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1. Introduction Training aides:
- PowerPoint slides (25)
- DVD: “Lethality Assessment: ‘Something’s Going to Happen…”
Accompanying documents:
- Video Study Guide (stop-and-go, or continuous)
- DVSP Activity Packet
Handouts:
- Lethality Screen
- “Lethality Assessment Program: DVSP Communication Guidelines”
- Safety Planning Considerations and Safety Planning Checklist
- National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
Additional materials:
- Sticky Notes
- Two pieces of paper, one labeled “DV Incident” and the other labeled “Victim Safety”
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- Tape (to attach the pieces of paper to a wall)
- Pens, blank sheets of paper
- Internet connectivity
Handouts (one per participant):
- Lethality Screen
- “Lethality Assessment Program: DVSP Communication Guidelines”
- Safety Planning Considerations and Safety Planning Checklist
- National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
Briefly share with the participants why your program decided to introduce the LAP as a standard of practice to benefit victims of domestic violence, and which counties or service areas have law enforcement agencies that are also implementing.
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2. Learning Objectives TRAINER NOTES:
The essential goals of the training are for your staff to understand the LAP protocol and to feel ready to implement the LAP successfully. In order to do that, we’re going to explain each part of the LAP, how to respond to hotline calls, and what you should do after the call.
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3. What is LAP: Maryland Model? TRAINER NOTES:
• “Lethality assessment” is the identification of victims who are at the highest risk of being killed by their abuser.
• The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP)—Maryland Model offers a user-friendly, evidence-based instrument for law enforcement to:
1. Identify victims of intimate partner violence who are at the greatest risk of being killed, and
2. Encourage them to utilize the services of a domestic violence service program (DVSP)
• It is important to distinguish between assessing for lethality and re-assault. o Abusive relationships are characterized by a pattern of assaultive or
coercive behavior o Some risk factors for re-assault are different than risk factors for homicide o A much smaller minority of cases involve re-assault that escalates to
homicide
• Discussion Questions: How many domestic violence calls does the hotline get? Of those calls, how many calls did an assault not occur? Of those calls, how many do you get where people have been assaulted? How many of your clients have been killed? Does everyone get killed in a domestic violence situation? Do you believe that there are varying types of domestic violence [or abuse]?
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o Point: That domestic violence is not all the same.
• The goal of Lethality Assessment is to identify victims of domestic violence who are at the greatest risk of being killed (not necessarily of being re-assaulted) and connect them to services.
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4. Lisa’s 911 call MATERIALS NEEDED:
• Internet connectivity
TRAINER NOTES:
Alert the audience that this video contains disturbing audio from a 911 call from a child as she witnesses her mother and sister be abused by her stepfather. If participants will be uncomfortable, they may feel free to leave the room.
Play Lisa’s 911 video. The video should play within the PowerPoint when you click on the “play” button from the slide. If not, the link to the YouTube video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_ht2vAYPoc
Purpose: Use this case to convey to hotline advocates the serious lethal nature of some domestic violence situations. This video provides a foundation for the rest of the presentation, which explores how your community can prevent lethal outcomes. It also sets up a discussion about why hotline calls from LAP-identified victims will be different than “normal” hotline calls.
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5. The Evidence Tells Us TRAINER NOTES:
Intimate partner homicides occur primarily in situations with specific, predictable factors. This knowledge makes homicides predictable, because research demonstrates that certain factors are present in intimate partner relationships that lead to homicide or attempted homicide.
Because one of the basic premises of the LAP is that intimate partner homicide is predictable, it is also preventable if evidence-based, proactive protocols are applied to identify and respond to High-Danger situations.
Here are some statistics that help us make the case that intimate partner homicide is predictable and preventable.
PREDICTABLE
• For between 28-33% of victims, the homicide or attempted homicide was the first act of violence.
o A complementary statistic is that 83% of victims of near-homicide, regardless of whether they had been assaulted by their abuser before the homicide attempt, reported that their abusers had exhibited jealous, controlling, or stalking behavior.
o This communicates that physical violence is not the most accurate predictor of homicide.
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o The Lethality Screen reflects this. There is only one question on the Screen—the one about choking—that gets at physical violence.
o Thus, the Screen is especially insightful at revealing homicide risk for those victims where assault hasn’t occurred, but perhaps a constellation of other lethality predictors are endangering the victim’s life.
[Nicolaidis, C., Curry, M.A., Ulrich, Y., Sharps, P., McFarlane, J., Campbell, D., Gary, F., Laughon, K., Glass, N., & Campbell, J.C. (2003). Could we have known? A qualitative analysis of data from women who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner. Journal of General Internal Medicine 18, 788-794.
[Sharps, P. W., Koziol-McLain, J., Campbell, J. C., McFarlane, J., Sachs, C., & Xu, X. (2001). Missed opportunities for prevention of femicide by health care providers. Preventive Medicine 33, 373-80.”]
PREVENTABLE
• In the year prior to the homicide, more than 44% of abusers were arrested, and almost one-third of victims contacted the police.
o These contacts with the criminal justice system demonstrate missed opportunities to identify victims of highest risk of being killed by their intimate partners.
[Sharps, P. W., Koziol-McLain, J., Campbell, J. C., McFarlane, J., Sachs, C., & Xu, X. (2001). Missed opportunities for prevention of femicide by health care providers. Preventive Medicine 33, 373-80.”]
• Alternatively, only 4% of abused victims had used a DV hotline or shelter within the year prior to being killed by an intimate partner.
o This statistic complements the “missed opportunities” statistic above because it shows that High-Danger victims aren’t self-initiating contact with DV-specific resources.
o They do, however, come in contact much more often with law enforcement.
o The LAP capitalizes on the contact that law enforcement has with High-Danger victims in the field, and connects High-Danger victims who might not have otherwise reached out for with local resources.
[Sharps, P. W., Koziol-McLain, J., Campbell, J. C., McFarlane, J., Sachs, C., & Xu, X. (2001). Missed opportunities for prevention of femicide by health care providers. Preventive Medicine 33, 373-80.”]
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• Women who went to shelter were significantly less likely to experience re-assault than those who did not go to shelter.
o We know that High-Danger victims aren’t initiating contact with DV resources.
o This fact, though, is encouraging in that when victims do go in for services, their risk of severe and non-severe assault diminishes.
o That is the main objective of the LAP—to get victims into services
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6. Counting the Differences TRAINER NOTES:
- Police on the scene deal with a victim who is different than the victim who calls the hotline when they’re ready. They are different, or not ready, because they are likely pre-contemplative or contemplative.
- Additionally, an officer-initiated hotline call might be occurring:
o On the heels of a volatile, dynamic situation. Refer back to “Lisa’s call”
o When the police are in the home
o When the children are present, and upset
o When the abuser is lurking, or under arrest
o When the victim is not “ready” to talk, and thus may not listen
o When the pressure to get the victim into services is higher, or more urgent
- We initially “assumed” that hotline advocates knew how to communicate with victims from the scene on the phone because that was their job.
- We slowly came to understand we made an incorrect assumption and determined that we had to create guidelines to assist hotline advocates.
- It is important to be aware of how victims may have been impacted by trauma.
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o Trauma-informed care involves recognizing that a victim’s perceptions of and reactions to her/his situation, and her/his willingness to receive help, are deeply affected by the victim’s experience of trauma (often multiple traumatic events).
o Traumatic stress, especially when the result of chronic perpetration of emotional or physical violence by an intimate partner, can make a victim deeply distrustful of help, aggressive, self-deprecating, etc.
o When we use a trauma-informed care lens, we start to see a victim’s behaviors that seem maladaptive rather as adaptive, and often a creative means of survival.
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7. Stages of Change TRAINER NOTES:
- It is common for officers/advocates to feel frustrated with victims who seem unwilling to cooperate or seek help.
- There are many reasons why victims might not be ready or able to step away from an abusive relationship.
- Financial dependence - Fear of what will happen to the kids - Lack of job skills - Nowhere to turn (unaware of local resources, abuser has isolated victim
from systems of social support) - Threats of deportation (if an immigrant) - Emotional attachment to the abuser - Victim may also see abuse as “normal” or that she/he is “deserving” of
abuse - They are in love - Hopeful that the abuser will change
- People at different stages of readiness to change need different interventions. - It is important to meet the victim at her/his level.
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- Keeping in mind the Stages of Change theory will help officers/advocates ensure that their interactions with victims and the help they offer are sensitive and appropriate to the victim’s situation.
- Pre-contemplation: The victim does not think there is a problem; is not yet considering change or is unwilling or unable to change.
- Motivational strategies for advocate: Establish rapport, ask permission and build trust. Express concern and keep the door open. Offer factual information about the risks of domestic violence. Explore pros and cons of relationship. Increase awareness of need for change. Personalize risks and benefits.
