DHHS Trainer, NHCADSV, PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353.
Commentary from SAFE-NH
Here is what Lee Newman, the executive director of SAFE-NH (a NH non-profit organization that provides support and assistance to ALL victims of domestic violence in the state, regardless of gender) had to say when he was made aware of the NHCADSV job posting above.
Scary stuff indeed:
The sad fact is that with this new “position” they are just further infiltrating DCYF and DHHS, where they already have a very substantial presence!
Currently, they have a DVPS worker (Domestic Violence Program Specialists) at virtually every DCYF office in the State, paid for by VAWA Grants. These “so-called” specialists are nothing more than advocate employees of the Coalition member Women’s Crisis Centers. These positions have been in effect for at least 4 years that I know of.
They have no special background or training to make them “specialists”! This is a self-designated term made up to qualify for Grant money from the Federal money pool held by the VAWA office within the Washington DC office of the Department of Justice.
These DVPS workers are placed in the DCYF offices for 20 hours per week (paid for by the VAWA Grant), while getting paid their salary at their Crisis Center for another 20 hours per week. Essentially, they are employees of the crisis centers, placed in the DCYF offices to be available to interact with women who come to meet with Social Workers looking for welfare-related programs. They meet with the women who claim to be victims of DV or who simply state that they need assistance with their needs due to low income or being separated, breaking up with boyfriends, etc. Often, they meet privately with these women, sometimes with the Social Worker present, but most often not. They get to deal with them privately due to “confidentiality” offered victims of ADV when talking to their Advocates.
While I was in the AmeriCorps Program that places Advocates in these centers within the Coalition framework, I often heard DVPS workers explaining how women often came into DCYF, not yet realizing that they were “victims of DV” until the DV Specialist explained to them that “your man yelling and calling names during arguments, paying all the bills (equates to controlling the finances), and other “traits” were in fact DV and they just didn’t understand that these situations are in fact DV and they are truly victims!”
They would then launch into their agenda: offer to go with the woman to file for a restraining order, so that they could have the use of the home, get child support, get custody, and then help them with other social services. And, of course, keep them away from the man that was a threat. Even if the woman had never entered the DCYF office feeling threatened and had only gone to apply for Food Stamps! Many times, these women would ultimately be sorry for getting talked into this scenario, but once you enter this “web” it is very difficult to get out! Talk about power and control over women! DVPS workers, because they have a label of Specialist and because they are located in the DCYF office, can manipulate women who have little confidence in themselves because they seem so official!
Advocates of any kind who put their selfishness and need for power ahead of the needs of their clients are not truly advocates! DVPS workers have a job to do: they help create higher statistics, a constant flow of customers that equates to more and higher funding. This ensures that VAWA and other funding sources will have to always be available and that the Coalitions can have their lobbyists fight for more money because, of course, the number of women who are abused keeps rising!
Real-World Implications
On the other side, I personally witnessed a man who was asking for help to protect his children from an abusive mother, who had also been abused by her on many occasions. He was bullied and yelled at in a DCYF office, while the DVPS worker sat there, allowed the Social Worker to berate this man, and then participated in the verbal and emotional abuse as well! This DVPS worker also allowed the mother to file a restraining order against him when he had asked her for help (which was refused) to do the same many days earlier. Both the DCYF worker and the DVPS told him in front of me that if he continued to say bad things about the mother that he would end up with only supervised visitation with his 2-year-old daughter and his step-children instead of the two days and an overnight that he currently was “lucky to have.”
I was only in the room at the time because he did an internet search looking for help with his nightmare and found our website. He contacted me and asked if I could help him. He had a meeting coming up with DCYF and dreaded going through more “professional” abuse. The DCYF worker and the DVPS tried their best to keep me out of the meeting, insisting that there was an in-house DV advocate that had been working with him so I wasn’t necessary.
