October 30, 2024

In This Issue...

Pathways 2025 Workshop Proposals


The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency is happy to announce that the call for workshop presenters for the 2025 Pathways for Victim Services Conference is now open! The 2025 Pathways conference will take place September 10-12, 2025, at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in the Poconos. There will be complimentary tickets provided for up to two speakers per workshop, a $250 value.


The call for workshop presenters will be open until December 31, 2024. The form can be found by following this link, Speaker Form. You will need to make a Whova account to submit the workshop proposal.


Important Workshop Information:


  • All Workshops will be 75 minutes in length.
  • All Workshops will be set up in a classroom style.
  • A laptop computer and LCD projector will be provided for the presenters’ use. 


Required Information for Workshop Proposal Submission:


  • Title of the Workshop
  • Presenters Name(s) and Title
  • Presenters Contact Information
  • Agency and or Organization Affiliation for the presenters
  • Brief description of the presenter’s experience with the subject matter
  • Detailed workshop proposal (including learning objectives, presentation style (i.e. PowerPoint, Roundtable discussion, multimedia)
  • Target Audience


All workshop proposals will be submitted through the Whova link provided. If you have any questions, please email us at RA-CD-PATHFINDER@pa.gov

Share Your Experience


Help us better understand how to meet the needs of communities impacted by gun violence.


PCCD and ICT are gathering insights to enhance the support provided for individuals who have experience gun violence in communities across Pennsylvania. Opportunities to share insights include surveys and discussion groups with individuals who have experienced gun violence. We also want to hear from organizations or community members who provide support to individuals impacted by gun violence.


If you are interested in sharing your experience, please fill out the Interest Survey. Opportunities to share insights will take place from October through December 2024.

The Consequences Of Huge Federal Cuts To Domestic Violence Funding "May Be Death"


Critical services for survivors struggle to stay afloat - but Congress has been missing in action.


Please click here to read.

AI- Generated Child Sexual Abuse Images Are Spreading. Law Enforcement Is Racing To Stop Them


Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are cracking down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology - from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer- generated kids.


Please click here to read.

Defense Center For Criminalized Survivors Fact Sheet


Prevalence rates of intimate partner violence remain alarmingly high, putting countless survivors at risk every day. This fact sheet provides essential information about the challenges faced by survivors of gender-based violence who have been criminalized for their actions in self-defense or for behaviors directly connected to their abuse.


Please click here to access.


Toward A Better Estimate Of Domestic Violence In America


The absence of a true prevalence rate for domestic violence hinders the development of effective prevention programs, policy options, and responses to the crime. Documenting the extent of domestic violence is important to help service providers, policymakers, and law enforcement better understand current trends and identify what works and what does not work when implementing interventions in response to those trends. An accurate measure of domestic violence at the local level would allow agencies to effectively allocate resources and identify specific populations who may underreport victimization.


Please click here to read.

2025 NCVRW Cap Grant Application Announcement


The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators in cooperation with the Office for Victims of Crime, (OVC) is seeking proposals for innovative and collaborative approaches to promoting community-wide public awareness of the rights and available services for victims of all types of crimes during National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW), April 6-12, 2025.


Successful applicants will be awarded up to $5,000 each in reimbursement for approved NCVRW public awareness activities through the NCVRW Community Awareness Project's (CAP) program.


The application deadline is Friday, November 8, 2024 7:59 pm ET



Visit the NAVAA Community Awareness Project Web site here to learn more about NCVRW Community Awareness Project Funding, including application instructions and forms.


Access the online electronic funding application here.

Young Black Men Who Carry Guns Provide Insights Into Preventing Violence


In a new study, researchers explore how perceptions of safety lead people to believe they need guns for survival.


Please click here to read.

Between Amigas


To raise awareness about the recently expanded resource, the WomensLaw Email Hotline. Grammy-award winning artist and activist Gloria Estefan and actor and philanthropist Paulina Chávez lent their voice to a new PSA, entitled " Between Amigas: Introducing the WomensLaw Email Hotline.


Please click here to access.

Study Reveals Disproportionate Impact Of Lethal Gun Violence On American Indian/Alaska Native Community


Members of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) community are disproportionately impacted by firearm violence according to a new study from the Violence Policy Center (VPC).


Please click here to read.

Recordings Of PCCD's Consolidated Standards Are Available On PCCD's YouTube Channel


Pennsylvania has long been considered a leader when it comes to the OVS Consolidated Standards in their design to deliver quality services and programming led by skilled advocates and staff. To better inform the field, OVS is pleased to announce a series of recordings that will walk program staff through each of the standards. These are short recordings, up to thirty (30) minutes in length available on PCCD’s You Tube Channel: PA Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD) - YouTube. Each recording counts toward OVS annual training requirements. Staff may listen to any number of recordings as they are released. The OVS Newsletter will announce new recordings as they are available.

