Greetings!
I join you and our entire NOVA community in mourning the victims of the mass shootings in Boulder and Atlanta. We stand with their loved ones, the survivors, and the communities impacted by these horrific acts of violence, and share in their shock, anger, and profound sadness. As an organization with a mission to champion dignity and compassion for all victims of crime and crisis, NOVA is committed to working with our national partners and each of you to address racial injustice and the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and other vulnerable populations.
These senseless acts of violence occurred as our nation also marked the year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within our NOVA community, I recognize many of you and your agencies have been challenged in immeasurable ways this past year, as we all experienced profound loss, grief and isolation, while also re-imagining victims’ rights, services, safety and justice.
As we look to the future, I want to hear from each of you how NOVA can best support you and your community’s needs. Beginning next month, I will invite each of our NOVA Life Members to virtual coffee meetings with myself and a NOVA Board Member. After meeting our Life Members, I will begin reaching out to each and every NOVA Member over the next several months. NOVA is your organization, and I look forward to learning from you!
Warmly,
Claire
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Claire Ponder Selib, MSW, CA
Executive Director
National Organization for Victim Assistance
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NOVA's 47th Annual Training Event |
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Join NOVA in-person on September 11-14, 2021 in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort! Four days of inspirational speakers, dynamics workshops, network opportunities and self-care with your colleagues. We promise you'll leave feeling inspired and energized to continue your amazing work.
Due to these unprecedented times, we have made changes to our registration policies. Please read the following important updates:
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In an effort to keep our conference accessible and recognizing the economic impact of the pandemic, we have not increased our registration rates from last year.
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NOVA will be following the latest CDC guidelines onsite, which may include mandatory mask wearing and social distancing in event spaces.
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At this time, we are limiting our capacity based on CDC guidelines. Registration is first come, first serve.
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We are no longer accepting registration with delayed payment. All registration must be paid in full to attend and there will be NO onsite registration.
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2021 Revisions to the Professional Code of Ethics
for Victim Assistance Providers
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NOVA proudly launched its new Office for Victim Advocacy Ethics in January 2021, providing essential support to victim advocates in the field as they work to provide the highest quality of ethical services to survivors.
In addition to training opportunities and valuable resources, the Office for Victim Advocacy Ethics offers Consultation Services for advocates to submit ethical dilemmas directly to the Advisory Committee for review and collective feedback in support of ethical decision-making in all advocacy environments. Click here to learn more.
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Revised NOVA Code of Ethics Overview and Q&A Brown Bag
March 31st at 1:00pm ET
The Office for Victim Advocacy Ethics is providing a 2021 Quarterly Series of Brown Bag Ethical Trainings to highlight and discuss some of the most pressing ethical concerns advocates currently face.
The first Brown Bag Ethical Training, Revised NOVA/NACP® Code of Ethics Overview and Q&A will take place March 31st at 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET to discuss these timely revisions and answer the questions of victim assistance providers using this Code of Professional Ethics.
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National Crime Victims' Rights Week |
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April 18 - 24, 2021 is National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW)! This year marks the 40th anniversary of NCVRW and the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)’s NCVRW theme is Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities. NOVA is looking forward to embodying this theme with our community by offering free training and exciting events throughout the week! We will also highlight our 2021 theme: United We Advocate, Together We Thrive!
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The past year has been difficult professionally and personally for our community. And yet, we are inspired by the many ways victim assistance professionals have continued to provide critical services to victims/survivors of crime and advocate on behalf of those in need. Through creativity and innovation, we have all learned how to advance and enhance our programs.
We know it has not been easy. It takes strength and energy for a program to thrive.
As a result, this NCVRW we are not only celebrating advances in victims’ rights and our passion for change. We are also celebrating YOU! Self-care and program innovation will take center-stage as we work together to ensure dignity and respect for all those impacted by crime. #UnitedWeAdvocate
All events are free and open to the public.
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You're invited to our 4th Annual National Crime Victims' Rights Week Virtual 5k! You will be alongside advocates, survivors, crisis responders, and community members all over the world as we walk, run and roll to raise awareness on promoting and advancing the rights of crime victims. You can participate as part of a group or individual.
Let's Thrive Together!
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Make a Difference: Provide a Scholarship to a Colleague
Thanks to the generous support of APPRISS, Inc. , proceeds from t-shirt sales will go directly to NOVA’s Training Scholarship Fund, providing need-based scholarships for survivors and advocates to attend NOVA’s 47th Annual Training Event.
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Want to enter for a chance to receive a FREE one-year premier membership or NOVA training academy of your choice? During your 5k on April 23rd or 24th....
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post a picture of you in your United We Advocate shirt and include the hashtags #NOVA5k and #NCVRW2021
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post a picture in your United We Advocate shirt along with your pet and include the hashtags #NOVA5kPets and #NCVRW2021
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post a picture in your United We Advocate shirt along with your kids or family and include the hashtags #NOVA5kFamily and #NCVRW2021
Each post counts as one entry and you can post as many times as you'd like on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter. Make sure your account is public so we can see the posts! A winner for each category will be randomly selected and we will message you on your social media profile if you've won.
