Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 4 - ADMINISTRATION › Part VII - Governor's Office › Chapter 17 - Women's Services › Subchapter B - Family Violence Program Minimum Standards › Section VII-1730 - Intervention Services

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Basic
				  Considerations. These standards assure quality intervention services provided
				  within family violence programs.
B.
				  Standards
1. General
a. The first priority of the staff is
				  immediate response and accessibility for a hotline caller.
b. A family violence program provides a back
				  up system for use during emergencies. A supervisor or designee is available "on
				  call" by way of pager or in some manner of contact that allows for immediate
				  response. Each program establishes a protocol that defines criteria and steps
				  for using the back-up system.
c.
				  Family violence programs keep a record of individual and group supervision for
				  shelter employees. Supervision is implemented no less than monthly for
				  part-time employees (20 or less in a week) and biweekly for full-time
				  employees. Documentation of supervision for volunteers is recorded and
				  implemented as if they were part time employees.
d. Documentation of staff/volunteer
				  supervision reflects the fact that the supervision took place and a listing of
				  general subject(s) covered in the session in the personnel or volunteer's file.
				  In the event of problems related to staff performance, documentation is
				  performed according to the program's personnel policies.
e. A protocol is developed by each program
				  for safe travel of survivors. Protocols contain a provision for survivor travel
				  to the shelter for intake. Further, the protocol reflects survivors need for
				  local travel whether provided by themselves, the program or public/private
				  carriers.
f. Programs document the
				  attempt to provide an exit interview with each survivor prior to their
				  departure. Minimum categories of exit interview include, but are not limited
				  to, an assessment of programs, services, treatment by staff (respectful,
				  helpful, available), knowledge of staff in the areas of dynamics of family
				  violence, children's services, safety planning, and goal planning. This is
				  completed by the survivor through use of a survivor friendly survey. The exit
				  interview provides for a revision of the survivor's safety plan (inclusive of
				  children's safety issues) and linkage to outreach and/or follow up services
				  provided by the family violence program and other community resources. These
				  items are listed in detail on an exit interview form. The exit interview survey
				  and form is approved by OWS and LCADV.
g. Advocacy, case management and counseling
				  services of family violence programs are empowerment-based and survivor
				  directed. Empowerment-based intervention refers to survivor-directed
				  interventions or services in which the survivor or recipient of services
				  receives the support and assistance of trained staff who provide safety
				  planning, assistance with meeting physical and emotional needs, education
				  regarding the dynamics of domestic violence and living skills based on a case
				  by case assessment. Empowerment also means allowing the survivor to make her
				  own life choices within the basic eligibility guidelines of the program without
				  coercion or threat of loss of services provided by the program.
h. Participation in intervention services
				  shall be voluntary.
i. Methodology
i. Intervention services are provided in a
				  manner best suited for individual survivors.
ii. The methods selected is provided only
				  with approval of survivors.
iii.
				  Family violence shelters/nonresidential services and outreach services include
				  individual and group intervention services.
iv. Sessions are provided, as appropriate, to
				  individual survivors.
v. Shelter
				  residents are notified in writing that they have at least one hour per day,
				  five days per week of individual sessions available to them at their request.
				  Such sessions are provided by staff trained in techniques of individual,
				  one-on-one intervention and focus on issues of safety planning for the survivor
				  and dependents, physical and emotional needs assessment, planning for meeting
				  those needs, education on the dynamics of family violence and knowledge of
				  community resources with phone numbers provided and available for survivors and
				  children.
vi. Group sessions for
				  survivors and their dependents (separately) are provided, as appropriate, no
				  less than once a week.
vii.
