Argus House and the Office of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR)
Argus House and OAR’s long history of an effective interagency collaboration extends beyond helping residents to complete court ordered community service. As part of the group home’s commitment to community service, Argus House residents participate in monthly car washes of Arlington County vehicles.

Alexandria based CASA Program comes to the Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. CASA workers are trained volunteers appointed by judges to speak up for children in the juvenile court system. They are advocate for the best solution for a safe, permanent home for the children with whom they are matched. They work alongside attorneys, social workers, treatment providers and other professionals to advocate for the child. If you are interested in becoming a CASA worker or want more information about the program you may call 703-836-1820 or go to www.scanva.org

I-CAN! State-wide help
An Internet-based system is now available to help citizens filing for Family Abuse Protective Orders in Virginia. The Interactive Community Assistance Network, I-CAN!, provides convenient and effective access to assistance with preparing court forms and information about local Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts. The system can be accessed through the Supreme Court of Virginia’s web site at www.courts.state.va.us, Programs & Services, Assistance with Family Abuse Protective Orders. I-CAN! was created by the Legal Aid Society of Southern California and adapted for use in Virginia by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia through a VSTOP grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

The I-CAN! system creates properly formatted petitions and educates users on court practices, the law and the steps needed to pursue their matter. I-CAN! asks the user a series of questions and then uses the petitioner's responses to properly complete a petition for a Family Abuse Protective Order that can be brought to Intake (the Court Service Unit) for filing. The system can be used anywhere a person has access to the Internet, for example, at home, at a local library, in a domestic violence shelter, or at an attorney's office.

Richmond’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court served as a pilot site for the system. The Court convened a work group of local agencies and organizations to review the Court’s practices and develop informational materials. In addition, staff members from the Richmond YWCA, the Richmond Department of Social Services Family Violence Prevention Program, Second Responders Program and Central Virginia Legal Aid Society have been specially trained to assist citizens and have computers available for those wishing to use I-CAN!. The internet based I-CAN system provides detailed Richmond-specific information regarding available services and court practices such as: when to contact a magistrate, what to expect in court, what time the Court hears petitions for protective orders, safety planning, and how to find other services and legal assistance.

Users across Virginia can access the system now to assist with the preparation of Family Abuser Protective Order petitions and receive general information about local courts.

During Fiscal Year 2009 the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia convened regional workshops across the state to assist other localities in developing the same type of detailed information as Richmond. Once a locality has developed the information, it will be added to the Virginia I-CAN! site as a further service for citizens.

The Supreme Court of Virginia was assisted with this project by a state level advisory group and a workgroup convened by the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

State Level I-CAN Advisory Group:

• Mark D. Braley, Executive Director, Legal Services Corporation of Virginia
• Richard Goemann, Director, Indigent Defense Commission of Virginia
• Bonnie C. Davis, Judge, Chesterfield County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
• Tricia D. Muller, Chief Operating Officer, Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
• Kimberly D. Russo, Intake Supervisor, Thirteenth Judicial District Court Service Unit
• Amy Cook, Probation Officer, Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
• Maureen Petrini, Virginia State Bar
• Jaime Hoyle, Virginia State Crime Commission
• Ann Crittenden, Kathy Maxwell, Sherrie Goggans, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance
• Linda Curtis, Esq., Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Hampton
• D. Greer Saunders, Assistant Attorney General
• Eleanore Kantzer, Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
• Karl Hade, Department of Judicial Information Technology, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia
• Sharon Shepherd, Department of Legal Research, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia
• Kathy Mays, Director, Judicial Planning Department, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia
• Harriet C. McCollum, I-CAN Project Coordinator, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia

Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court I-CAN! Work Group

• J. Stephen Buis, Chief Judge, Richmond J&DR District Court
• Deborah K. Daughtrey, Clerk of Court, Richmond J&DR District Court
• Tricia D. Muller, Chief Operating Officer, Richmond J&DR District Court
• Susan M. Mayes, Probation Director, Thirteenth Judicial District Court Service Unit
• Kimberly D. Russo, Intake Supervisor, Thirteenth Judicial District Court Service Unit
• Michael J. Siok, Sr., Richmond Sheriff's Office
• Rosemary R. Harris, Chief Magistrate, Thirteenth Judicial District
• Diane M. Abato, Dep. Commonwealth's Attorney, Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney
• Michon Moon, Director, Victim Witness, Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney
• Ebony Sauls, Victim Witness Services, Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney
• The Richmond Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee
• Christie Marra, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc.
• Anne Stambaugh, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc.
• John M. Oakey, Jr., Attorney at Law, McGuire Woods LLP
• Cathy N. Pond, Executive Director, YWCA
• Gladys Petty, YWCA
• Melinda Spivey, Sexual Assault Coordinator, YWCA
• Denise Noble, Associate Director, Greater Richmond SCAN
• Jeanine Harper, Director, Greater Richmond SCAN
• Lynn P. Anderson, Supervisor, Second Responders Program
• JoAnne Robertson, Supervisor, DSS Family Violence Prevention
• Harriet C. McCollum, I-CAN Project Coordinator, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia