Sharing is Empowering

Editor’s Note:

Last week I facilitated a training and some of my key takeaways were:

100% were not aware of who the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating was.

100% were not able to identify the local domestic/sexual violence programs available to survivors.

99% had never heard of Adverse Child Experiences.

50% were using the Danger Assessment, however, did not know it was called a Danger Assessment or the entire purpose of completing the assessment with a survivor.

Over the years there are other lessons I have learned from the audiences that I train, including law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, victim service advocates, educators, and other members of the coordinated community response model. These lessons reinforce the importance of ongoing training and communication. Yes, I also have learned and continue to learn new information, as I often say to myself- I cannot believe I did not know that.

Here is a challenge, periodically assess your organization and especially your direct services teams on their basic knowledge regarding domestic/sexual violence, do they know why they do the things they do, and the resources available to assist survivors. You can do this through assessments, games, one on ones, check-ins, etc.

Why do this? Because there are women, children, and men depending on our level of knowledge and ability to find out the information so they can be safer and healthier.

Collaboration includes providing information about our work to other members of the coordinated community response team so that we can identify gaps and fill them. Is your organization coordinating training and information sessions with other programs such as the local crisis center hosting an information session with Child Protective Services to share your services and to learn more about how cases are handled or law enforcement hosting community conversations and inviting other victim service programs to share how the domestic violence/sexual violence case is handled and hearing from the other agencies about how client experiences have been with law enforcement?

What’s in your toolbox? Let’s share so everyone is in the loop.