Policies and Best Prac/ces to Screen Survivors with Disabili/es for Domes/c Violence, Sexual Assault & Stalking June 24, 2014 Project CARE (Community, Accessibility, Responsiveness, Educa;on) Suzanne Hopkins, Project CARE Manager PROJECTCAREPROJECTCARE Project CARE (Community, Accessibility, Response, Educa/on) Who, What and Where is Project CARE? Who is Project CARE? PROJECTCARE’SNEEDSASSESSMENTANDPHASEIINITIATIVESPROJECTCARE’SNEEDSASSESSMENTANDPHASEIINITIATIVES Project CARE’s Phase I Ini/a/ves Grant FY 2007 -Ââ€2010 Ø Based on our Needs Assessment in 2009, CARE iden;fied 3 ini;a;ves to be implemented by our 5 sites of change: – Reviews Ini*a*ve – Policies and prac*ces Ini*a*ve – Training Ini*a*ve CARE’s Needs Assessment ØTo understand what changes its partner organiza;ons must make to become welcoming and accessible ØTo iden;fy the needs and strengths of the agencies and staff that serve these women, and inves;gated opportuni;es for Project CARE partner organiza;ons to improve their effec;veness as a network Quotes from Staff Quotes from Staff (2) Project CARE’s Phase II Ini/a/ves Grant FY 2011 -Ââ€2014 ØBased on remaining gaps, in 2011, CARE iden;fied four strategic ini;a;ves to be implemented by our 5 sites of change: 1. Screening Ini*a*ve 2. Warm Referral Ini*a*ve 3. Safety Planning Ini*a*ve 4. Risk-Ââ€Reduc*on and Preven*on Services Ini*a*ve Policies to Screen for Violence Against Women at Disability Agencies • Screening • Safety Accommoda/ons • Training • Collabora/on SCREENING AND TRAUMA INFORMED SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING • POLICY – Screening • Private, confiden;al screening • Mandatory Repor;ng Requirements • Informa;on about domes;c violence, in;mate partner violence, sexual assault, or stalking SCREENING AND TRAUMA INFORMED SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING • POLICY – Safety Accommoda/ons • Accommoda;ons or changes to standard opera;ng procedures or policies – Physical safety, confiden;ality of residence/other records, and limita;ons on means of communica;on • Website and appropriate materials SCREENING AND TRAUMA INFORMED SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING • POLICY – Training • the prevalence and dynamics of domes;c violence • trauma-Ââ€informed services and screening policy and procedures related to domes;c violence • appropriate responses to individuals who experience domes;c violence • best prac;ces regarding safety, autonomy, and repor;ng requirements • local resources available to address domes;c violence SCREENING AND TRAUMA INFORMED SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING • POLICY – Collabora/on • CARE’s two disability-Ââ€service partner agencies value collabora;on and state in their screening policies that they will make efforts to collaborate with agencies that serve individuals experiencing violence/abuse and with advocates and self-Ââ€advocates in order to provide the best possible service to survivors. Serving Survivors with Disabili*es and Deaf Survivors Screening Policy Universal Screening for Accommoda/on Needs PROJECTCARE’SPHASEIIINITIATIVESSCREENINGINDIVIDUALSWITHDISABILITIESFOR VIOLENCEPROJECTCARE’SPHASEIIINITIATIVESSCREENINGINDIVIDUALSWITHDISABILITIESFOR VIOLENCE Screening Protocol Ques/on Assessment Policy to Procedure Screening Protocol Assessment • Why create it? • What is it? • What does it address? Why Create a Screening Protocol Assessment? • Tool enables disability service providers to use best prac;ce in screening individuals for abuse, violence or stalking • Tool prevents and eliminates the barriers which individuals with disabili;es encounter when receiving the services and supports they need How was the Assessment Created? • Created by a commi[ee consis;ng of disability agency providers (Hamilton County Developmental Disabili;es Services & Center for Independent Living Op;ons) and violence preven;on agencies (University Hospital SANE, Women Helping Women, YWCA Ba[ered Women’s Shelter). • Assessment accepted by all agency partners. NoI&R.NoI&R. When and Who to Screen Hamilton County Developmental Disabili/es Services • When to screen – When flagged from intake – With the monitoring tool • Who is to be screened – Individuals must be 18 years orolder & have graduated HighSchool. – Individuals with physicaldisabili;es. – Individuals with mild intellectual disabili;es. – Individuals with moderate intellectual disabili;es (asappropriate) – All individuals designated