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NVAA Spring 2021 Registration is Open!
Who is it for? This course is designed for new and aspiring victim advocates, although we welcome advocates at any level. (This training is pre approved by the NACP®.)
When is it? April 21 – June 16 | Wednesdays -Morning session is full! Evening session is from 5:00pm – 9:00pm EST.
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Take a look below at some of the upcoming webinars for 2021!
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April:
Post-Trauma Methods of Healing
May:
Supporting Wellness & Safety During COVID
June:
Vicarious Trauma
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July:
How the Family Justice Center Model can Effectively Serve Victims of Interpersonal Violence
August:
Anti-Racist Clinical Practice
September:
Complex Trauma
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Military Members & Families Project
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U.S. Army Major Hali Picciano, a domestic violence and sexual assault survivor-advocate, provided an amazing first-hand testimonial to attendees of the March 2021 NOVA and the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) Military Members & Families Training Course! Community advocates and civilian criminal justice professionals from Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Ohio joined to learn how to empower military-connected survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
More on NOVA/NCVLI’s Military Members and Families Project including a calendar of upcoming events can be found on NOVA’s website.
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If you have questions or need assistance, contact:
Angela Duhon, MSCJ/FP, CA
Pronouns; She/Her/Hers
Military/Civilian Victim Services Program Manager
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This project is supported by Award No. 2019-TA-AX-K019 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women. The opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication, conference agenda, or product, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Department of Justice. |
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National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP)®
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We are excited to announce that the NACP® will now be accepting applications for 4 Committee Reviews a year in an effort to provide applicants with more credentialing opportunities. The NACP will be conducting application reviews on the following schedule:
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Application submitted:
November 1st -January 31st
February 1st - April 30th
May 1st-July 31st
August 1st -October 31st
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Committee Review:
February
May
August
November
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Stay tuned for news on updated NACP® Applications! |
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Are you a NACP® Credentialed Advocate? The Code of Ethics has already been updated in all NACP® Applications. When you renew, you will sign the Revised Code of Ethics. Learn more on the NACP website or email any questions to [email protected].
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Opportunity to Enhance your Local Plans & Response to
Criminal Mass Violence Incidents
Although communities across the US have emergency response plans that deal with the care of people after natural disasters, many plans are inadequate in identifying and responding to the needs of victims of criminal mass violence (CMV) and domestic terrorism (DT) incidents.
The Improving Community Preparedness Training and Technical Assistance (ICP TTA) program provides training and technical assistance to augment response plans to include comprehensive, concise, executable victim care components within an existing plan. View the Application here.
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Lunch & Learn: Improving Community Preparedness TTA Application Overview and Q&A
March 25th at 1:00pm-2:00pm ET
Learn more about this opportunity to enhance your local plans & response to criminal mass violence incidents.
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Tanya Jones is a social justice advocate and a survivor, which has led to her strong desire to influence cultural change and create a continuum of care through restorative dialogue one organization at a time. Tanya is the CEO and Founder of Interactive Advocacy (IA), an emerging educational training company that offers innovative and cutting-edge new approach to performance-based training.
IA allows for audiences engagement through psychodramatic theatrics. These sessions allow for a more realistic, and genuine, interaction between audience’s and the subject matter, producing an authentically organic learning experience that will be carried with participants into the real world. Tanya is also the creator of the “THIS IS NOT A GAME™, a series of interactive educational training material that address toxic behaviors that impact our communities.
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Read the full advocate highlight to learn more about Tanya and IA.
"Cultural change is a collective effort that takes progressive movement and not just mandate" - Tanya Jones
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Do you or an advocate you know have new projects or opportunities you'd like to feature? Send us an email at [email protected] to nominate an advocate to be highlighted in NOVA's
Quarterly Newsletter!
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Monty's Day in Court
"Monty's Day in Court" is the first children's book written from the perspective of a child who testifies in court against his abuser. The book follows 10-year-old Monty’s journey as he learns it is ok to be upset about his experiences and works through his feelings with his therapist. After he is subpoenaed to testify, caring adults help him understand what will happen in court and the support he will have throughout the process.
“Monty’s Day in Court” assists therapists, court programs, social workers, child advocacy centers, teachers, law enforcement, attorneys and parents in helping children better understand the process of testifying in court and reduce the traumatic impact of the experience. The book is not meant to be handed off to a child to read and figure out on their own. It is meant to be read with a caring adult (parent, therapist, or advocate, etc.) who is able to explain the story in terms that make sense for that child’s specific situation and age (recommended for 5+). Click here for the discussion guide that can help with those conversations.
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Jessica wrote "Monty’s Day in Court” to help other children, who have to testify, process their emotions. This book is loosely based on her son's experience but is more broad in its approach and is not limited to one type of abuse. She is grateful for her son’s courage, Gina Dee’s illustrations that brought the book to life, and child advocates around the country that fight to keep children safe every day. Click here to listen to recent interviews with Jessica, about the book, a new valuable resource, which has sold over 2400 copies in less than a year!
