2026 Domestic Violence Summit: From Awareness to Action

Dear Summit Participants,

Welcome to the 2026 Domestic Violence Summit: From Awareness to Action. On behalf of SafeSpace, thank you for joining us today and for the care, expertise, and commitment you bring to our community.

Domestic violence affects every part of a survivor’s life, and a meaningful response requires all of us. Today brings together professionals and community partners across disciplines to strengthen how we recognize risk, respond to trauma, and connect survivors with safety and support.

Our hope is that you leave with practical tools, a deeper understanding of survivor experiences, and stronger relationships with the people who share this work. Please listen with openness, ask thoughtful questions, and consider one concrete step you can take after today to put your learning into action.

We are grateful to Jim Schmidt, Melanie Afanador, and Jennie Carter for sharing their knowledge, perspectives, and lived experience. We also extend our sincere thanks to every sponsor whose generosity helps make this gathering possible, and to the partners and volunteers who have contributed to the day.

Together, we can build a more coordinated, compassionate response to domestic violence. Your presence matters, and the connections we make today can strengthen the way we serve survivors and families throughout our region.

Thank you for being part of this work.

With gratitude,

Jennifer Fox
CEO, SafeSpace

Who should attend: All summit attendees, including law enforcement, prosecution, 911/dispatch, fire/EMS, healthcare and mental health professionals, advocates, child welfare and school professionals, and community partners.

Domestic violence response begins with recognizing what may be visible and what may go unseen. The Gabby Petito Foundation’s comprehensive training program establishes a shared foundation for understanding domestic violence, its impact on victims and communities, and the importance of a coordinated response.

Participants will explore physical and non-physical abuse, coercive control, power and control dynamics, and the effects of trauma on the brain and body. National and local data, real-world examples, and interactive discussion will frame the impact of domestic violence and the importance of recognizing both visible and non-visible indicators of non-fatal strangulation, including symptoms that may emerge later.

Participants will leave with a shared foundation for recognizing risk and understanding how their professional roles contribute to a compassionate, coordinated response.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how the Unseen Advocates Program addresses response gaps and use national and local data to describe the scope and impact of domestic violence.
2. Differentiate physical and non-physical forms of abuse, including coercive control and power and control dynamics.
3. Describe how trauma affects the brain and body, including victim behavior, memory, and responses during and after an assault.
4. Recognize the lethality and warning signs of strangulation, including visible and non-visible symptoms, delayed onset, and behavioral or physiological indicators.

Who should attend: All summit attendees, including law enforcement, prosecution, 911/dispatch, fire/EMS, healthcare and mental health professionals, advocates, child welfare and school professionals, and community partners.

Recognizing the effects of trauma is only the first step; how a professional responds can influence trust, safety, and continuity of care. Building on the opening session, this plenary turns foundational knowledge into trauma-informed, victim-centered practice.

Through practical application, participants will explore initial victim contact, scene safety, assessment, communication, documentation, and referrals. The session will connect understanding of trauma and victim behavior with approaches that prioritize dignity, safety, and empowerment.

Participants will examine how professionals’ actions fit together across the response process, including interagency collaboration among law enforcement, fire/EMS, healthcare, legal/judicial professionals, and advocates. The session will emphasize accurate documentation, continuity of evidence and care, coordinated handoffs, and accountability.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Apply trauma-informed, victim-centered communication to foster trust, minimize re-traumatization, and support survivor dignity, safety, and empowerment.
2. Assess scene safety and survivor needs, identifying medical, investigative, and support priorities appropriate to their professional role.
3. Document victim statements, injuries, and observations accurately to support investigations and ensure continuity of care.
4. Describe partner roles and use coordinated referrals and handoffs to connect survivors with local and national resources for safety planning, medical services, and ongoing advocacy support.

Who should attend: Law enforcement, prosecution, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), 911/dispatch, and other first responders.

A coordinated domestic violence response depends on what partners recognize, document, and communicate. This breakout explores high-risk indicators, trauma-informed engagement, continuity of evidence, coordinated handoffs, and accountability across dispatch, law enforcement, fire/EMS, and prosecution.

