Administers legal programs and services through offices in Anoka, Minneapolis, Saint Cloud, and Wilmar. Helps eligible clients through direct representation, brief advice, and through participating in community legal education programs and clinics. Services include: - Family law - Housing issues - Public benefits - Employment - Criminal expungement - Consumer dept Does not provide representation in CRIMINAL law matters

Provide support to those who have been affected by domestic violence or sexual assault. Services may include: - 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: Provides a hotline for advocacy, resources, and shelter for all victims of violence. The hotline provides information and safety planning to support victims. - Advocacy: Legal advocates can help victims navigate and explain the legal system in criminal and civil protective order cases. Helps victims work with local police, city, and county attorneys to advocate on the victim's behalf. Assist in filing Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Orders. Attend court hearings with victims to provide information and support and more. - Emergency Shelter: A 24-hour domestic violence and sexual violence emergency shelter within Carlton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine counties. The Black Dog Hill Shelter provides secure emergency shelter and access to basic needs to survivors and children. Basic needs include meals, toiletries, clothing, linens, diapers, laundry facilities, and access to a food shelf. - Intervention: Offers a Batterers Intervention Program to those interested and/or court-ordered to participate in a psycho-educational group led by trained professional facilitators. Participants learn to identify abusive behaviors and are taught to react to situations non-abusively and communicate with their partner. - Support Groups: Provides support groups to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through empowerment, conversations, and activities. Meetings are held in-person and virtual and times will vary by county office.

The Child Support Division assists with: - Locating parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing court orders for child support, medical support, and child care support - Reviewing and modifying court orders for support - Adjusting court orders based on the cost-of-living index - Works with other states to enforce support when one parent does not live in Minnesota - Collecting and processing payments Minnesota Child Support Online: an interactive website developed by the State of Minnesota to provide child support participants with information about their case(s). NOTE: Either parent of a child may get certain child support services. Parents who do not receive public assistance can apply for services at their county child support office for a one-time $25 service fee. Parents who receive public assistance for a child whose other parent does not live with them are automatically referred for services and are not charged a service fee.

- Prosecution of all levels of crime committed by juveniles. - Initiates legal action to protect abused or neglected children. - Serves as legal advisor to the County Board and department heads and county elected officials. - Files commitment petitions to provide necessary treatment for individuals who are mentally ill, chemically dependent or mentally handicapped. - Provides support assistance to crime victims. - Files actions to establish paternity of children, to establish and enforce child support obligations and to obtain reimbursement of public funds. - Commences actions to obtain and collect money judgments against individuals indebted to Beltrami County.

Representation in family law regarding divorce, child support, and custody cases.

Provides legal assistance and educational opportunities and resources. Legal issues covered include: - Debt collection - Divorce, parenting time, custody, or other family law issues - Employment - Impounded car - Landlord/tenant or property - Probate - Purchase or service contracts - Simple wills and health care directives - Any other civil legal issues

Provides establishment and enforcement of child support orders. Services include: ?- Collecting current and past-due support payments - Locating non-custodial parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing child support orders for basic, medical, or child care support - Reviews and modifies court orders for support NOTE: Child Support Services does not provide parenting time, custody, legal advice, divorce counsel, or spousal maintenance establishment

Provides necessary legal representation in criminal matters, civil matters, juvenile matters, and child protection matters; providing representation to county departments and legal advice concerning county legislative matters; and providing assistance and support in law enforcement training. Services include: - Child and adult protection representation - Child support and paternity cases - Commitments - Conservatorships - Criminal and delinquency prosecution - Guardianships

Services are victim-centered, which means individuals will guide their own process, make their own decisions, and have staff provide information, support, and referrals. Services include: - Advocacy: Assistance in obtaining Emergency Protective Orders, Permanent Restraining Orders, Stalking/Harassment Orders, Temporary Restraining Orders, housing, community services, and medical appointments - Confidentiality - Community education and professional training - Crisis line - Emergency Services: Transportation to medical facilities, law enforcement, safe housing, etc. - Individual and group support - Prevention and/or Rapid Rehousing: Services provided by the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program - FHPAP - Safety planning