I told them that it was not their right to choose his Advocate, but in fact that it was his right! They had no choice but to let me in the room, but they insisted that the in-house DVPS remain present even though he didn’t need two of us. Rather than defend him at that time, when he was being bullied, I had told him before the meeting that I would simply observe, as much as possible and only step in if things became too much for him. I knew that if I remained in the background that they would launch into their usual behavior toward him because they would not allow themselves to think that a male advocate could possibly know how to do his job. This was the opportunity to see them in action!
At the end of the meeting, the DVPS walked us out to the lobby and it was then that I asked him if he thought that it was really necessary for him to have two DV Advocates. He said that he would feel better if he only had one. He told her that I would be his Advocate from that day on. He thanked her for her assistance and we left.
I did some research and offered to go to the restraining order hearing with him. He informed her that I would be there with him. She proceeded to try and convince him over the phone that our program nor I could help him much because we weren’t even good enough to be part of the Coalition! He still insisted that he would stick with us.
Due to the information that I provided him and some guidance regarding this process, as well as a Lawyer that agreed to take the case, the restraining order was dropped that day!
The 2-year-old was in dire circumstances, however, and my client was having a difficult time functioning at work and suffered from depression and anxiety due to being helpless to get her into a better living situation by acquiring custody. He was worried that when his wife didn’t have him in the home to abuse that she was taking it out on the kids.
I met with him and his Lawyer, he had disclosed information that I encouraged him to share with his lawyer. It was clear that he had enough evidence to prove that he was the victim of domestic violence, not her, along with a history of abuse of her first husband. Due to the fact that we did our homework, he had a lawyer that worked with SAFE-NH to understand the dynamics of the abusive relationship, and he had### Criticism from SAFE-NH
Lee Newman, the executive director of SAFE-NH, a non-profit organization supporting all victims of domestic violence regardless of gender, has been vocal about these issues. Newman argues that the presence of Domestic Violence Program Specialists (DVPS) in DCYF offices, funded by VAWA grants, often leads to the unjust vilification of fathers. These specialists, according to Newman, lack the necessary training and instead promote an agenda that presumes men are perpetrators of domestic violence without due process.
Real-World Implications
Newman provides anecdotal evidence of men being mistreated by the system. In one case, a father seeking help to protect his children from an abusive mother was bullied and denied assistance, while the mother was supported in filing a restraining order against him. With the help of SAFE-NH, the father eventually gained full custody of his daughter, but only after overcoming significant institutional bias.
Calls for Change
Critics of the current system, including Newman, call for the dismantling of VAWA in its current form, advocating for a more balanced approach that provides equal support to all victims of domestic violence, regardless of gender. They argue that the current system not only perpetuates gender bias but also undermines the integrity of social services and the justice system.
My reaction to your news is intense because I see first hand the results of this gender profiling and bias! I am truly distressed over yet more interference in people’s lives by agendas that are based on selfishness.
Not all advocates within the Coalition’s agencies are hateful towards men, but if they want to keep their jobs they do not speak about it. However, silently, some do seek SAFE-NH out to refer men to, and I hope that some day, if we are to be funded enough to hire employees, we may offer them a place that encourages the diversity that they secretly desire.
I hope that what I have shared with you will fuel your desire for change enough so that you will assertively tell our politicians that VAWA needs to disappear, to be replaced with a funding program that will treat all of their constituents equally…otherwise…tell them that during the next election, they might want to look for other employment!
Help me to help you never to have to suffer at the hands of a DVPS or anyone else like them, by not only supporting SAFE-NH but by holding YOUR Federal Employees accountable for their actions!
Tell them that they better do the right, ethical and legal thing regarding this biased piece of legislation, and allow funding of programs that help men and THEIR children…because you are sick of the hurt that is caused by special interests influencing them!
Thanks for listening to my venting …sometimes I wonder if I am making progress at all when I see yet more clout being given to the NH Coalition (NHCADSV) and others like them!
Men need to stand up for themselves once and for all and say no more! Women who love their sons and grandsons need to do the same!
Take care and be SAFE, Lee