Using case scenarios, participants will examine coercive control, escalation, non-fatal strangulation indicators, scene safety, trauma-informed communication, and documentation. Discussion will focus on victim statements, injuries, behavioral indicators, scene information, and what can be lost when documentation or handoffs are incomplete.

Participants will consider how information moves from dispatch to responders, fire/EMS to healthcare, law enforcement to prosecution, and first responders to advocates. They will leave with practical strategies to strengthen communication, comprehensive documentation, continuity of care, and interagency coordination.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize domestic violence, coercive control, escalating risk, and non-fatal strangulation indicators while assessing scene-safety, medical, investigative, and victim-support priorities.
2. Apply trauma-informed communication and accurate documentation practices to capture victim statements, injuries, behavioral indicators, scene information, and objective observations.
3. Identify critical information for referrals, transfers, and multidisciplinary handoffs and distinguish the roles of dispatch, law enforcement, fire/EMS, healthcare, prosecution, and advocacy partners.
4. Apply the Unseen Advocates framework to a case scenario to identify missed warning signs, documentation gaps, and opportunities to improve communication, continuity, and follow-up.

Who should attend: Healthcare and mental health professionals, advocates, case managers, child welfare/DCF professionals, school social workers, counselors, educators, and community providers who work with children, youth, parents, and families.

Domestic violence affects far more than an adult survivor’s immediate safety. It can shape children’s well-being, parenting, relationships, and a family’s ability to heal and move forward. Professionals in every setting have an opportunity to offer support before, during, and after a crisis occurs.

This practical session will help participants recognize how domestic violence affects children and how to support survivor parent-child relationships to achieve safer outcomes.

Using trauma-informed and empowerment-based approaches, the session will explore how to assess safety and support needs, respond appropriately, and connect families with domestic violence services throughout Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit. Participants will also learn why universal information sharing and education is essential to increasing access to resources.

Participants will leave with practical language, response strategies, safety-planning principles, and referral pathways they can immediately apply in their professional roles.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the effects of domestic violence on children, youth, parenting, family relationships, safety, and resilience.
2. Use trauma-informed, empowerment-based strategies to initiate conversations, assess safety and support needs, and respond without judgment or pressure.
3. Partner with survivor-parents to strengthen family safety through individualized safety planning, supportive responses, and safe connections to domestic violence programs in the 19th Judicial Circuit.
4. Integrate universal domestic violence education and resource sharing into routine client interactions and materials without waiting for a disclosure or visible signs of abuse.

Who should attend: All summit attendees, including agency leaders, law enforcement, prosecution, 911/dispatch, fire/EMS, healthcare and mental health professionals, advocates, child welfare and school professionals, and community partners.

This closing plenary brings the summit’s learning together around a shared goal: a coordinated community response to domestic violence in which partners collaborate, communicate, and understand their roles.

Beginning with Jennie Carter’s Survivor Impact Story, the session will connect survivor experience with the ways systems recognize risk, respond, document, refer, and follow through. Participants will examine where gaps between agencies can interrupt safety and support, and how clearly defined responsibilities and coordinated handoffs can strengthen the overall response.

The session will focus on evaluating agency SOPs, strengthening supervisory oversight, and using supervisor toolkits and review mechanisms to improve documentation, on-scene decision-making, policy compliance, and cross-discipline coordination.

Participants will leave with an action to advance with community partners, strengthening coordination, accountability, and ongoing system improvement while keeping survivor dignity, safety, and choice at the center.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify systemic gaps in domestic violence response and explain how missed connections can affect survivor safety, access to support, and continuity of care.
2. Clarify partner roles and responsibilities across dispatch, law enforcement, fire/EMS, healthcare, prosecution, advocacy, and community services, including referrals and follow-up.
3. Develop strategies for coordinated communication and handoffs that preserve information continuity while respecting survivor safety, choice, and confidentiality.
4. Outline one practical system-improvement action with identified partners, assigned responsibilities, and a follow-up step to support accountability and ongoing collaboration.