- The victim likely doesn’t recognize that she/he is a victim and does not identify with language like “victim,” “abuser,” “domestic violence.” Try to mirror the victim’s language (if it isn’t victim-blaming)
- Contemplation: The victim acknowledges concerns and is considering the possibility of change but is ambivalent and uncertain. The victim is considering change.
- Motivational strategies for advocate: Motivate the victim by exploring her/his unique barriers to leaving and pros/cons of staying. Emphasize the victim’s right to make her/his own choices. Encourage the victim to make specific plans.
- Preparation: The victim is committed to and planning to make a change in the near future but is still considering what to do.
- Motivational strategies for advocate: Assist the victim in developing concrete action plans. Help to set gradual goals (e.g., create a safety plan, obtain a protective order). Clarify the victim’s own goals and strategies for change. Provide a variety of options. Help to reduce potential barriers. Help the victim enlist social support. Explore with the victim what strategies have worked in the past.
- Action: The victim is actively taking steps to change but has not yet reached a stable state.
- Motivational strategies for advocate: Help the victim problem solve. Provide social support and reinforcement. Support a realistic view of change through small steps. Acknowledge difficulties for the client in early stages of change. Review IPV education. Encourage increased and consistent support via hotline, therapy, and crisis counseling sessions.
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- Maintenance: The victim has achieved initial goals, such as leaving, and is now working to maintain goals.
- Motivational strategies for advocate: Assist in coping. Provide reminders. Help to identify alternatives. Support changes that the victim has made. Maintain supportive contacts. Discuss long-term goals with the victim.
- In all stages, it is incredibly important to PRAISE, VALIDATE, and NORMALIZE the victim’s trauma reactions and feelings.
- The way a victim passes through the Stages of Change is not necessarily linear.
- A victim, prompted by a particularly traumatizing or scary incident that night, might move from pre-contemplation to action and go into shelter that night, swearing off ever speaking with the abuser again. A couple weeks later, after the tension has diffused and the abuser has had the chance to make promises to change, the victim might go back into contemplation—knowing now what he’s capable of, that she wants to leave eventually, but might say it’s not “bad enough yet” to take concrete steps toward making that a long-term reality.
** It is not necessary for your programs/agencies to endorse this theory, as it is not a cornerstone of the LAP protocol. Many of our Maryland programs use it to sensitize their staff and police officers from partner agencies to the reality that many of the victims who police encounter “in the field” might not recognize that what they’re experiencing is abuse, nor will they be ready to leave (and even if they are ready to leave, they might backslide back into the relationship for numerous reasons before they’re able to leave for good).
[Source: Dr. Andrea Gielen, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.]
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8. How the LAP Works: Video NO NOTES
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9. Video itself MATERIALS NEEDED:
• Video Study Guide • Materials needed for opening activity:
o Sticky Notes o Two pieces of paper, one labeled “DV Incident” and the other labeled
“Victim Safety” o Tape (to attach the pieces of paper to a wall)
TRAINER NOTES: Show video, and use Video Study Guide (either the “stop-and-go” version, which allows you to pause and pose scene-relevant questions to the group; or the “continuous” version, which is designed to save Q&A activities until the end of the viewing) to guide discussion.
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10. When to Initiate the LAP TRAINER NOTES:
The LAP is initiated only in cases of intimate partner relationships (i.e., husband-wife; separated or divorced husband-wife; boyfriend-girlfriend; ex-boyfriend-girlfriend; dating and cohabitating relationships; same-sex relationships; children in common).
There also must be some manifestation of danger:
1. When the officer believes there’s been an assault or other act of domestic violence.
This standard is much lower than a showing of probable cause. The officer simply needs to believe the incident occurred, but does not need to have any demonstrable evidence or proof.
2. When the officer believes the victim faces danger once they leave.
Officers and advocates often feel uncomfortable when they leave or disconnect with the victim from the scene. They are uncomfortable because they sense that the victim is in danger and will be harmed, but feel helpless to act because the victim does not “want” their help.
3. When the home or parties are repeats, or
The concern with this condition is the issue of escalation and the danger that escalation poses to the victim.
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4. When the officer’s gut tells them the situation is dangerous.
When we say “gut” we mean a practitioner’s training, experience and instincts as a professional and as a human being.
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11. Lethality Screen MATERIALS NEEDED:
• DVSP Activity Packet • Lethality Screen for each participant
TRAINER NOTES:
- The Lethality Screen is an evidence-based field instrument designed to identify victims of intimate partner violence who are at the greatest risk of being killed by their partners.
- The Lethality Screen contains those factors that are most predictive of homicide. This means that there are particular signs that indicate that a relationship is a dangerous one, and that the involved victim is at greater risk of being killed.
