TVSA 20 th Anniversary Celebration & Biannual Conference *Workshops are subject to change without notice. Title Integrating Evidence-Based Practices into Victim Services Thea James, MD National Network of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs Moving Towards a More Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice System Response to Victims/Survivors Leana Bouffard, PhD Crime Victims Institute, Sam Houston State University Collaborating between Systems and Community Based Organizations Rose Trevino Michael Rainer Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division Informed, Present and Heard: Advancing Victims Rights in Texas Description This workshop will discuss the importance of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and how incorporating EBPs can enhance organizational practice, direct services, and program sustainability. Presenters will highlight how the response of criminal justice system actors to victims/survivors influences use of services, case processing, and case outcomes. Presenters will describe research examining how criminal justice actors (especially police and courts) typically perceive and respond to victims/survivors and how specific training may change those perceptions. The workshop will promote broader collaboration among and between systems-based and community-based organizations. The workshop will discuss the victim experience throughout the criminal justice system, the victims experience and the importance of understanding the strengths and services provided by systems-based organization and community-based organizations. Victim services professionals must understand crime victims rights and promote their availability in communities. In this interactive workshop, participants will examine victims rights using a new tool and discuss how to use it to move the criminal justice system to one where victims are
Brooke King, MA Texas Council on Family Violence Karen Kalergis, MA Mani Partners Strategic Communications Emergency Medical Care Reimbursement Manny Trevino Texas Office of the Attorney General informed, present and heard. The medical costs associated with the forensic sexual assault examination are not covered by the law enforcement agency and the victim may be held financially responsible for those costs. Victims may seek reimbursement from the CVC program as either a CVC claim or an Emergency Medical Care claim. Victim Offender Mediation Dialogue in Texas Lauren Bledsoe, LMSW Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division Removing Barriers of Care and Transforming Services for Survivors of Violent Crime Aswad Thomas, MSW Alliance for Safety and Justice Specialty Courts for Sexually Exploited Individuals: An Overview of Survivors Acquiring Freedom & Empowerment (SAFE) Court Lisa Muftic, PhD Sam Houston State University What we have learned from our Adult Violent Death Review Team The TDCJ Victim Services Division provides the Victim Offender Mediation Dialogue Program in accordance with a crime victim's right to request a meeting with the offender responsible for their victimization. This workshop will provide information about the VOMD program including policies, case initiation, case processes, and referrals to VOMD. The University of California San Francisco General Hospital TRC model includes assertive outreach to identify and engage the hardest-to-reach victims of crime, clinical case management for all services (including medical, legal, financial, and others), and evidence-based psychotherapy. Assertive outreach breaks down the barrier of the office visit by engaging clients in the community, including in their homes or in homeless encampments, while TRC clinicians provide a single point of contact for all services. A flexible, coordinated, trauma- informed approach allows clinicians to tailor services to patients individual needs, providing victims of crime with the services and supports that are most important to them while eliminating the barriers to treatment that often prevent patients from accessing traditional services. The TRC utilizes a multidisciplinary staff of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers and Outreach Workers. SAFE Court combines a specialty court therapeutic model with supervised intervention for individuals charged with misdemeanor prostitution (sellers) in Harris County between the ages of 17-25. This workshop provides an overview of SAFE Court including the court s development and implementation, client characteristics, treatment needs and outcomes (program compliance, completion and recidivism), and challenges/opportunities for change. Understanding the need for an Adult Violent Death Review Team focusing on creating and maintaining a team through changes in personal, administrations and trends using the Harris
Amy Smith Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council Essential Leadership Traits for Managing in an Ever-Changing Workplace Natacha Pelaez-Wagner, MEd Texas Victim Services Association County Team by reviewing its current findings and recommendations. We work in a fast-paced, ever changing environment. The workplace of today is different from even ten years ago. This workshop will present essential leadership traits for managers in order to be effective in a rapidly changing environment. Transformative Leadership: Building Connection Christina Coultas, MSSW Texas Association Against Sexual Assault ALL Are Welcome: Including the LGBT+ population when providing services Karla Payne, MS, LPC K Danz Cruz Open Arms Rape Crisis Center & LGBT+ Services Language Matters: From Reporting to Healing Haleh Cochran Tonia Cunningham, MA Frisco Police Department Transformative leadership within all organizations is key to improving accountability, sharing trust, and building a shared vision. This workshop will develop a deeper understanding of conscious leadership through interactive tools and