General Information

June 16-17, 2025

AFCC is pleased to offer an all-new comprehensive online training program focused on family violence. Safety First: Strengthening Family Law Responses to Violence and Coercive Control is a two-day, 15.5-hour intensive online training designed to meet the urgent need for clarity, consistency, and accountability in how professionals understand and respond to family violence within the family law system.

As family courts, mediators, and clinicians increasingly encounter complex dynamics involving coercive control, psychological abuse, and intergenerational trauma, this training offers an interdisciplinary and evidence-informed foundation for safer and more effective interventions. Whether you are a judge, lawyer, evaluator, mediator, therapist, or child protection worker, this program is built to deepen your ability to detect harm, assess risk, and prioritize the well-being of children and survivors without compromising legal fairness or due process.

Participants will explore key topics, including:

  • Evolving definitions of family violence and the implications of “concept creep”
  • Trauma-informed screening tools and risk assessment strategies
  • The unique and often invisible nature of coercive control
  • Culturally responsive approaches for working with immigrant racialized and marginalized families
  • The developmental impacts of violence on children
  • The design of parenting plans that reflect safety, accountability, and healing

Through live presentations, moderated dialogue, and case-based discussions, this training centers on both knowledge and compassion. It responds directly to current legislative trends, including the increased legal recognition of coercive control, and reflects a growing consensus across professions that recognizing harm is not enough; we must also act to reduce it.

Above all, this training honors the shared responsibility of legal and mental health professionals to create family law processes that protect the vulnerable, promote justice, and support long-term resilience in the lives of children and families.

GENERAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Each session has specific learning objectives. Overall, participants will be able to:

  • List various forms of family violence, including coercive control
  • Apply screening and risk assessment tools effectively in family law contexts
  • Identify the impact of violence on children and appropriate court responses
  • Explain parenting plans to account for safety, trauma, and long-term outcomes
  • Identify intervention strategies for parents, children, and perpetrators
  • Consider cultural, legal, and structural barriers to safety and justice

What’s Included?

The registration fee includes live attendance to the program, access to the program materials including recordings and handouts from the presentation, and a certificate of attendance. Each attendee’s certificate will reflect the hours viewed live only.

Note: If you are unable to attend live, recordings of the training programs will be available following the completion of the training programs. Continuing education credit is currently available only for programs attended live.

What Equipment Do I Need?

AFCC recommends using a desktop or laptop computer to take full advantage of Zoom’s capabilities. This will provide a better viewing experience and will permit access to features not available on the Zoom app on tablets and smart phones. A stable internet connection is imperative for the best viewing experience. If you experience internet issues, you may join by phone using the dial-in number provided in the confirmation email from Zoom and follow along using the materials that are available in advance of each program.

If you use a Zoom account that is registered in someone else’s name, your attendance will not be recorded and AFCC will not be able to issue you a certificate of attendance. To ensure you receive proper credit, use a Zoom account associated with the same email address used in your AFCC profile. You can sign up for a free Zoom account at zoom.us/signup.

Continuing Education Credits

The Safety First: Strengthening Family Law Responses to Violence and Coercive Control training program is eligible for 15.5 hours of continuing education for psychologists. AFCC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. AFCC is recognized by the New York Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0190. AFCC maintains responsibility for the program and its content. AFCC will make an application for continuing education credits for social workers through the National Association of Social Workers. AFCC will also make applications for CLE to Minnesota and Vermont and reserves the right to modify the list during the registration period. A certificate of attendance will be provided to all attendees. Attendees may use the AFCC Certificate of Attendance to verify attendance and apply for continuing education in their jurisdiction. Each attendee’s certificate will reflect the training hours viewed live only. Other professionals may opt to apply for continuing education credits in their discipline in their jurisdiction by providing their Certificate of Attendance, the brochure, and any training materials directly to their accrediting body. Attorneys may apply for CLE in their jurisdiction on their own, but AFCC cannot guarantee that credit will be awarded.

Cancellation Policy

Transfer of registration to another person may be made once, at any time without a fee. All requests for refunds must be made in writing. Written notice of cancellation received by email or postmarked by June 2, 2025, will be issued a full refund minus a $75 USD service fee. No refunds or credits will be issued for cancellations received after June 2, 2025. AFCC reserves the right to make changes to the program, including (but not limited to) changes to the content and speakers in the published event schedule, or canceling sessions, should unforeseen circumstances arise.

Time Zones

While it is not possible to schedule all sessions for daylight hours in all countries, recordings will be made available for purchase after the entire program has concluded. Please contact AFCC at [email protected] for further information. The certificate of attendance will only include time logged while attending the initial live sessions.

More Information

AFCC strives to highlight different research, advocacy positions, policies, practices, programs, and ideas. Some programs may be evidence-based, while others may report on works in progress, emerging practices, or policy initiatives. The goal of the training is to enhance learning while encouraging respectful inquiry, discussion, and debate consistent with AFCC organizational values. AFCC does not necessarily endorse or support the opinions of presenters.

For program and registration inquiries, contact AFCC at 608-664-3750 or [email protected].