 

The Standards are meant to be a guide for victim service professionals to promote excellent service delivery and to ensure the uniformity of services. The Standards provide the minimum expectations for service provision and ensure professionalism in a wide variety of victim service practices. 

 

The following recording is now available on PCCD’s You Tube Channel:


Media

Upcoming Trainings & Events

Please click here to register.

4th Annual Virtual Human Trafficking Summit


Friday November 22, 2024

9:00 am - 3:00 pm


This free, virtual summit is intended for law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective services, juvenile probation and victim advocates, financial services and institutions, educators, hospital administrations and staff, and those in public health and healthcare.



Please click here to register.

AOPC Offers Virtual Book Discussion And Training Opportunities


The Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is offering the following STOP Violence Against Women training and education activities in the coming quarter. These trainings are open to all justice system partners regardless of whether or not your county receives STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Funding from PCCD.



Working with LGBTQ+ Interpersonal Violence Cases


3-Workshop Virtual Training Series 

Join Cat Shugrue dos Santos, MSW, for a three-part training series that will provide attendees with a detailed overview of abuse in the LGBTQ+ community. Webinars will be recorded. Separate registration for each session is required. Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE) will be offered. Continuing Judicial Education Credits (CJE) are pending.


Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - Session 1: LGBTQ+ Interpersonal Violence: an Introduction 


Please click here to register.


Friday, December 6, 2024 - Session 2: Working with LGBTQ+ Interpersonal Violence Cases: Dynamics and Case Studies, Part 1 


Please click here to register.


Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - Session 3: Working with LGBTQ+ Interpersonal Violence Cases: Dynamics and Case Studies, Part 2 


Please click here to register.


Cat Shugrue dos Santos, MSW serves as a subject matter expert in violence intervention and prevention, anti-oppression, and trauma-informed programs and organizations. Cat is a Senior Lecturer at Columbia University School of Social Work, speaks locally and nationally at conferences, has contributed articles to the Smith College Studies in Social Work Journal, the Domestic Violence Report, and Huffington Post, and is a leading voice in many local, statewide, and national coalitions working to end violence and promote equity. Cat serves on the Priority and Strategy Council for the Human Services Council and the Policy Committee for the New York State Network for Student Success.




2024 PA Justice Systems Virtual Book Discussion

Join the AOPC STOP Team and your colleagues from across Pennsylvania for a virtual book discussion about No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder. 


Interested stakeholders will receive a free copy of the book and participate in virtual discussion December 13, 11:30 am - 1 pm EST. 



Books available on a first-come, first-served basis. 


Please click here to register.


Have you already read “No Visible Bruises” and want to partake in the discussion? No time to read the book, but still want to listen to the discussion? Feel free to sign up for the discussion alone AT THIS LINK.

Please click here to register for January 8

Please click here to register for January 15

Please click here to register for January 22

Please click here to register for January 29

Victims Compensation Assistance Program Online Trainings


The following trainings will be held November 7, 2024.

  • Motor Vehicle-Related Crime Expenses Clinic - 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
  • "Wow, That's Covered by Compensation" - 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


The following trainings will be held November 20, 2024.

  • Stolen Benefit Cash Expenses Clinic - 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
  • Loss of Support Clinic - 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


The following trainings will be held December 12, 2024.

  • Basic Compensation - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


The following trainings will be held December 17, 2024.

  • Counseling Expenses Clinic - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.


The following trainings will be held January 7, 2025.

  • Relocation Expenses Clinic - 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
  • Loss of Earnings Clinic - 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


The following trainings will be held January 15, 2025.

  • Crime Scene Cleanup Expenses Clinic - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • Myths of Compensation - 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.



All trainings count towards 1 hour of the required RASA/VOCA/VOJO training hours, except Basic Compensation which counts towards 2 and DAVE training which counts towards 2.


PLEASE NOTE THE REGISTRATION PROCEDURE HAS CHANGED (AS OF JULY 1ST):


1)   Go to pccd.webex.com (click Modern View in the top right-hand corner)

2)   Click on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner

3)   Select “WebEx Training”

4)   Click on the “Upcoming” tab.

  

Please click here to register.


Employment Opportunities

Please click here to view current employment opportunities.


Please click here to view current employment opportunities.

The next OVS Newsletter will be published on November 13, 2024. If you would like any training events, fundraisers, or notable news published in this newsletter, please submit them to Lea Dorsey at ledorsey@pa.gov by Wednesday, November 6, 2024.

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