				  Shelters provide developmentally appropriate, multi-age play groups for
				  children on a daily basis during the week. Child care is provided during the
				  parent's initial intake and individual and group sessions if play groups are
				  not available during that time.
j. Restricted Methods
i. Couples counseling, in any form, is not
				  provided by family violence programs.
ii. Family counseling that includes the
				  presence of an alleged batterer is not provided by a family violence
				  program.
iii. Mediation services
				  are not provided or accommodated by family violence programs.
iv. Batterer Intervention Services are not
				  allowed to take place on or near the premises of the family violence program.
				  Furthermore, individual staff is not allowed to work with both survivors and
				  batterers. Job descriptions for individual family violence program staff
				  working with survivors and their dependents do not include work with the
				  abusers. No staff whose responsibility it is to provide direct services to
				  survivors, or to supervise or direct programs for survivors, is allowed to
				  participate in or lead batterer intervention program services. These two
				  programs remain entirely separate so that it is apparent to survivors that
				  there is no conflict of interest within the program or staff. This does not,
				  however, preclude staff from overseeing, for the purposes of holding
				  accountable, batterer intervention program services.
k. Types of Intervention Services
i. Advocacy is defined as the performance of
				  direct intervention in behalf of and with the permission of survivors, to
				  further goals and objectives initiated by the survivor.
(a). Advocacy contacts addressed to
				  individuals or groups not directly employed by the family violence program are
				  not initiated without the survivor's direct permission. Proof of permission is
				  provided by program staff by the recording of such on an approved Release of
				  Confidential Information Form.
(b).
				  Advocates provide only information necessary to achieve the goal of each
				  individual advocacy contact.
ii. Counseling is defined as any individual
				  or group interaction facilitated by program staff for the purpose of addressing
				  emotional needs of adult or child users of services.
(a). Crisis Counseling
(b). Peer Counseling
(c). Supportive Counseling
(d). Educational Counseling
iii. Case Management is defined as
				  any individual or group interaction facilitated by program staff for the
				  purpose of assisting survivors with assessing needs, setting priorities, goal
				  setting, implementing objectives, locating resources, or performing any
				  activities pertaining to the accomplishment of goals. Case management is based
				  upon survivor-identified goals and not a standardized or 'cookie cutter'
				  formula. Case management shall reflect, at least the following:
(a). identify and prioritize survivor's
				  needs, including safety planning;
(b). identify resources available to
				  survivors;
(c). develop goals and
				  objectives specific to the survivors' own goals and record these in a
				  program-approved service plan;
(d).
				  staff internal and external referrals to assist in goal/objective
				  achievement;
(e). correlation with
				  survivor's length of stay, if in a shelter;
(f). progression toward completion of
				  survivor's goals and objectives;
(g). adaptation to survivor's changing needs,
				  as appropriate.
l. Provision of Services
i. Each survivor in a shelter will be
				  assigned a resident-advocate/counselor. This staff person is available to meet
				  with the survivor daily, Monday through Friday. Daily face-to-face interaction
				  with the survivor is made available to her in order to check on her safety and
				  other needs and to offer to schedule a meeting time. If the survivor works, the
				  survivor's advocate/counselor may contact survivor via telephone or visiting at
				  workplace if this is desirable and chosen by the survivor.
ii. In the event that a advocate/counselor is
				  sick or on vacation, it is that advocate/counselor's responsibility to make
				  sure that another staff member meets with the survivor on that day. This is
				  documented in the survivor's file.
iii. Empowerment advocacy does not mean the
				  advocate/counselor sits and waits for the survivor to come to her office. Many
				  times survivors of family violence need assistance to ask for the things they
				  need and need to have this modeled for them. This is the advocate/counselor's
				  responsibility to daily offer and model empowerment to survivors.
m. Appointments and Availability
				  of Services
i. Intervention staff, whether
				  shelter or nonresidential, is provided during times when most survivors need to
				  access and receive services. Survivors are informed of the process by which
				  they may gain access, informally and by appointment, to advocates within the
				  program in which they are receiving services.
ii. At the time appointments are made, staff
				  assists individual survivors in developing a safety plan, as necessary, for
				  traveling to and from appointments.