- It is a field instrument modeled after Dr. Campbell’s Danger Assessment, and the research that she conducted in creating and revising the Danger Assessment. The Danger Assessment is designed for clinicians, and is used in the counseling context; the Lethality Screen is designed for first responders, and is used in the field.
- Explain the substance of the questions and why they are included on the Screen:
- The language and structure of the Screen are designed to help victims assimilate the factors that are predictive of homicide in abusive relationships. For example, #5 reads, “Has he/she ever tried to choke
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you?” While the technical term in our field is “strangle,” the Screen uses “choke” because that vocabulary is more intelligible for victims.
- A note on #7: “Have you left him/her or separated after living together or being married?” This question intends to ask the victim if they have ever left or separated from their abuser (not whether they are currently separated at the time the Screen is administered).
- Discussion Questions: What is missing from the Screen? Are there any questions that are surprising? Which question is positively answered most frequently?
- Factors that are not on the Screen, such as, alcohol and substance abuse, frequency and severity of assault, animal abuse, and pregnancy are factors that are more attributable to re-assault rather than lethality.
- Forced sex is a highly predictive lethality factor that was omitted from the Lethality Screen, as researchers and MNADV feared victims would be made uncomfortable if asked this question by an officer and, depending on the victim’s answer, that a sexual assault investigation would take the focus away from connecting victims to domestic violence resources.
- Explain the administrative aspects of the Screen. It is important for hotline advocates to know what each section of the Lethality Screen means, as they will need to complete the entire Screen for victim-initiated hotline callers, and are encouraged to fill out a Screen as a worksheet when communicating with an officer for officer-initiated LAP calls.
1. At the top of the Lethality Screen.
Complete the five boxes—officer, date, case number, victim, offender.
2. Just below the top of the Lethality Screen.
Do as the instruction reads: “Check here if victim did not answer any of the questions.” This box is checked in two instances:
• When none of the questions are answered by the victim. Encourage the victim to answer, but if she/he still declines or it is not safe to administer the screen, the administration of the Screen is complete.
3. “Check one” near the bottom of the Lethality Screen.
• We’ll go over scoring on the next slide.
4. “If the victim screened in:” at the bottom of the Lethality Screen. In EVERY case where a victim screens in as “High-Danger,” ensure to correctly check “yes” or “no” as to whether the victim spoke on the phone to the hotline advocate.
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NOTE: Sometimes a victim might provide an unclear answer, or may share information in the context of answering the Lethality Screen questions that seems to contradict a previous “yes” or “no” answer. For example, a victim might answer “no” to, “Do you think he might try to kill you?” but then later say, “When he’s choking me, I’m afraid he’ll kill me.” In situations like these, the officer/advocate should take victims at their word and still check the box corresponding to the victim’s answer (i.e., officers should not exercise discretion in interpreting victim’s answers), and note their concern on the bottom of the Screen. Even if a victim is not assessed as High-Danger on the Lethality Screen, an officer/advocate can still make a High-Danger assessment based on his/her professional experience, training, instincts, and discretion.
- Facilitate Activity #2 from the DVSP Activity Packet: 11 Questions in 2 minutes.
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12. Hotline Calls and Cut-Offs TRAINER NOTES:
It is important that advocates know how to “score” a victim’s Lethality Screen—both to understand under what circumstances an officer will be calling the hotline for a High-Danger victim, and to know how to assess victims who self-initiate calls to the hotline.
A victim’s screen answers are assessed as follows:
Yes to Q. #1, #2, or # 3 ➔ Call the hotline. A victim’s “yes” or positive response to any of Questions #1, #2, or #3 reflects a High-Danger situation and automatically signals the officer to call the hotline.
Yes to any four of Q. #4-11 ➔ Call the hotline. If the victim gives negative responses to Questions #1-3, but positive responses to at least four of Questions #4-11, that reflects a High-Danger situation and automatically signals the officer to call the hotline.
“No,” or negative responses, to all of the assessment questions, or positive responses to no more than three of Questions #4-#11, may still warrant a call to the hotline if the officer believes it is appropriate.
• This is reserved for those occasions when the victim did not answer “yes” to certain or enough questions to “screen in according to the protocol,” but the officer believes or senses, based on his/her experience and instincts, that the victim is in danger.
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• Whenever the victim has responded negatively to all questions or given positive responses to no more than three of Questions #4-#11, the officer will ask the victim the following question: “Is there anything else that worries you about your safety? (If “yes”) What worries you?” The response to the question may help the officer better determine whether to call the hotline.
