The South Carolina Family Court Order — Protection from Domestic Abuse Act (For Use By Family Court Judges) is a law designed to protect individuals from acts of domestic abuse in the family court system. This act allows a family court judge to issue a court order to prevent further acts of domestic abuse by a respondent, which can include physical, emotional, and financial abuse. The order can also include protection for a petitioner's children. The court order can be issued as an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) or a Final Protection Order (FPO). An EPO is an immediate order that is issued to provide immediate protection from further acts of domestic abuse, while an FPO is a long-term order that is issued after a hearing where both parties have an opportunity to be heard. The order may include various restrictions, such as restraining the respondent from contacting the petitioner or their children, prohibiting the respondent from entering the petitioner's home or workplace, or requiring the respondent to attend counseling or anger management classes. The court order can also require the respondent to pay financial support or provide other assistance to the petitioner.