This video training was created by NRCAC in collaboration with Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center as an orientation tool for both current and incoming MDT members. This training highlights the importance of victim advocates, what victim advocates do for children and families, and the role of the victim advocate on the MDT.
Victim Advocacy Guidelines, 2019
Victim Advocacy Guidelines will help you expand and enhance your Victim Advocacy services. It was developed by the Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers, in collaboration with NCA and the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC).
IN PERSON TRAINING
NOVA Victim Assistance Academy
The first in-person Training Academy is scheduled for Winter 2017. For more information visit the NOVA website.
Training for Advocates Working in a Child Advocacy Center
Core 3 day training, available in Huntsville, AL on specific days. Customized on-location available upon request. Contact the National Children’s Advocacy Center for more information.
ONLINE TRAINING
Accreditation Bootcamp
Accreditation Bootcamp is designed to provide an overview of the accreditation process, provide participants with a framework for developing their application, and help them understand what to expect during a site visit.
Child Victim Web
This is a free online course comprised of eight 1-hour modules. The topics covered include: Scope, impact, assessment, and development of evidence based treatment plans for victimized youth and their families.
EduNet 2.0 Webinar Series
Midwest Regional EduNet is a series of expert lectures on a variety of multidisciplinary topics. They are free of charge and are available for all MDT members.
NCAC Virtual Training Center
Free online trainings are offered on a variety of topics featuring experts on child abuse-related topics. These webinars can be viewed live or through an archive of recorded sessions.
VAT Online is a foundational Web-based victim assistance training program that offers victim service providers and allied professionals the opportunity to acquire the essential skills and knowledge they need to more effectively assist victims of crime.
Other Resources
A Guide for Friends and Family of Sexual Assault Survivors
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape released this guide to help friends and family of sexual assault survivors understand their loved one's trauma and its potential effects, as well as how to help prevent sexual violence.
Confidentiality Laws by State
A pdf document listing out a Summary of U.S. State Laws Related to Advocate Confidentiality.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) brings a singular and comprehensive focus to childhood trauma. NCTSN’s collaboration of frontline providers, researchers, and families is committed to raising the standard of care while increasing access to services. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and dedication to evidence-based practices, the NCTSN changes the course of children’s lives by changing the course of their care.
National Children's Advocacy, @copy; 2016. Victim Advocacy: A Selected Bibliography
This bibliography was prepared by the research librarian of the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) in consultation with the NCAC forensic interviewers for the purpose of research and education, and for the convenience of our readers.
The Advocates Guide for Working with Parents of Children who have been Sexually Abused
This guide is designed for sexual assault program advocates working with non-offending parents and/or caregivers of children who have experienced sexual assault. The suggestions and strategies are intended for use with children under the age of 13.
VictimLaw is a searchable database of victims' rights legal provisions including federal, state, and territorial statutes, tribal laws, state constitutional amendments, court rules, administrative code provisions, and summaries of related court decisions and attorney general opinions.
QUESTIONS?
Didn’t see what you were looking for? Have a question?
Email michele@nrcac.org for more information.
Disclaimer: The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future. Additionally, many are links to outside websites, which may, from time to time, update their content.
NRCAC provides concise and strength based technical guidance to assist us at the individual CAC’s to strive for excellence and possess the necessary tools to respond to the complex and diverse needs of our MDT partners, community challenges and growth.
Succession planning is an important piece of CAC management practices. A succession plan outlines a leadership development and emergency succession plan for the CAC, and reflects its commitment to sustaining a healthy, functioning organization. Succession planning is included in the NCA 2017 Standards for Accreditation (Organizational Capacity): The CAC has a written succession plan to insure the orderly transition and continuance of operation of the CAC. The following is a list of some online resources for CACs.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Blue Avocado
A bimonthly newsletter of American Nonprofits, a membership organization that provides practical financial information and support to U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, staff, stakeholders and volunteers. It is created by and for community-based nonprofits. Here is a post about Succession Planning for Nonprofits of All Sizes.
National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) Child Abuse Library Online (CaLIO)
NCAC’s Child Abuse Library Online has created some best practices guidelines for succession planning including: (click links below)
The National Council of Nonprofits (Council of Nonprofits) is a trusted resource and advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. We identify emerging trends, share proven practices, and promote solutions that benefit charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve.
Nonprofit Executive Succession Planning Toolkit,
Kansas Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
This toolkit is a resource for nonprofit board of directors and executive leaders. It provides tools to effectively implement succession planning and overcome barriers.
QUESTIONS?
Didn’t see what you were looking for? Have a question?
Email michele@nrcac.org for more information.
Disclaimer: The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future. Additionally, many are links to outside websites, which may, from time to time, update their content.
Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children are forms of sexual abuse and deserving of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) response. Many CACs are expanding their services to include a multidisciplinary team response for children who are exploited. To begin the conversation, CACs need to:
Conduct a community assessment for need and services available
Identify new partners to the table for a task force/working group;
Create protocol/MOUs with shared vision;
Provide training about identification, response and dynamics of CSEC victims;
Adapt the CAC model to fit the needs of CSEC victims;
Coordinate specialized services and case management for CSEC cases;
An accredited (10 CE), self-paced e-learning course on Child Sex Trafficking intended for physicians, nurses, and all other medical professionals.
Covenant House
All across America, Covenant House rescues thousands of young people from a life on the streets...often those subjected to abuse by pimps and predators. But unlike some organizations that only provide direct care to victims, Covenant House also advocates for laws that will ultimately put an end to child trafficking.
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) is the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. GEMS was founded in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd, a young woman who had been sexually exploited as a teenager.
International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA)
IOFA envisions a world where adolescents and youth are no longer subject to exploitation, violence and neglect; a world where every young person is able to exercise their human rights and realize their full potential as positive and productive members of society.
Love 146
Love146 is an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation through survivor care and prevention.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC has created a unique public and private partnership to build a coordinated, national response to the problem of missing and sexually exploited children, establish a missing children hotline and serve as the national clearinghouse for information related to these issues.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national anti-trafficking hotline and resource center serving victims and survivors of human trafficking and the anti-trafficking community in the United States. The toll-free hotline is available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages.
NCTSN CSEC Resources
Established by Congress in 2000, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) brings a singular and comprehensive focus to childhood trauma. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and dedication to evidence-based practices, the NCTSN changes the course of children’s lives by changing the course of their care.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
OJJDP, Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the US
Polaris Project
Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom. Our comprehensive model puts victims at the center of what we do – helping survivors restore their freedom, preventing more victims, and leveraging data and technology to pursue traffickers wherever they operate.
Shared Hope International
Shared Hope International strives to prevent the conditions that foster sex trafficking, restore victims of sex slavery, and bring justice to vulnerable women and children.
The Life Story
The Life Story is a website and film series that elevates the voices and hopes of survivors who were exposed to harm in school, foster care, housing, health care, law enforcement and other systems, who experienced intergenerational violence and trauma, and whose paths led to sexual exploitation. It shares the realities for women in the sex trade in the U.S. and highlights the opportunities they see for change -- to end oppression for all girls and women, and to shrink the sex trade so that fewer people are harmed.
Didn’t see what you were looking for? Have a question?
Email michele@nrcac.org for more information.
Disclaimer: The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future. Additionally, many are links to outside websites, which may, from time to time, update their content.
The National Standards for Accreditation rest on a foundation of research regarding CACs, MDTs, and the related disciplines. That evidence base is constantly evolving and we want to ensure that practices in the field match that evolving body of evidence.
A complete description of the 10 standards of accreditation taking effect for all new accreditation's begun on or after July 1, 2016 and for any re-accreditation's scheduled to occur on or after January 1, 2017.
NCA's Outcome Measurement System (OMS) helps CACs define their successes in serving children and families while helping them benchmark their progress against the work of a nationwide movement.
"A leader...is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."
Case Review (sometimes called MDT) is the formal process through which professionals share facts and observations that inform team decisions and assist participating professionals to make decisions about cases. Case review is a core standard of an accredited member CAC program. Case review allows the CAC to monitor cases and bring the knowledge, experience and expertise of the team members together. Through case review, the efforts of all team members are maximized because knowledge is shared and cooperation is built among the participating agencies. Case review presents an opportunity for each professional to share their unique knowledge and skill with the other team members and allow for full discussion on determining the optimum case plan and next steps.
Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO) provides a comprehensive collection of research, literature, and much more in one easy-to-use online location. CALiO is available to accredited and associate members of National Children’s Alliance. more >>
COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN RESOURCES
Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children are forms of sexual abuse and deserving of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) response. Many CACs are expanding their services to include a multidisciplinary team response for children who are exploited. more >>
CULTURAL COMPETENCY RESOURCES
Cultural competency is defined as the capacity to function in more than one culture, requiring the ability to appreciate, understand, and interact with members of diverse populations within the local community. more >>
MIDWEST REGIONAL CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER (MRCAC) RESOURCES
Midwest Regional CAC is committed to providing affordable, accessible, and cost-effective training methods for MDTs utilizing the latest technology and research to deliver timely, relevant, capacity-building programs. more >>
To access MRCAC's online courses and webinars, visit the MRCAC Learning page.
