Introducing the National Restraining Order Center (NROC) Expanding Safety and Access for Survivors
Introducing the National Restraining Order Center (NROC) Expanding Safety and Access for Survivors At BWJP, we are committed to strengthening…
Introducing the National Restraining Order Center (NROC) Expanding Safety and Access for Survivors
Introducing the National Restraining Order Center (NROC) Expanding Safety and Access for Survivors
At BWJP, we are committed to strengthening legal protections for survivors of gender-based violence. That’s why we’re launching the National Restraining Order Center (NROC)—a new, comprehensive Center that expands our work on restraining orders to better serve survivors, advocates, and legal professionals. We believe that this initiative will make a significant impact on the lives of survivors.
What about the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit (NCPOFFC)?
The National Restraining Order Center is not replacing NCPOFFC. NCPOFFC will now become a project under the broader umbrella of the National Restraining Order Center (NROC). For years, NCPOFFC has been a major part of BWJP, providing expertise on orders issued to enhance survivor safety and protect them from violent or threatening acts, harassment, sexual violence, contact or communication or physical proximity to their abuser. But we recognized that survivors need more—more resources, more research, and more support.
NROC is building on NCPOFFC’s foundation of work from over the past twenty-five years and expanding the scope of our work. This new initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring every survivor has access to the legal protections they need to live a life free of violence.
Why use the term “restraining orders” instead of “protection order?”
Moving forward, our center will use the terms restraining orders and protection orders interchangeably. We recognize that the term “restraining orders” is more commonly used and understood in everyday conversations. By using both terms, we ensure our information is clear, accessible, and helpful for anyone seeking to understand the process of obtaining an order to stay safe from a person who has caused or intends harm.
What does this mean for survivors and the people and organizations that help them?
With this expansion, survivors, advocates, legal professionals, system actors, community stakeholders, and allied professionals will gain significant benefits, including increased access to resources and research, more inclusive approaches, and enhanced collaboration.
- More Resources – NROC will provide a comprehensive, survivor-centered guidance on obtaining and enforcing restraining orders, ensuring all stakeholders are informed and well equipped to address barriers within their protection order system.
- More Research—NROC will promote data-driven analysis of the effectiveness of protection orders, focusing on closing gaps in safety and access.
- More Inclusive Approaches—NROC will work to ensure that communities, systems, and stakeholders recognize how restraining orders impact diverse communities, including underserved survivors and those facing unique legal or cultural barriers.
- More Collaboration – NROC will enhance partnerships with other BWJP Centers to address critical intersections, such as custody and restraining orders, firearm surrender, and technology-facilitated abuse.
How will the National Restraining Order Center address survivors' barriers to seeking restraining orders?
Restraining orders are a lifeline for many survivors, yet they remain misunderstood and underutilized. One of the most persistent myths about restraining orders is that they are “just a piece of paper.” This misconception can deter survivors from seeking safety, leading to communities underestimating their value. Restraining orders are legally enforceable tools that enhance survivor safety, provide legal recourse, and help prevent or stop further harm.
Survivors often face many barriers when seeking restraining orders, including gaps in legal representation, enforcement challenges, and evolving threats like technology-enabled harassment. We understand these challenges and are committed to addressing them through the NROC, ensuring that restraining orders are effective tools for safety and justice.
Our work is dedicated to dispelling these misconceptions and addressing system barriers, ensuring the lived realities of survivors include better protection, nationwide enforcement, and reduced recidivism from perpetrators. For this to be a consistent reality for all survivors, we know that all courts and law enforcement orders must enforce orders nationwide. We can do this by educating and supporting communities, allied professionals, and system actors with the tools and resources to counter these issues.
Key Priorities of the National Restraining Order Center
The Center will tackle pressing issues affecting the accessibility and efficacy of protection orders, including:
- Amplifying the Importance of Full Faith and Credit—We will continue to facilitate the implementation of Full Faith and Credit provision of the Violence Against Women Act to ensure that a protection order is enforceable nationwide. Survivors should be able to travel across state lines knowing that the safety measures in their order will be upheld in all states. However, we recognize that some survivors are not afforded this statutory protection. We will continue to educate system actors and communities on the importance of full faith and credit enforcement across jurisdictions.
