October is domestic violence awareness month Published Oct. 2, 2007 By Vicki Majors 301st Fighter Wing Fort Worth, Texas -- Just as Sexual Assault is incompatible with Air Force Core Values, so is Domestic Violence. Those who came to the Reserve from Active Duty may have some acquaintance with the Air Force Family Advocacy Program. As stated in the Air Force Reserve Command's behavioral health Web site: Family Advocacy functions as a key partner and support system to build healthy communities and prevent family maltreatment within the Air Force. This is accomplished by assisting active duty service members, reserve service members on orders and their families to achieve tools for quality life management through programs and services that inform, educate, and treat. We also work closely with the Integrated Delivery System (IDS) to provide a coordinated, collaborative community response and to help build a healthy, safe, resilient base community. Two primary objectives of this program are: * Prevention of family violence through community education and skills development that enhance coping, adaptive, and resilience skills in life management. * Treatment to assess and resolve problems, ensure safety, and help families regain stability. This translates differently for Reserve members. The program doesn't have a full-time staff dedicated to Family Advocacy. For Prevention efforts, the Family Advocacy can take advantage of some of the programs the Navy Fleet and Family Support Center offers at 817.782.5287. There is also Military One Source to help locate community resources for marital communication and enrichment, parenting classes as well as other life management skills classes and counseling. Call 800.342.9647 for more information. As your full-time Sexual Assault and Response Coordinator (SARC) and Behavioral Health Support Coordinator I'm happy to help you locate community resources for prevention and counseling. If you were involved in a family maltreatment incident and on active duty, the Family Advocacy office would get involved, do an assessment and make treatment recommendations to your commander. There could also be Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) or civilian legal consequences. As a Reservist, if you are involved in a domestic assault incident, it would be handled by civilian law enforcement and justice system. Even though civilian law presides, the incident may still have an impact on your military career.