Responsibilities of the County Attorney's Office include: - Child custody decrees - Child protection cases - Child support and paternity matters - CHIPS cases - Commitments - Conservatorships - County civil matters - Crime victim assistance and compensation - Crime victim notification service - Crime witness support - Delinquency cases; juvenile court - Domestic violence legal services - Guardianships - Juvenile diversion - Legal representation of county boards and county agencies - Prosecutes criminal cases - Restraining and harassment orders; orders for protection

Provides free and confidential services to those affected by domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking/exploitation, and high-risk youth in Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, and Yellow Medicine counties. Confidential services: - Accompaniment to court - Assistance with petitioning for an Order for Protection or Harassment Restraining Order - Community education - Crisis line - Emergency transportation, and/or assistance - Information, referrals, and resources - Temporary emergency safe housing - Systems coordination - Support group - Youth Programs: Provides youth the ability to teach and learn from their peers about confidence, communication, safety, and life skills. Emergency assistance includes, but is not limited to, the following expenses: - Crime Scene cleanup - Grant funds are used to meet crime victims' emergency needs when available - Purchase and installation of necessary home security devices - Reimbursement of towing and storage fees incurred due to impoundment of a recovered stolen vehicle - Replacement of necessary property that was lost, damaged or stolen as a result of a crime - Transportation to locations related to the victim's needs as a victim, such as medical and criminal justice facilities - Victim reimbursement for reasonable travel and living expenses incurred due to a change in venue Victims of crime have also received funding through the program for items such as repairing a broken door, installing new locks, and replacing clothing or bedding taken as evidence. Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program - FHPAP may be available through pre-screening.

Represents people who meet the financial and case priority guidelines when the case has legal merit and fits within the program. Family law cases handled include: - Cases for victims of abuse where the courts or law enforcement are not following rules or laws - Cases for victims of abuse or primary caretakers that challenge racial or other illegal discrimination - Indian Child Welfare Act cases (Ramsey County only) Legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking: - Custody - Divorce - Harassment Restraining Orders (HRO's) - Orders for Protections (OFP's) - Paternity (if can't obtain court-appointed counsel) Primary Caretakers: - Child-snatching - Custody modifications and restricted parenting time when the child is in danger - Responding to divorce or custody petitions where the other parent is seeking custody May accept a custody case on behalf of a friend or family member if: The child will otherwise be placed in fostercare; The child is in danger in the parents' care; The friend or relative has been the child's primary caretaker for at least 6 months (if the child is under 3 years old) or one year (if over 3 years old)

Responsibilities of the County Attorney's Office include: - Child custody decrees - Child protection cases - Child support and paternity matters - Conservatorships - County civil matters - Crime victim assistance and compensation - Crime victim notification service - Crime witness support - Delinquency cases; juvenile court - Family court - Guardianships - Juvenile diversion - Law library - Prosecutes criminal cases - Restraining and harassment orders; orders for protection

The Child Support Services Division assists with: - Locating parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing court orders for child support, medical support, and child care support - Reviewing and modifying court orders for support - Adjusting court orders based on the cost-of-living index - Works with other states to enforce support when one parent does not live in Minnesota - Collecting and processing payments - Minnesota Child Support Online: www.childsupport.dhs.state.mn.us Minnesota Child Support Online is an interactive web site developed by the State of Minnesota to provide child support participants with information about their case(s).