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13. Gather Information from the Officer MATERIALS NEEDED:
• National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
• The phone call to a hotline worker is not the norm for the officer nor for the hotline advocate. You will grow into it, but, in the meantime, there may be a little anxiety and uncertainty about dealing with one another and with this type of call.
• Officers are assessing the victim and trying to encourage the victim to speak to you on the phone; you, as hotline advocates, are trying to account for the victim’s safety and motivate the victim to access services. Officers and advocates are a team in this effort. It is thus crucial for both to respect each other’s task at hand, and remember that you both are serving a victim who is in danger of being killed.
• Before your hotline shift starts, you should make sure there are enough copies of the National LAP Conversation Guidelines for High-Danger Victims, of the Lethality Screen, and of the Safety Planning Checklist handy.
• At the start of a High-Danger hotline call, you will BRIEFLY: o Introduce yourself to the officer o Obtain the officer’s name and use the officer’s name when speaking with
him/her. o Ask for the victim’s and offender’s names, and the case number. Fill out
this information at the top of the Lethality Screen.
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o Ask the officer to itemize the victim’s positive responses on the Lethality Screen. The officer should respond by itemizing the question number to which the victim answered yes. For example, “She answered yes to numbers 2, 4, 8, 10 and 11.”
o Ask the officer if the victim declined to answer any of the questions or gave unclear answers. The officer will respond in the same manner as before.
o Record all of this information in the appropriate boxes on your copy of the Lethality Screen.
o Ask the officer to BRIEFLY describe what occurred in the incident. The officer will provide only essential information, such as, “they got into an argument and he struck her in the face several times.” “We are making an arrest and taking him into custody.”
o Conclude by asking the officer, “Is the victim willing to speak to me?” If the victim is willing to speak, the officer will pass the phone to the victim. If the victim initially declined, the officer will ask you to wait while he/she asks the victim if the victim has reconsidered.
• It is important that you solicit this information on every officer-initiated High-Danger call. Officers have been trained to simply respond to advocates’ questions; they may not necessarily volunteer this information unless prompted.
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14. Build Rapport with the Victim MATERIALS NEEDED:
• National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
General suggestions for how to “build rapport” with victims:
- Use a soft, warm tone of voice.
- Say things like, “It sounds like you are having a tough night,” instead of generalizing the situation as a whole. Some victims can’t think yet about the totality of their situation and doing so too early may be detrimental. Focus on what the victim was feeling tonight.
- Be solution-focused but concerned about what they feel that they need right then. Ask, “What is your biggest concern RIGHT NOW?” and, “Do you have some place safe to stay tonight?”
- Then, tailor your safety considerations and an explanation of your services to the victim’s immediate situation.
- It’s important to keep the door open for victims and let them know they can come in for services at a later time if they are not ready to do so at that moment.
What these suggestions look like, practically:
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- Introduce yourself to victim.
- Thank the victim for speaking with you.
- Acknowledge you understand how difficult it is for the victim to speak with you.
- Briefly explain our program’s confidentiality policy and services. Ensure you provide the victim with the core services that the program provides (e.g., we have a 24-hour hotline, counseling and legal services, as well as a safe house).
- Empathize with victim.
- Mirror the victim’s language (unless the victim is minimizing / self-blaming). This means do not label the situation as domestic violence or the offender as an abuser if the victim isn’t receptive to hearing that. Use the victim’s language, which may be less strong than what an advocate would use “nervous” versus “scared,” “tonight” versus generalizing the relationship as a whole, etc. The victim may say things like “when he got mad,” – repeat that back instead of saying things like “when he hit you” or “when he got violent.” The victim will feel more heard and understood when you use the victim’s language.
- As always, PRAISE, VALIDATE, and NORMALIZE the victim’s trauma reactions and feelings.
- Express admiration for the victim’s courage and cooperation.
- Let the victim know that the officer and you support her/him. In conveying this point, make sure you convey to the victim that both you and the officer together are seeking to help her/him and emphasize that point by using the officer’s name (another reason why the officer should remain on the scene).
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15. Reiterate Danger of Victim’s Situation MATERIALS NEEDED:
• National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
- Express your concern for victim’s and children’s well-being.
o The possibility that the victim’s children are in danger may spur the victim to action. This becomes an even more critical element if the victim’s abuser knows he/she is not the biological father of the children. This is Q #10 on the Lethality Screen, and is a strong lethality predictor.
