2014 Quality Assurance Training

Institute

Herstory: Program Standards for

New Advocates

Presented by:

Kristen Pavlik, MA Director of Training and Technical Assistance

Sheryll Sharp, Program Monitor

Who we are and how we can help

• Quality Assurance Department-Sheryll

▫ Sharp_Sheryll@fcadv.org

• Program Department-Kristen

▫ Pavlik_Kristen@fcadv.org

Advocate Expectations

• What questions/concerns have popped up for your center onsite regarding Program Standards?

• What do you want to know about Program Standards?

• Please write your questions on note cards provided

Parking Lot

Objectives

• Basic understanding of Program Standards

• Answer common questions about Program Standards

• Provide strategies to implement Program Standards effectively into services

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic

Violence • Domestic violence centers in Florida are part of

a membership organization of 42 certified centers. FCADV provides training, technical assistance, quality assurance and funding to all certified centers.

Key Concepts of Program Standards

and FCADV Work • Safety

• Empowerment

• Advocacy

• Survivor Directed

Standards Founded on Following

Beliefs • That women who are battered shall be

empowered to make their own choices, even when we may not agree with their choices.

• That the Certified Domestic Violence Centers’ services will reflect a philosophy of empowerment and self-determination (survivor-directed)

What that means…

• Safety and services based on empowerment are supportive of a woman’s right to, and need for, self-determination.

• Advocacy is a balanced partnership, rather than one guided by directives and mandated services.

Advocate check in

• What are three strategies you use in your everyday work to ensure reflect a philosophy of empowerment and self-determination (survivor-directed)

Background and Herstory

• Membership initiated process for enhancing standards in 90’s

• Standards Committee comprised of membership identified set of shared beliefs

• Published in 2000

• Consensus from all membership

Same service from Key West to Pensacola…

That the quality of services shall be consistent from center to center so women who are battered can have the reasonable expectation that services provided at all centers are empower-based, woman centered, and survivor directed.

Purpose of Standards

• Standards provide a blueprint for centers in planning, developing, implementing and improving empowerment-based, survivor directed domestic violence services.

• Each center is responsible for developing policies and procedures based on their regional, demographic, architectural, cultural and programmatic diversity.

• It is intended that the centers’ policies will be localized and expanded in order to address the unique characteristics of the domestic violence center.

• As such, the FCADV Standards serve as a foundation for policy and procedure development and are to be utilized by the centers in developing their own policies and procedures.

Survivor Listening Groups, technical assistance, trainings, contract questions, and monitoring

Let’s take a look at your index cards…

Who uses our services?

• Work with a partner from another center. Tell them about your center and how your services are structured.

All centers are statutorily required to

provide Core Services Core Services include:

• information and referral services,

• counseling and

• case management services,

• temporary emergency shelter for more than 24 hours,

• a 24-hour hotline,

• training for law enforcement personnel,

• assessment and appropriate referral of resident children, and

• educational services for community awareness relative to the incidence of domestic violence, the prevention of such violence

Page 16, Program Standards

Program Standards (page 4)

• Adults or legally emancipated minors

• Abused, or in fear of being abused, by their current or former intimate partner

• Have no safe place to go

• Be willing to consent to abide by program’s guidelines

If someone is a victim of domestic violence that can consent to program guidelines they are eligible for services

Asking questions and providing answers

Program Standards

• ADA compliance

▫ Are there are any needs you may have if you come into shelter?

• Alcohol or Drug Addictions

▫ Not an assessment question, but a place to talk about center guidelines

• Male Survivors

▫ Everyone who is a victim is eligible for services. The type of services may look different.

• Traditionally underserved populations

▫ Meeting participants where they are by asking what they may need for a comfortable stay and providing information about how your center works can be helpful for everyone.

Advocate Check In

• Work with your partner

• One of you is a participant and one of you is an advocate. Go back to your earlier list about your center.

• The advocate needs to explain the services to the participant.

Did you use different language?

• “How can we help you?”

• “What brought you to call today?”

• “Do you have any needs for service?”

• “Our center is like…”

What comes next? Within how much time I have to do what????

Program Standards pgs 16-19

• What we have to document- pg 18-19

• Less is more

• Let’s review together!

Release of Information pg 17

• Exercise!

Scenarios

• Rita has contacted the hotline seeking shelter because her partner has threatened her again.

• Anna has been a shelter resident for the past three

weeks. She is predominately Spanish speaking but says she understand a little English. She has not had time to meet with shelter staff because of her work schedule and coordinating her 4 year old son’s childcare needs. As a result she has not discussed her needs/goals and her date of exit is scheduled in just a few weeks.

• Amanda came to shelter four nights ago. Law

enforcement brought her to the shelter after they picked her up from the hospital. She is badly bruised and said that three of her ribs are broken. During her shelter intake she reported that her live in boyfriend had sexually assaulted her as a tactic of his abuse. On the second and third nights of her stay she fell asleep on the living room couch instead of in her assigned bed/bedroom.

•

• Laura is a single woman coming into shelter after experiencing physical violence in the last week. She has past events of verbal violence and reports that her partner controlled everything. She talks about her checking account and getting to her sister’s house in Pensacola, Fl. She has also spoken about a tooth that she has that is hurting her and prescriptions that she needs to get filled. While going through the shelter intake Laura continues to repeat these needs over and over again.

• Latoya is working with an advocate and has been in shelter for a week and half. She is working with a community partner that provides money for different services like transportation and other basic needs. The community partner has called and needs to know her income to provide the services. This survivor has also disclosed that she has a disability which affects her memory.

• Monica and her teenage son are leaving shelter as she

has received relocation funds. During her stay she has accessed multiple services and is receiving mail at the shelter. While Monica was packing her belongings her roommate came to the office and said she thought she heard Monica on the phone talking about buying drugs.

• Darlene has disclosed that she is on medication for her

depression. She has not returned to the shelter for three days but her personal belongings remain. At the end of the third day she comes back to the shelter, doesn’t want to talk to anyone and goes to her room.

Complexity in Simplicity…

• Standards appear simple, yet they require:

• Knowledge of the letter and spirit of the Standards

• Depth of analysis in policy and practice

• Self-reflection and analysis of own belief

Complexity in Simplicity continued…

• Institutionalized process to measure progress and adherence to Standards

• Leadership support

• Leadership action to define appropriate and inappropriate practices

Questions to Ask …

• How does your Center support staff to do self-reflection on their practices?

• How does your Center train or reinforce these Standards?

• How does your Center measure progress and adherence?

Next Steps and additional questions

• Quality Assurance Department-Sheryll

▫ Sharp_Sheryll@fcadv.org

• Program Department-Kristen

▫ Pavlik_Kristen@fcadv.org

• Contract Department-Chelsea

▫ Massey_Chelsea@fcadv.org

• Alicequestions@fcadv.org

Strength of an Advocate

Thank you for all that you do!