as“High Risk†– Center for Independent Living Op/ons • When to screen – All Screenings should take place upon intake • Who is to be screened – Everyone who is a consumer or who is becoming a consumer should receive this screening Guidelines to Conduc/ng the Screening Conversa/on Before beginning the ques;ons on this assessment, thefollowing informa;on must be conveyed to the person being screened: • The reason for asking these ques;ons is to help keepthem safe. • Explain to the individual what confiden/ality means and explain mandatory repor/ng requirements Due to the sensi;ve nature of this screening, … – It is profoundly important to allow the individual to direct the dialogue and; – PLEASE DO NOT use this screening tool as a “rote†exercise... Developing Screening Ques/ons General Assessment • First four ques;ons are soi introductory ques;ons Developing Screening Ques/ons Primary Ques/ons • Gradually progress to more specific and personal ques;ons to iden;fy if individual may be experiencing any forms of abuse: – Verbal – Physical – Sexual – Stalking – Neglect – Financial Exploita;on Purpose of the Full Screening Ques/on Assessment • 11 primary ques;ons to assist disability professionals to comfortably & professionally screen for signs of DV, stalking, sexual/ physical assault, and financial/emo;onal abuse. • If individual discloses abuse, advocate is guided to the appropriate step on the warm referral form to refer the survivor to a violence preven;on agency. Warm Referral Form ? Purpose of the Abridged Screening Ques/on Assessment • 4 primary ques;ons to assist disability professionals to comfortably & professionally screen for signs of DV, stalking, sexual/ physical assault, and financial/emo;onal abuse. • If individual discloses abuse, staff will proceed to conduct the full screening assessment and provide a warm referral to a violence preven;on agency. OVERCOMINGCHALLENGESTOSCREENINGOVERCOMINGCHALLENGESTOSCREENING Building a Comfort Level in Screening Survivors with Disabili/es for Domes/c Violence Project CARE presented a ‘Chat and Chew’ with the staff of Hamilton County Development Disabili;es Services Step-Ââ€by-Ââ€Step Guide on the Process of Screening Eight Step Process to Screening Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabili;es Empowering Reasons and Helpful Guidelines to Screen 4times more likely to use an interven;on 2.6times more likely to exit the abusive rela;onship (Slide adapted from Futures Without Violence) (McClosky et al. 2006) 32 Framing the Ques/ons Introduce the topic of Screening for Domes.c Violence, In.mate Partner Violence, Da.ng Violence, Sexual Assault & Stalking with a framing statement to put the issue in context and to normalize the screening process. What If the Individual Denies Domes*c Violence? 1. Accept the response. 2. If you are s/ll concerned that abuse is occurring… Screening Protocol and Safety Planning Implementa/on Booster Trainings • Comfort Meter & Barrier Exercise • How Can Screening Benefit The Individuals You Serve? • Major Unusual Incident (MUI) Protocol & Its Approach to Support the Violence Against Women Philosophy • Screening Protocol and Warm Referral Process • Warm Referral Panel • Safety Planning Exercise and Par;cipant Role Play Advocate Guide Safety Planning Pull-Ââ€Out Page Self-Ââ€Advocates Voices: Screening for Violence Video RESULTSFROM SCREENINGFOR VIOLENCEAGAINSTINDIVIDUALSWITHDISABILITIESRESULTSFROM SCREENINGFOR VIOLENCEAGAINSTINDIVIDUALSWITHDISABILITIES Safety Planning Outcome Measurement Tracking • CARE created an Outcome Measurement Tracking System tool for each site of change to formally use to be[er track vic;ms/survivors served star;ng in July 2013. • As a result of this Tracking System tool, 281 survivors received support services from July to December 2013. • Just alone in the first half of this year, the CARE partners’ staff has aggregately served 221 survivors with disabili;es. Safety Planning • Applicable Safety Planning tool templates • Advocates Guide Safety Plan for Individuals with Intellectual Disabili/es Checklist of Things to Take When Leaving an Abusive Rela/onship Ques/ons Thank You! Suzanne Hopkins, Project CARE Manager shopkins@ywcacin.org 513.361.2117 This project is support by Grant No. 2007-Ââ€FW-Ââ€AX-Ââ€K002 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, â€Educa;on, Training and Enhanced Services to End Violence Against and Abuse of Women with Disabili;es Grant,†U.S. Department of Jus;ce.