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The National Resource Center for Reaching Victims created a series of videos about Deaf and DeafBlind culture, best practices for working with Deaf and DeafBlind survivors, and how to find qualified interpreters. There is also a panel discussion highlighting key factors that contributed to a successful partnership between a hearing and Deaf organization.
Deaf people are 1.5-5 times more likely than hearing people to experience domestic and sexual violence. Despite being at greater risk, they face significant barriers to accessing victim services. Many mainstream hearing programs want to serve Deaf survivors, but are often not aware of the unique experiences and cultural values of Deaf survivors and are not prepared to provide sign language interpretation.
The Vera Institute of Justice brought together some of the country’s leading experts in supporting Deaf and DeafBlind survivors to answer the field’s most pressing questions about how to support victims from these communities and best practices for finding and working with qualified interpreters. Click here to access these new resources.
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National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide Toolkit
Included in the toolkit is a Comprehensive Framework for Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide, which is designed for use by law enforcement executives, command staff, mental health and wellness professionals, peer support staff, and others responsible for the health and well-being of officers to work towards a holistic strategy to prevent officer suicide. Visit the toolkit webpage to learn more about the different resources available.
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The Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to meet the challenges facing individuals and small businesses affected by cybercrime. As a public-private collaboration, CSN supports individuals and small businesses through FraudSupport.org, a resource database for those affected by cybercrime and online fraud, and ScamSpotter.org, a website to help identify scams and stop fraudsters.
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NCJA Is looking to fill four positions supporting their new TTA program for VOCA Administrators; two senior program manager positions, specializing in victim assistance and victim compensation, a data analyst, and a financial/administrative specialist. Click here to read the position descriptions and learn how to apply!
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A Webinar Series Focused On Addressing Mental Health Crises With Comprehensive Community Responses
In NAMI’s Ask the Expert - Help Not Handcuffs Webinar Series, NAMI welcomes experts from across the country to present, discuss and explore strategies for diverting people with mental illness away from the justice system and toward the care that they need. This multi-part series will address the history of mental health and the justice system, past and present legislative efforts, several existing jail diversion models, and what we can expect and strive for through programs like these in the future.
The series, moderated by NAMI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth, will include perspectives and insights from clinicians, peers, law enforcement professionals and more. See below to register for the next part in the series:
4:00-5:30p.m. ET
Experts will provide an overview of 988 legislation and an additional model of community crisis response, CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets), developed by the White Bird Clinic in Oregon.
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VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021
("the VOCA Fix Act")
NOVA was proud to support the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (“VOCA Fix Act”) and Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) of 2021 this month! We are so thankful to our community for joining the call to action by asking your representatives to support these bills! We are thrilled that your hard work paid off and both the VOCA Fix Act and VAWA Reauthorization were passed in the House last week.
We now ask you to join NOVA in calling on your Senators to swiftly take up the VOCA Fix Act and VAWA Reauthorization Act in the Senate. Learn more about the VOCA Fix here and the VAWA Reauthorization Act here. Let your Senators know how critical these bills are to ensuring that victims and survivors of crime are getting the services they deserve.
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Domestic Violence During COVID-19: Evidence from a Systemic Review and Meta Analysis
In March and April of 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic was wreaking havoc on the lives and economies of nations worldwide, government leaders began to institute stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders. These orders, while intended to help stop the spread of the virus, could be associated with certain adverse outcomes, including child abuse and domestic violence, in particular.
Since the first quarter of 2020, researchers have moved rapidly to examine the impact of the coronavirus and policies designed to stop the spread of the virus on a wide array of outcomes. In this report, the Council on Criminal Justice contributes to the growing body of research by moving beyond narrative reviews of domestic violence trends (e.g., Petermen & O’Donnell, 2020) to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of COVID-19-related restrictions on reported incidents of domestic violence.
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Sexual Assault Awareness Month |
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This April, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), learn how you can practice consent online, keep the kids in your life safe from abuse, facilitate and participate in respectful online communities. In addition, explore the impact that trauma from online abuse can have and the options available for survivors looking for support. As new platforms emerge and technology expands, by leading with these foundational principles we can build safe online spaces now and into the future. Click here to learn more about the "We Can Build" Campaign, to help build safe online spaces.
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Mental Health Awareness Month |
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)'s "You are Not Alone" campaign features the lived experience of people affected by mental illness to fight stigma, inspire others and educate the broader public.
The campaign builds connection and increases awareness with the digital tools that make connection possible during a climate of physical distancing. Throughout the month, NAMI will feature personal stories from real people experiencing mental health conditions. By reading about lived experience, the aim is to make people feel less alone in their mental health journeys and increase awareness about mental illness.
Click here to learn more, share your story, and read stories from others!
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Keep up with NOVA on Social Media for the latest in Victim Assistance! |
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