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For immediate assistance, please call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119 or TDD (800) 621-4202
Legal Department
The Clearinghouse Project began in 1997 as a pilot program, the first in the country, to provide legal representation to victims of domestic violence at final hearings for Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence, and to provide legal advice and consultation to victims. FCADV subcontracts with legal services providers (Clearinghouse Attorneys), who accept client referrals from Florida's certified domestic violence shelters/centers throughout the state. The project has been an unqualified success, and many other state coalitions provide legal services to domestic violence victims based on the Clearinghouse model. FCADV also provides training and technical assistance to its Clearinghouse Attorneys.
Domestic Violence Legal Hotline
FCADV subcontracts with Florida Legal Services to operate the Domestic Violence Legal Hotline. Victims who reside in Florida can receive free legal advice and referral information by calling 1-800-500-1119, and pressing prompt #3.
With funding from the Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime, FCADV in collaboration with Florida Legal Services, Inc. and the Rural Women's Health Project, developed a fotonovela for Spanish-speaking members of the migrant farmworker communities that provides information about the Legal Hotline Services.
1-800-500-1119, ext. 3. Out of Florida callers dial 1-850-385-0611.
The Legal Hotline operates from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are calling after hours, you can leave a message on the legal hotline answering machine, and calls will be returned during business hours.
When you call, a non-lawyer will answer the phone, inquire about your safety, and will ask you some basic information. You will be asked for your name and a safe number at which the hotline attorney may call you back.
A hotline attorney will then contact you and conduct a phone intake, try to answer your legal questions, spot any additional legal issues, and provide you with legal options. Hotline attorneys are trained in domestic violence dynamics, legal advocacy, and hotline skills. The hotline attorney will also be able to refer you to legal and domestic violence resources in your county.
The hotline attorney cannot represent clients in court or review or submit documents for individuals.
Handbook for Certified DV Centers
The Human Trafficking Service Provider Manual (335kb) for Certified Domestic Violence Centers is available in Adobe PDF format.
Handbook for advocates
This handbook is designed for domestic violence and sexual violence advocates. It provides basic information on human trafficking and how to identify and assist a person who is trafficked.
The advocates' handbook is available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.
- Human Trafficking Handbook (233kb)
- Ti Liv Enfòmasyon Sou Trafik Moun (1.3M)
- Manual DE Tráfico Humano (1.4M)