![](media/image1.wmf){width="0.6458333333333334in"
height="0.6458333333333334in"}

![](media/image2.wmf){width="6.204861111111111in"
height="8.819444444444445e-2in"}

2007 National Victim Assistance Academy

Foundation-Level Training

Track 1

December 9--13, 2007

Linthicum, Maryland

Participant's Manual![](media/image3.wmf){width="6.184722222222222in"
height="6.805555555555555e-2in"}

![](media/image4.wmf){width="1.3923611111111112in"
height="0.8402777777777778in"}

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street, NW

Washington, DC 20531

Michael B. Mukasey

Attorney General

Cybele Daley

Acting Assistant Attorney General

John W. Gillis

Director, Office for Victims of Crime

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Office of Justice Programs**

**World Wide Web Home Page**

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Office for Victims of Crime**

**World Wide Web Home Page**

www.ovc.gov

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

For grant and funding information contact:

Department of Justice Response Center

1--800--421--6770

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

OVC Resource Center

1--800--851--3420

(TTY: 1--877--712--9279)

www.ncjrs.gov

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center

1--866--682--8822

(TTY: 1--866--682--8880)

www.ovcttac.gov

The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

**Office for Victims of Crime**

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) was created by the U.S. Department
of Justice in 1983 and formally established by Congress in 1988 through
an amendment to the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. OVC's mission is to
enhance the Nation's capacity to assist victims of crime and to provide
leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote
justice and healing for all victims of crime.

OVC accomplishes its mission by:

-   Administering the Crime Victims Fund

-   Supporting direct services

-   Providing training programs

-   Sponsoring demonstration and evaluation projects with national and
    international impact

-   Publishing and disseminating materials that highlight promising
    practices that can be replicated worldwide

-   Sponsoring fellowships and clinical internships

Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center

The Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center (OVCRC) is your
information clearinghouse for emerging victim issues.

As a component of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service---a
federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse
information to support research, policy, and program development
worldwide---OVCRC offers access to a vast criminal justice resource
library and top information specialists to answer your questions. Staff
can offer statistics and referrals, discuss publications, compile
information packages, and search for additional resources using OVCRC's
extensive network of victim advocates and organizations.

OVCRC also offers easy access to OVC and other victim-related
publications through an online ordering system and an electronic
newsletter. To learn more about OVCRC and its products and online
services, visit www.ovc.gov/ovcres/welcome.html or call
1--800--851--3420 (TTY 1--877--712--9279).

Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center

For victim service providers, the Office for Victims of Crime Training
and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) is the portal to a broad
range of resources. OVC TTAC extends training and technical assistance
to victim service providers, allied professionals, volunteers,
advocates, and victim/witness coordinators. The training and technical
assistance are designed to enhance participants' skills and improve the
quality and efficiency of the services they deliver.

OVC TTAC also provides a broad range of comprehensive resources for
victim service providers. These resources include needs assessment,
resource development and delivery, education and outreach, and
evaluation. OVC TTAC is committed to helping the Nation's victim service
community build its capacity to respond to the increasingly complex
needs of victims of crime.

**Office for Victims of Crime\
Training and Technical Assistance Center**

10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 400

Fairfax, VA 22030

Phone: 1--866--OVC TTAC (1--866--682--8822)

TTY: 1--866--682--8880

Fax: 703--279--4673

Web site: www.ovcttac.gov

**Table of Organization**

**Module 1** Introductions and Overview

**Module 2** History of the Crime Victims' Rights Movement in the United
States

**Module 3** Basic Victims' Rights

**Module 4** Navigating the Justice System

**Module 5** Communication with Victims and Survivors

**Module 6** Impact of Crime on Victims

**Module 7** Direct Services

**Module 8** Cultural and Spiritual Competence

**Module 9** Ethics in Victim Services

**Module 10** Developing Resilience

**Module 11** Collaboration for Victims' Rights and Services

**Module 12** Taking It All Home

**Acknowledgments**

The National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) is the result of the
vision, leadership, and support of the U.S. Department of Justice,
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Special thanks are extended to OVC
Director, John Gillis; former Deputy Director, Carolyn Hightower; and
Pamela Leupen, Director, Training and Information Dissemination
Division. Their guidance has proven to be essential in the development
and execution of the NVAA as it has been redesigned since its original
offering in 1995. OVC Program Specialist Laura Ivkovich has provided
overall guidance for the development and implementation of the Academy.
Her contributions have been immeasurable.

Following a formal evaluation of the NVAA in 2003, it was redesigned to
include three instructional tracks, to better meet the training needs of
those in the victim services field.

-   **Track 1, Foundation-Level Training**, provides a broad
    understanding of the victim services field and lays the groundwork
    for building a career in the victim services field.

-   **Track 2, Specialized Training**, focuses on timely, specific
    topics that have a direct impact on provider's work. Track 2
    consists of several training courses for victim service providers
    who have been in the field for at least 2 years.

-   **Track 3, The Leadership Institute**, focuses on training topics
    that will benefit new and seasoned leaders and managers to enhance
    their leadership capabilities.

The NVAA Work Group was formed to work closely with OVC to lend their
knowledge and insight to the redesign. The Work Group is composed of
nationally known scholars and practitioners who have made
recommendations and developed material that comprises the NVAA.

The NVAA Work Group is chaired by:

Mario Gaboury, Ph.D.

Chair, School of Public Safety and Professional Studies,

University of New Haven

NVAA Work Group Members include:

Jeannette Adkins

(formerly) National Organization for Victim Assistance

Dana DeHart, Ph.D.

Center for Child and Family Studies

University of South Carolina

Steve Derene

National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators

Christine Edmunds

Independent Consultant

Carroll Ann Ellis

Independent Consultant

Nancy Lewis

Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA)

Janice Harris Lord

Independent Consultant

Ada Pecos Melton

American Indian Development Associates

Brenda Muhammad

Atlanta Victim Witness Assistance, Inc.

Kevin O'Brien, Ed.D.

National Center for Victims of Crime

Anne Seymour

Justice Solutions, Inc.

Eidell Wasserman, Ph.D.

Independent Consultant