- Reinforce what the officer told the victim:
o That in situations like the victim’s, people have been killed.
o By reinforcing what the officer told the victim about the danger she/he is in, we are promoting the partnership and the sense of support that the victim may feel. Because the advocate cannot be sure that the officer in fact said this, the advocate may want to say as “Officer Smith may have said to you…”
o That is why it is so important to work together as a team! If both parties say almost the exact same thing, it shows the victim they are united.
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- Ask the audience: How can hotline advocates be open and honest about the potential for homicide without alienating the victim?
o It’s all in the vocabulary, and the way the message is communicated. If an advocate says, “Julie, do you realize you might die? Why do you put up with this?” the advocate might actually be genuinely concerned, but the way the message is relayed will probably push the victim away. If an officer says, “Julie, the way you answered this questions makes Officer Smith and me very concerned for your safety. I want you to know that people in your situation have been killed, and that there’s help available,” the victim will be much more willing to engage the truth in your statement. This “bold” language, when verbalized in a constructive way, opens the victim’s eyes to the seriousness of her/his situation, and to the resources she/he can access.
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16. Educate and Safety Plan MATERIALS NEEDED:
• National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
- Ask the audience: Why would a victim maybe not want to devote time to safety planning in ways that seem general rather than directed clearly at her/his abuser?
- The “standard” safety-planning tips don’t work for everyone, nor are they applicable for every victim. For example, a victim who doesn’t have a car shouldn’t be advised to back her/his car into the driveway and fill it with gas in case she/he needs to leave quickly. Nor should a victim who lives on the 15th floor of an apartment building be advised to lead arguments to a room with easy-to-escape windows.
- If a victim feels like the advocate is offering generic, situation-irrelevant information, she/he will probably not find your DV program to be a place she/he can turn for help and practical advice, and might write-off contacting you in the future.
- The credibility of the advocate/agency suffers when safety-planning doesn’t address the victim’s specific needs.
The hotline advocate will:
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- Explain that abuse (1) is not victim’s fault, (2) is an issue of power and control, and (3) is recurring (mention the cycle of violence briefly) and will become worse and more frequent. Because you do not have time to speak with the victim at length this “education” piece serves to emphasize a point in a brief fashion that the abuse is not the victim’s fault.
- Do not let the victim, without a remedial comment, rationalize or minimize the abuser’s behavior. Focus your statements on the abuser’s accountability.
- Do immediate safety planning with victim to discuss resources, services and support (over next 24-hour period).
o Keep in mind which phone the victim is using – if it is the victim’s own cell phone, the call may be recorded, so brainstorming ideas rather than getting the victim to make a specific plan to go to a specific person’s home, for example.
- If victim agrees to go into shelter: (If your program uses the term “shelter,” the word may convey a negative connotation. Explain to the victim that your “shelter” is a safe and comfortable environment that affords privacy for her and her children.)
o Tell victim what to take for her and her children,
o Ask her, if she changes her mind and decides not to go into shelter, about:
Advocate following up with her (need a safe phone number), and
Alternate place to go.
o Conclude by speaking with officer about victim going into shelter
- Discuss transportation arrangements with the officer
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17. Encourage Victim to Go Into Services MATERIALS NEEDED:
• National LAP Conversation Guide for High-Danger Victims
TRAINER NOTES:
- Ask the audience: What would you do to promote someone coming in for services?
- Ask the audience: What are some barriers victims in our community might experience in accessing services?
- Here, explain changes to the way your DV program will offer “differentiated” or “enhanced” services to High-Danger victims (e.g. reserve appointment times for High-Danger cases; accelerate follow-up procedures; offer an expedited process to getting the victim into shelter, etc.).
- Discuss creative ways to break down barriers to accessing services:
o “Our program offers after-hours counseling”
o “We could meet at the library.”
o “We have gift-cards to the grocery store, can I meet you at the store?”
o “Everything we offer is completely free”
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o “We have cab vouchers and bus passes for you to get to your regular doctors’ appointments”
o “I understand that you want to go back to the home of your partner to get clothes before coming in to shelter; we have a free clothing closet with all the sizes, colors, and styles you could imagine. Why don’t you just come here tonight, and we can worry about collecting your clothes later…”
o “That’s OK if you don’t want to come in to shelter to speak with someone; would it be better for you for one of our staff members to meet you at a library, or a park?”
o “I have an appointment open tomorrow at 1 p.m. with Shelby. She’s really wonderful; does that time of day work for you, while your kids are still at school?”
o “I’m so glad you’ll be meeting with Shelby tomorrow; remember, if a voice inside your head tells you to not come, resist it! Come anyways; I’m sure it’ll be a relief just to talk to Shelby about whatever is on your mind.”
