Rachel Coalition seeks volunteers for its Court Advocate Program

Rachel Coalition, a division of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ, providing services and support programs for victims of domestic violence in Essex and Morris County, is seeking volunteers for its Court Advocate Program. This 40-hour hands-on training program educates participants to assist domestic violence victims with emotional and administrative support as they await their restraining order hearing in Essex Family Court in Newark, NJ.

Training sessions begin Monday, March 7, 2022 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. No formal legal experience or education is required for this volunteer position. Volunteers will have an opportunity to observe Family Court proceedings. Volunteers who have already taken a 40 hour domestic violence training class can qualify for an abbreviated training. For further information on the Court Advocate Program and to schedule an interview, please contact Alexandria Flores, at aflores@jfsmetrowest.org.

Each year, the Essex Family Court Domestic Violence Unit in Newark, NJ, presides over more than 6,000 cases of domestic violence. Since 2006, the Rachel Coalition has placed trained Court Advocate volunteers in Essex County Family Court Waiting Rooms to explain the restraining order process to victims, assist with the initial application, provide information about community services such as legal, counseling and shelters, as well as offer unconditional emotional support.

Rachel Coalition, a division of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ (JFS), provides domestic violence services for all members of the family affected by domestic violence. JFS is a comprehensive social service agency providing mental health counseling and support services on a non-discriminatory basis. With a presence in the community since 1861, JFS today delivers an expanding number of programs to increasing numbers of people. For children and families, JFS provides individual, couple, child and family counseling, play therapy, support groups, school and synagogue based social work services, and other assistance needed to support healthy families. JFS also offers a wide range of services for older adults and their families including case management services, counseling, caregiver education, volunteer friendly visitors and specialized programs for Holocaust survivors. For more information, please call (973) 765-9050 or visit www.jfsmetrowest.org.

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