MEDICAL RESOURCES
All children who are suspected victims of child sexual abuse are entitled to a medical exam conducted by a specialized medical provider. CACs and MDTs can share with families and partner agencies the importance of the medical exam. more >>
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Quality mental health services are critical for the long term well-being and healing of children victimized by abuse, as well as their non-offending caregivers and family members. Multiple different evidence-based treatment modalities and training are available. more >>
NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER (NCAC) RESOURCES
The National Children's Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization that provides training, prevention, and treatment services to fight child abuse and neglect. more >>
NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE RESOURCES
National Children’s Alliance (NCA) is the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). Formed in 1988, NCA has been providing support, technical assistance, and quality assurance for CACs, while serving as a voice for abused children for more than 25 years. more >>
SUCCESSION PLANNING RESOURCES
Succession planning is an important piece of CAC management practices. A succession plan outlines a leadership development and emergency succession plan for the CAC, and reflects its commitment to sustaining a healthy, functioning organization. Succession planning is included in the NCA 2017 Standards for Accreditation (Organizational Capacity): The CAC has a written succession plan to insure the orderly transition and continuance of operation of the CAC. The following is a list of some online resources for CACs. more >>
VICARIOUS TRAUMA RESOURCES
NRCAC supports and encourages the training and education of CAC staff and MDT members on the issue of Vicarious Trauma. In an effort to prevent burnout and build resiliency in child abuse organizations, the following is a list of resources and materials available to CACs and MDTs. The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future. Additionally, many are links to outside websites, which may, from time to time, update their content. more >>
VICTIM ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Please visit this page to find out more about in-person and on-line training opportunities. more >>
NRCAC provides
concise and strength based technical
guidance to assist us at the individual CAC’s to strive for excellence and possess the
necessary tools to
respond to the
complex and diverse needs of our MDT
partners, community challenges and growth.
NRCAC supports and encourages the training and education of CAC staff and MDT members on the issue of Vicarious Trauma. In an effort to prevent burnout and build resiliency in child abuse organizations, the following is a list of resources and materials available to CACs and MDTs. The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future. Additionally, many are links to outside websites, which may, from time to time, update their content.
The NCTSN was established to improve access to care, treatment, and services for traumatized children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. There are many online resources related to Secondary Traumatic Stress found on this website.
National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO)
The NCAC has created an online library of materials related to child abuse, including resources on Vicarious Trauma.
conduct an assessment of your agency's current capacity as a vicarious trauma-informed organization;
review your existing capacity, identify gaps, and prioritize needs;
locate resources and tools to help meet your identified needs; and
develop a comprehensive plan to address exposure to single incidents of crime or violence and acts of mass violence and terrorism.
The toolkit contains a state-of-the-art repository of nearly 500 resources tailored specifically to these fields that provides the knowledge and skills necessary for organizations to address the vicarious trauma needs of their staff and promote resiliency.
Office of Victims of Crime
The Office of Victims of Crime has created a curriculum “Building Resiliency in Child Abuse Organizations.” The goal of this training is to identify the five individual elements of resiliency, and explore how they can be implemented through the organizational resiliency model using policies, supervisory techniques, and competency-based training. The training is intended for victim service providers who work in agencies interested in and willing to implement policies, supervisory techniques, and competency-based training that support resiliency.
Self-Care Wheel
Olga Phoenix is the creator of the Self-Care Wheel, a comprehensive wellness and vicarious trauma prevention tool, translated in several languages, and widely used in the United States and abroad.
Tend Academy
An organization in Ontario that specializes in training and resources on compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout for those in high stress occupations. Their work focuses on individual strategies and organizational health.
A Guide to Understanding and Coping with Compassion Fatigue
The School of Social Work has created a Self-Care Starter Kit that is available for students and professionals in the field for introduction to self care and creating your self care plan.
BOOKS
Figley, Charles (1995). Compassion Fatigue: Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorders from Treating the Traumatized. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Gilmartin, Kevin (2002). Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and their Families. E-S Press.
Mathieu, Francois. (2012). The Compassion Fatigue Workbook; New York: Taylor & Francis Group LLC.
Richardson, Cheryl (1999). Take Time for Your Life: A Personal Coach's 7-Step Program for Creating the Life You Want. Broadway Books
Van der Kolk, Bessel (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
Van Dernoot Lipsky, L. & Burk, C. (2009). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others.
QUESTIONS?
Didn’t see what you were looking for? Have a question?
Email michele@nrcac.org for more information.
Disclaimer: The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and more may be added in the future.
NRCAC provides concise and strength based technical guidance to assist us at the individual CAC’s to strive for excellence and possess the necessary tools to respond to the complex and diverse needs of our MDT partners, community challenges and growth.