- Stress the “empowerment approach” and inform victim that the program provides services even if she/he doesn’t leave the relationship, and will support the victim no matter what choices she/he makes.
- When advocates receive a High-Danger LAP call from the field, the atmosphere in the room should change
o Important for managers and staff to motivate advocates to be energized about getting victims into services (urgency, priority, importance of services).
In short, the hotline advocate will:
- Encourage victim to go into services and try to schedule appointment.
- Alert victim to resist inclination to talk her/himself out of going in for appointment.
- Tell victim that someone will follow-up to check on her/his well-being.
- If victim declines follow-up, encourage her permission.
- Thank victim for speaking with you.
**From start to finish, an officer-initiated High-Danger LAP call should only take 10 minutes or less to complete. This is out of respect for the officer’s time, so the officer can respond to other calls for service and out of an understanding that when someone is in crisis, their ability to retain information is limited. An in-depth conversation is not appropriate in the middle of a crisis.
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Important Note: It should be emphasized that the goal of the LAP is to get victims into services. This is exhibited in the advocate’s effort to scheduling an appointment; encouraging the victim to overcome the temptation to cancel the appointment, or not show up; asking for permission to follow-up the next day; if the victim declines follow-up, pressing the matter with the victim, etc. These approaches are designed to impress upon the victim how much her safety is in jeopardy, and that the program is there to support and help her. So, in addition to conducting immediate safety planning with the victim, ensure that hotline advocates are keenly aware of the goal of encouraging the victim to go into services.
Need for a longer conversation: Call a time-out
A conversation that you believe needs more time requires advocates to:
1. Interrupt it, 2. Speak with the officer, and 3. Allow the officer to decide if his/her presence is still needed at the scene.
If the officer believes his/her presence is still required or he/she must soon depart, you and the officer must quickly negotiate an arrangement. For example, you would agree to temporarily discontinue the phone conversation so that the officer can wrap-up on the scene, and arrange with the victim that she can call you back once the officer leaves, if the use of her phone is a safe option, or that you will call her back within a certain time period. Whatever the arrangement is with the victim, ensure that it is clearly worked out before you hang up.
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18. Role Play: Elizabeth Gregory MATERIALS NEEDED:
• Role Play, Activities #1 & 2
TRAINER NOTES:
For this role play, select two advocates from the group: one to play the role of the advocate, one to play the role of the victim. You (as a trainer) will play the role of the officer.
Run through Role Play Activity #1 (in which Elizabeth Gregory agrees to speak on the phone with the hotline advocate, pp. 1-4, 9-11).
This script is only intended to convey a way to communicate the guideline “points of conversation.” This particular script reflects a conversation constructed around a particular victim’s circumstances and responses. The script is not intended to be the conversation. Obviously, there will be many variations in conversations that cannot be addressed in a script.
If role-played, the script will take about nine minutes.
Use the script primarily as a tool, or a study aid, to help you prepare for conversations that will be (1) in the moment of crisis, (2) with police at the scene, and (3) with a victim who may not be “ready” (from the standpoint of the process known as the “stages of change”) to speak with you.
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19. When the Victim Declines to Speak With You TRAINER NOTES:
After gathering the basic information from the officer, if the officer tells you that the victim has declined to speak with you, the officer will advise you that he/she will encourage the victim to speak one more time, interrupt the conversation, and ask the victim if she/he has reconsidered. If the officer does not ask the victim a second time to speak, politely ask that the officer encourage the victim one more time.
If the victim agrees to speak, the officer will turn the phone over to the victim and the conversation between the victim and the hotline advocate will proceed.
Safety Plan through Officer.
If the victim again declines to speak, convey the below brief safety planning considerations to the victim through the officer, as well as other brief points you believe are relevant and may be helpful in the victim’s situation.
(1) Ask the officer to ask the victim for a safe phone number and preferred time to call so that program staff can follow-up with the victim in the next 24-48 hours. If the victim does not have a personal, functioning phone, tell the officer to encourage the victim to stop by the domestic violence program’s location to pick up a free 911 cell phone.
(2) Ask the victim through the officer whether the victim has a safe place for the victim and her/his children to stay for the next 24 hours. If the abuser has been
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arrested, or is away from the residence, the victim should be advised that the abuser may likely return sooner than expected – often in a matter of hours.
o If the victim will be leaving her/his residence for the evening, advise the officer to convey to the victim to take important documents, including birth certificates, social security cards, immigration documents, passports, bank account information, medications, etc. for the victim and the victim’s children.