Provides establishment and enforcement of child support orders. Services include: ?- Collecting current and past-due support payments - Locating non-custodial parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing child support orders for basic, medical, or child care support - Reviews and modifies court orders for support NOTE: Child Support Services does not provide parenting time, custody, legal advice, divorce counsel, or spousal maintenance establishment

Provides establishment and enforcement of child support orders. Services include: - Collecting current and past-due support payments - Locating non-custodial parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing child support orders for basic, medical, and child care support - Reviews and modifies court orders for support NOTE: Child Support Services does not provide parenting time, custody, legal advice, divorce counsel, or spousal maintenance establishment

Serves public assistance and non-public assistance clients in the fair pursuit of child support payments, day care payments, and medical coverage (from the absent parent)

Provides the opportunity for children to spend time with their non-custodial parent(s) during periods of separation and turmoil in order to maintain, build, or rebuild the parent-child bond. During all services, staff provides supportive parenting education upon request or when a need is identified. All services are individualized and designed to strengthen and preserve families by promoting safe and healthy relationships. Types of visitations/exchanges include: - Semi-supervised visitations: used as an alternative to fully supervised visitation. During semi-supervised visits, a staff is not with the family throughout the entire visit but does check in periodically and are available as a resource if needed. - Supervised exchanges: used by families when there are no concerns about the children spending time with the non-custodial parent, but there are concerns about the child witnessing hostility between parents during an exchange. Staff provides the transfer of the children from one parent to the other, thus eliminating the exposure to any hostility. - Supervised visits: available for parents who cannot be alone with their children. Staff supervises these visits to ensure the safety of the children and provide objective documentation of the parent and child interactions.

The Child Support Services Division assists with: - Locating parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing court orders for child support, medical support, and child care support - Reviewing and modifying court orders for support - Adjusting court orders based on the cost-of-living index - Works with other states to enforce support when one parent does not live in Minnesota - Collecting and processing payments - Minnesota Child Support Online: www.childsupport.dhs.state.mn.us Minnesota Child Support Online is an interactive web site developed by the State of Minnesota to provide child support participants with information about their case(s).

- Criminal and delinquency prosecution - Child and adult protection representation - Legal representation of county boards and agencies - CHIPS cases - Child support and paternity - Commitments - Guardianships - Conservatorships

Provides establishment and enforcement of child support orders. Services include: ?- Collecting current and past-due support payments - Locating non-custodial parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing child support orders for basic, medical, or child care support - Reviews and modifies court orders for support NOTE: Child Support Services does not provide parenting time, custody, legal advice, divorce counsel, or spousal maintenance establishment

Attorneys from Volunteer Lawyers Network spend about 15 - 30 minutes per client providing legal advice and/or brief services including: - Debt and credit issues/bankruptcy - Consumer issues - Housing including tenant/landlord - General civil issues - divorce, child support, child custody - Labor and employment Please note that persons receive free legal advice, not representation, from an attorney. The attorneys are volunteers and may have emergencies that may require them to cancel at the last minute.

The attorney and legal advisor for the county who renders legal advice to county and district officers relative to official duties. Duties include the following: - Child support enforcement and paternity establishment - Criminal prosecution - Involuntary commitments - Prosecutes juveniles who have broken the law and provides means of protection for children in need - Victim services: assists victims during their involvement with the criminal justice process and keeps victims up to date with court proceedings

Departments - Civil Division: Advises and represents the community social services department under state and federal mandates - Criminal Division: Prosecutes criminal acts and provides leadership to law enforcement - Juvenile Division: Carries a caseload of both juvenile prosecution cases and child protection cases - Victim-Witness Division: Fulfills statutorily mandated advocacy assistance, information, and services for victims and witnesses - Services - Child custody decrees - Child support assistance/enforcement - Conservatorship assistance - County counsel - Crime victim compensation - Crime victim notification services - Crime witness support - Criminal law - District Attorney - Domestic/family violence legal services - Estate entitlement assistance - General crime victim assistance - Guardianship assistance - Juvenile diversion - Paternity suits - Paternity/maternity establishment - Restraining order filing office - Third Party involuntary commitment petition services Neither the County Attorney nor his/her staff is allowed to represent private citizens.

Provides establishment and enforcement of child support orders. Services include: ?- Collecting current and past-due support payments - Locating non-custodial parents - Establishing parentage - Establishing and enforcing child support orders for basic, medical, or child care support - Reviews and modifies court orders for support NOTE: Child Support Services does not provide parenting time, custody, legal advice, divorce counsel, or spousal maintenance establishment. Child Support Services do not represent either parent in child support actions.