Rotarians learn about Family Services Center

TOP PHOTO: The Campbell County Rotary Club heard from Family Services Center Advocate and Claiborne County Case Manager Shannon Cole, left and Community Health of East Tennessee’s Family Services Center Child Welfare Domestic Violence Liaison Liz White at Tuesday’s meeting.

By Charlotte Underwood 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- The Campbell County Rotary Club learned about Community Health of East Tennessee’s (CHET) Family Services Center from Child Welfare Domestic Violence Liaison Liz White who guest spoke at Tuesday’s Rotary Club luncheon held at the LaFollette Methodist Church.

“Family Services Center serves Campbell, Claiborne, and Union counties. We assist survivors of domestic violence. My role is child welfare/domestic violence liaison. This position was created and funded by the Department of Children’s Services,” White said.

The “goal of the liaison program is to help create domestic violence responsive practice to better partner with families the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is working with who are victims of domestic violence.”

“Often abusers, manipulate systems, family members, and friends to gain power and control over the person being abused. This is called abuse by proxy,” White said.

Rotarians also heard from Family Services Center Advocate and Claiborne County Case Manager Shannon Cole who shared her story as a survivor of domestic violence and about how her “abuser manipulated systems to gain control over her and her children.”

Cole is now an advocate and case manager for survivors of domestic violence and uses her experience to help others. 

“Shannon ‘s story is an example of domestic violence destructive practices. Hopefully as a society, we can move forward and become more informed; and utilize better practices when it comes to domestic violence. Campbell County has a wonderful and caring DCS staff. Their jobs are difficult. My job is to come alongside and help them better serve their families with allegations of domestic violence,” White said.

The Family Services Center program allows White and Cole to provide “case consultation to any cases with domestic violence allegations, education to survivors, and attendance at visits and meetings regarding these families, and lastly provides domestic violence training to DCS and stakeholders to promote domestic violence awareness and better practices.”

For more information about the Tennessee Child Welfare Domestic Liaison Program, contact Liz White at 423.562.8325, extension 1103 or via email at Lwhite@CHET.org. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/14/2024-6AM)