(3) Inform the victim through the officer about the availability of protective orders, and of the domestic violence hotline on a 24/7 basis and the shelter as a safe place to stay.
o Especially encourage the victim to utilize the hotline. Even if the victim is not ready to access services, it is important that the victim know that the hotline is available 24 hours a day and available for any questions, concerns, or simply a conversation.
Conclude Call with Officer.
After the hotline advocate has provided safety planning information, the hotline advocate should thank the officer for his/her help, and conclude the call with the officer.
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20. Role Play: Elizabeth Gregory #2 MATERIALS NEEDED:
• Role Play, Activities #1 & 2
TRAINER NOTES:
This slide is meant to reinforce the concepts presented on the previous slide.
Select two different advocates to play the role of advocate and victim (the trainer will role-play as the officer). Run through Role Play Activity #2, in which Elizabeth Gregory declines to speak with the hotline advocate.
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21. Activity: LAP Case Study MATERIALS NEEDED:
• DVSP Activity Packet (Activity #5)
TRAINER NOTES:
- Review the LAP Case Study with the group (either a particular case familiar to your program, or the case study presented in the DVSP Activity Packet)
- In an open discussion format, prioritize safety planning for the next 24 hours for the victim in your case study
- Include information for each of the “Stages of Change” the victim may be in at the time of the call.
- Discussion Question: If victim doesn’t speak on the phone, what can the advocate say to the law enforcement officer that would provide further encouragement for the victim to get on the phone or provide immediate safety planning?
- Discussion Question: Identify other areas in which programs can serve as a resource (e.g., 911 phones, food, clothing, etc.).
- Trainers can add “facts” to the case study to encourage more discussion. For example, what if Katie doesn’t have access to a car or cannot tell her family what is happening; what if Veronica has limited English proficiency or a mobility
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impairment; what if Veronica works in a public place that Aaron can visit (like the mall); what if Veronica wants to stay together?
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22. Activity: Program Services in Your Own Words
MATERIALS NEEDED:
• DVSP Activity Packet (Activity #6) • Pens, paper
TRAINER NOTES:
- In this activity, advocates will be writing down a concise-yet-comprehensive description of the services your domestic violence service program provides. These descriptions should:
- Present the services available without overwhelming the victim, in a conversational manner.
- Take into account that High-Danger victims are in a different state of mind than most victims who call the hotline, and may not be able to retain much information
- Keep in mind the varying Stages of Change a victim might be in
- Include an example of how to explain services:
- “At End Abuse, we have a safe house where you can stay if you feel scared. You’d have your own room and would just share a bathroom with two other people – it’s very private. We also have a 24-hour hotline that
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you can call any time, to talk or to find out more about our programs. If you want to know more about your legal rights, we can set up an appointment with a free attorney. One thing I always want people to do is to come in to get a free 911- cell phone – you can just keep it in your car or your purse, and use it if there is an emergency – any kind of emergency.”
- Facilitate Activity #6 in the DVSP Activity Packet
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23. “You took the time when no one else did…” TRAINER NOTES:
- Reiterate to participants that “this is your opportunity to save lives…” - We have provided you with an evidence-based model designed to identify victims
at the greatest risk of being killed and to get those victims into domestic violence services.
- As we have suggested to you through this training -- if an event is predictable the chances of our being able to prevent a negative outcome are high. Moreover, when you experience the number of High-Danger victims who will go into services as a result of your actions through the LAP intervention you will also come to realize the effectiveness of that intervention.
- Call back to the statistics from the beginning. - Reiterate: this gives officers a tool to know how to respond when an arrest can’t
be made. We hear from victims that they truly felt like the officer was concerned about their safety, and cared about them as a person. We hear from advocates that the LAP has strengthened communication and cooperation between agencies, vastly improving the relationship between the DV program and the participating law enforcement agencies.
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24. Questions If time permits, you may explore the possibility of facilitating additional activities. Role Plays #3 & 4 would allow advocate the opportunity to role-play without a script, and become more confident in conducting an efficient hotline conversation with High-Danger victims. See DVSP Activity Packet for more information.
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25. Contact Information
Discuss who the DVSP agency representative is, who law enforcement agency representatives are, and who the team coordinator is. Remind the advocates that this is a collaborative effort between your DVSP and the local law enforcement agency/agencies – if any problems arise, it is important to let your agency representative know so that issues can be resolved quickly.
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