exercises that enhance skills to build trust, sharing a common vision, and connecting everyone to the deeper meaning of their work. In this workshop that includes lecture, activities and handouts, participants will learn terms that are used in the LGBT+ community. Participants will also learn about issues the LGBT+ community face, how to implement LGBT+ inclusive materials at their agency, and how to reach out to the LGBT+ community. The language we use can either reinforce negative beliefs or serve as a catalyst to empower survivors. Participants will be able to analyze language used in the field and gain tools to improve or enhance their response. This presentation will also discuss the impact of language from the courts to the community. Civil Legal Remedies for Victims Maricarmen Garza, JD Texas RioGrande Legal Aid As victim advocates, it is our role to help a victim identify the issues that affect them and to help them identify solutions which may restore them. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system, as important as it is to insure accountability and safety, it often does not resolve all the victim s issues nor does it restore victims. It is important for victim advocates to be familiar with civil
legal remedies available to their clients to complement or as an alternative to criminal justice prosecution. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and its Intersection with the Child Welfare System Victoria Walker National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Participants will gain knowledge of the free resources provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in cases of trafficked youth. Additionally, participants will learn how to identify children at risk of trafficking, as well as resources for preventing the foster care to commercial sex trade pipeline. South Asian Victims and the Extended Family Approach Nusrat Ameen, PhD Daya, Inc. Interpersonal Communication for Victim Services Supervisors Derrelynn Perryman, MSSW, LCSW-S Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney s Office Don t Run With Scissors Derrelynn Perryman, MSSW, LCSW-S Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney s Office It Wasn t Rape because She Came : The Myth of Arousal in Sexualized Violence Andrew Pari, LCSW Sexual Assault Awareness, LLC The Ultimate Pyramid Scheme: Capitalizing on South Asian Victims and the Extended Family Approach- To provide culturally competent services; providers should integrate their knowledge of intimate partner violence with an immigrant victim s unique barriers and needs. An extended family approach is an innovative way to serve South Asian victims and other victims with diverse cultural needs. Individuals who work in victim services have differing behavioral/interpersonal/personality styles. Clear, effective communication with supervisees is essential to quality supervision. This interactive workshop will explore different styles and focus on interactions with supervisees that are most likely to achieve the best possible outcome. Interagency disharmony and conflict has the potential to harm victim services providers, agencies, and most importantly, victims. Sometimes situations arise that require careful strategies to repair or preserve relationships with agency partners. In this workshop we will explore causes and possible remedies for some tough dilemmas. Arousal is the least understood phenomenon and the most devastating for the SA survivor. Misinterpretation throughout the legal system creates barriers to investigation, prosecution, and conviction. This presentation dispels widely-held myths, discusses the arousal mechanism, and provides practitioners and investigators with tools to combat these myths in treatment and investigation. There is an actual monetary value attached to helping victims rebuild their lives, whether it s the
Relationships to Serve Victims Dua Quraishi, MS Jazton Heard Missouri City Police Department A Multidisciplinary Approach to Promoting Justice for Victims of Criminal HIV Transmission Diane Reeve, MEd, RN The Turning Point, Collin County Rape Crisis Center Holistic Approach to Investigating Intimate Partner Violence Cory Kraft, MA Tonia Cunningham, MA Frisco Police Department cost of bed or the bus fare to safety. This workshop teaches attendees how to capitalize on limited resources and develop mutually beneficial relationships with key players to fill the gaps in service. No HIV specific laws in Texas exist. Therefore, it is necessary for multiple agencies to collaborate in cases of intentional HIV transmission. This presentation features a high profile case where the teamwork between law-enforcement, victim services, medical and counselors secured a conviction for an HIV predator and justice for multiple victims. Holding offenders accountable is about more than just collecting evidence. When detectives and victim service professionals work cases together it increases the likelihood that both the criminal justice system and the victim receives what is needed to move forward. The presentation will focus on best practices of collaboration. The Art of Effective Meetings Natacha Pelaez-Wagner, MEd Texas Victim Services Association Procedural Justice in Domestic Violence Cases Kimberly A.F. Piechowiak, JD Texas Office of Court Administration With ever-growing workloads and limited hours in a work day, meetings can make or break productivity and work flow. Mastering the art of effective meetings can help you and your organization to accomplish more in less time, and with clear direction for all involved. A perceived lack of procedural justice in domestic violence cases can have deadly consequences for victims and their families. This session will discuss the intersection of procedural justice and domestic violence, and how being mindful of their correlation can improve both justice system perceptions and outcomes for the parties involved.