- Leveraging Technology & Safety – We will expand our exploration on how technology can both enhance and undermine survivor safety, examining its potential risks and benefits. We'll advocate for tech-driven solutions like e-service and electronic filing for restraining orders while also addressing digital harassment and privacy threats.
- Expanding Legal Access – Many survivors navigate the restraining order process without legal representation. We're working to bridge this gap by providing legal professionals and advocates with the tools they need to support survivors.
- Broadening our Scope– While restraining orders are critical in intimate partner violence cases, they are also used by survivors of non-intimate partner stalking, sexual assault, and other forms of abuse. The Center will work to ensure that all survivors, no matter their relationship status, can access and benefit from these protections.
- Improving Access for Young People - We will expand our knowledge and resources to support teens and young adults seeking protection.
- Centering Policies and Systems Change around Survivor Safety —We will deepen the scope of the research on the effectiveness of restraining orders, which were developed decades ago in a different legal and technological [time?] to support updated laws and policies that reflect today's realities. Through research the Center will push for a nationwide effort to modernize protection orders, ensuring they meet the needs of survivors now and in the future.
Looking Ahead
Stay connected with us for updates, resources, and opportunities to engage with the National Restraining Order Center. Together, we can strengthen protections and create safer futures for survivors everywhere.
Questions about NROC
Why is the National Restraining Order Center being created?
We listened and heard from you, our community stakeholders . Your support and involvement are not just crucial, but they are the very heart of our mission. We value your role in this initiative and believe that together, we can make a significant impact.
BWJP has always been at the forefront of legal advocacy for survivors. With the creation of the National Restraining Order Center, we are reaffirming our dedication to safety, justice, and systemic change. As part of this expansion, NCPOFFC will now operate as a project under NROC. This restructuring allows us to broaden our efforts to address the needs of all survivors using restraining orders to live free from violence. We are committed to restraining abusive actions to give survivors a chance to live whole and free lives. We understand that freedom of movement is vital for survivors and a passport to safety for many.
- You will see more around the intersection of culture—more underserved communities.
- We will explore the impact of technology, examining both the good and the bad aspects—specifically, how it can enhance the lives of survivors and, conversely, how it can be used to perpetrate abuse. People are deeply connected to their devices, including phones and computers. It is important that we do not solely rely on research and best practices related to protection orders from the past 30 years, as technology has evolved significantly since then. We need a nationwide initiative to improve outcomes, which requires updated research on what interventions are truly effective.
- We are also addressing ERPOs and how ERPOs impact survivors and other people in the communities.
- Through our collaboration with other centers at BWJP, we aim to learn from their experiences with restraining orders, custody relief orders, firearms and other intersecting topics. We also seek to work with the Advocacy Center to enhance advocates' services, recognizing that many survivors are unrepresented.
What will the work of the new Center mean for the survivors, advocates, and legal professionals you support?
NROC means more resources, more diverse resources, more diverse experts, more research, and more intersectional analysis of what's going on in the world of restraining orders.
Why do we need more?
We realize the need for more attention to the efficacy of restraining orders stems from the lack of comprehensive research in this area. To address the diverse needs of survivors seeking these resources, we are committed to providing comprehensive resources that not only improve the process of obtaining and enforcing restraining orders but also provide the necessary evidence-based approaches.
What do you want people to understand about your work with this new name?
We hear all the time, in the media and in our communities, that a restraining order is just a piece of paper. This statement brings us back to the misunderstanding of restraining orders and why they exist, the need for restraining orders, the need for service, how ROs enhance the safety of survivors, and the misunderstanding of communities around restraining orders--what they do, and how they work.
NROC will be at the forefront of the evolving national legal landscape of restraining orders, which includes extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs). Many states have enacted laws around ERPOs, and NROC is uniquely situated to provide guidance on ERPOs and how they intersect with domestic violence restraining orders.
We want to meet the needs of survivors today - not just the needs of survivors from yesterday. We are committed to understanding and addressing how survivors need restraining orders, and we recentering this in our work.