A letter from Safe Families Office Social Worker Mary Koenig.

When I started applying to full-time jobs as a social worker, I knew I wanted to work with survivors of abuse, but I didn’t predict that I’d end up working with a bunch of attorneys. 

Although I’d had some experience referring clients to legal resources in previous jobs, it wasn’t until I started working at AVLF that I truly learned the power of partnership between legal and social work professionals.

It’s a new level of care. 

When a survivor of abuse comes in to the Safe Families Office, they bring more than just their legal issues. They may be wondering where to go to stay safe that night, how they’re going to get time off work for their next hearing, or who they can reach out to for emotional support. They may be planning how they can provide for their families without financial help from an abusive partner. Or maybe they’re just searching for enough cash to cover parking at the courthouse for the day. 

Transitioning out of an abusive situation can be a long-term process. It begins before a survivor makes it to the courthouse, and it will continue when they leave.

Beyond their immediate need, survivors also – like anyone else – bring unique experiences, priorities, strengths, and expectations with them to the Safe Families Office. They may feel comfortable navigating legal systems, or they may not. They may have a lot of experience applying for jobs, benefits, and housing; or their abuser may have kept them from managing their own money and time. Our clients may be leaving an abusive situation for the first time or they may be leaving for the seventh time. 

Transitioning out of an abusive situation can be a long-term process. It begins before a survivor makes it to the courthouse, and it will continue when they leave.

Walking in to SFO means getting connected with our team of attorneys, legal advocates, and social workers who understand that by working together, we can help our clients create a stronger net of support than we could if we were working alone.

We can minimize the amount of times a client must re-tell their story, and try to eliminate the frustrating experience of reaching out to multiple organizations for help addressing various needs.

When legal and social work professionals work together as a close-knit team, we can help our clients plan to meet their holistic needs and address them as the whole person that they are.

For many of our clients, a Temporary Protective Order is a powerful tool in the journey toward safety and stability. But a protective order can be difficult to obtain and enforce without other supports in place – supports like a safe place to live, stable employment, transportation, counseling and mental health support, food, clothing, and other basic necessities.

When legal and social work professionals work together as a close-knit team, we can help our clients plan to meet their holistic needs and address them as the whole person that they are.

It has been abundantly clear what a difference this alliance makes.

Healing and seeking justice after abuse is a difficult process that can take time, resources, and emotional work. My hope is that by working together, we can make the transition as smooth as possible for every survivor that greets us.

They deserve it.

Sincerely,

Want to read other Letters From Leadership? They are an easy way to find out what drives us here at AVLF. You can find them all here. 

Mary Koenig

Social Worker, Safe Families Office

Mary is a social worker in the Safe Families Office, connecting survivors of intimate partner violence with resources and support after they obtain a temporary protective order.

Before moving to Atlanta and joining AVLF, Mary graduated with a Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina. She is dedicated to working against gender-based violence and supporting survivors, and has worked in violence prevention education, program planning and evaluation, and hotline advocacy. In her spare time, she bakes pies and plays drums.