National Resource Center for Reaching Victims of Crime Webinar: 
Healing  Informed Care for Advocates and Survivors of Crime

Slide 1: National Resource Center for Reaching Victims Presents:
Healing Informed Care for Advocates and Survivors of Crime
* Zoe Flowers
* Historically Marginalized Workgroup Lead
* WOCN, Inc.
* April 23, 2019

Slide 2: Women of Color Network
* Mission: The mission of the Women of Color Network, Inc. (WOCN, Inc.) is to eliminate violence againstÊALL women and their communities by centralizing the voices, wellness and leadership of women of colorÊacross the Sovereign Nations, the United States and U.S. Territories.
* IMAGE of Various Women of Color standing next to each other in unity and support. They are smiling.

Slide 3: Purpose 
* The purpose of WOCN, Inc. is toÊworkÊin andÊbeyondÊthe fields of domestic violence and sexual assault to address a broad range of violence affecting communities of color such as human trafficking, police brutality, andÊover-incarceration. We accomplish this by examining and responding to aÊglobal context of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, and other forms of oppression that intersect with violence against women of color and their communities.
* IMAGE of Various Women of Color standing next to each other in unity and support. They are smiling.

Slide 4: Agenda
* Introductions
* Guidelines 
* Guiding principles
* Our historiesÊ

Slide 5: Introductions

Slide 6: Introductions (2)
¥ Name
¥ Gender pronouns
¥ Organization
¥ Your role at your organization and on this project
¥ What motivates you to work in your field?

Slide 7: Guidelines
1. Respect each other and ourselves
2. Take responsibility for listening to new ideas and different perspectives.
3. Speak for yourself out of your own personal experiences.
4. Value risk-taking
5. Be present

Slide 8: The Need

Slide 9: Who is Underserved?
* 9% of serious violent crime victims received direct assistance from a victim service agency. (1993- 2009)
* Source: Use of Victim Service Agencies by victims of serious violent crimes 1993-2009: Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violence Crimes, 1993-2009 Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report 2011

Slide 10: Who is Underserved? (ContÕd 2)
* 14% of violent crime victims who reported the crime to the police received direct assistance from a victim service agency, compared to 4 when the crime was not reported. (2000-2009)
* Source: Use of Victim Service Agencies by victims of serious violent crimes 1993-2009: Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violence Crimes, 1993-2009 Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report 2011

Slide 11: Thank you 
* IMAGES of logos for the Office of Justice Programs and the Office for Victims of Crime.

Slide 12: Resource Center Goal
* To better meet the needs of underserved survivors by increasing the capacity of service providers to effectively identify, reach, and serve
o underserved survivors in ways that are:
* culturally-appropriate
* linguistically-specific
 
Slide 13: Resource Center Goal (ContÕd 2)
* To better meet the needs of underserved survivors by increasing the capacity of service providers to effectively identify, reach, and serve
o underserved survivors in ways that are:
* trauma-responsive
* accessible and welcoming
* inclusive

Slide 14: Promoting Innovative Solutions
* Expert Consultations
* Site Visits
* Mini Grants to Spur Innovation

Slide 15: Expert TTA Working Groups
Role:
* Assists workgroup lead
* Assists with needs and strengths assessment
* Delivers training
* Delivers technical assistance
* Identifies and develops resources
* IMAGE of circles with the different kinds members that are in the workgroup

Slide 16: Communities of Focus / Lead Orgs
Community and Organizations serving the community include: 
* Children - National ChildrenÕs Advocacy Center
* Formerly Incarcerated - Vera Institute of Justice
* Historically Underserved - Women of Color Network
* LGBTQ - FORGE
* Men of Color - Common Justice
* Older Adults - National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life
* People with Disabilities - Vera Institute of Justice
* People with Limited English Proficiency - Casa de Esperanza, National Latin@ Network

Slide 17: Trauma
* IMAGE of Various Women of Color standing next to each other in unity and support. They are smiling. 

Slide 18: Trauma
* What is trauma?

Slide 19: Trauma isÉ.
* A type of damage to the mind that occurs as a result of a distressing event. Trauma is often the result of an overwhelming amount of stress that exceeds one's ability to cope, or integrate the emotions involved with that experience.Ê

Slide 20: How does violence impact spirit?
* IMAGE of A Black women is sitting in her room. She is very sad. She has on a white dress. She is praying. There is a tea kettle next to her. She is seeking solace from the trauma she experienced.
* Takes away ability to heal ourselves through our spiritual and innate practices
o breathing, crying, shaking, connecting to something bigger
o having faith, our ability to dream, have purpose, belong, love, be compassionate and empathetic, shake , cry, scream and tap into the full self- expression of our feelings.
o look for answers outside of ourselves
o filled with self-blame, guilt and shame,  invisibility and isolation.
o Question who we are
o Love becomes conditional,
o lose ability to trust and communicate with spirit, ask for what we need
o Create codependent, unhealthy relationships 
o have 1000 reasons as to why we donÕt  show up for our dreams.
By: Dr. Marte

Slide 21: Historical Trauma
* Historical traumaÊ(HT), as used by social workers, historians, and psychologists, refers to the cumulative emotional harm of an individual or generation caused by a traumatic experience or event.ÊHistorical traumaÊresponse (HTR) refers to the manifestation of emotions and actions that stem from this perceivedÊtrauma.

Slide 22: Vicarious Trauma
* Is a process that unfolds over time. It is not just your responses to one person, one story, or one situation. It is the cumulative effect of contact with survivors of violence or disaster or people who are struggling. 

Slide 23: Vicarious Trauma (ContÕd 2)
* It is what happens to you over time as you witness cruelty and loss and hear distressing stories, day after day, and year after year.

Slide 24: Vicarious Trauma (ContÕd 3)
* Is predictable and ongoing. Your experiences of vicarious trauma are continuously being influenced by your life experiences (both those you choose and those that simply happen to you in the course of your professional and personal lives).Ê

Slide 25: A Òone size fits allÓ approach is inadequate to the experiences and needs of diverse groups of women who are abused.

Slide 26: 
* IMAGE of monarch butterfly lands on a flower. The butterfly does not reflect its time as a caterpillar.
* ÒWe delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beautyÓ
* -Maya Angelou

Slide 27: Resilience
* IMAGE of Various Women of Color standing next to each other in unity and support. They are smiling.

Slide 28: Another way to tell our movement history and stories
* IMAGE of Footprints on the sand leading into the ocean

Slide 29: Our Histories
* What happened to you?
* What do you believe about yourself as a result of what happened to you?
* What do you need to heal?

Slide 30: Group Process Questions
* What are the recurring patterns in my life that move me forward/backward in my work?
* Is there a part of my life that I am ignoring?
* What goals have I accomplished?

Slide 31: Group Process Questions (ContÕd 2)
* What goals would I like to accomplish?
* Do I have a clear picture of who I want to be as an advocate?
* How can I show up fully in my personal, spiritual and professional life? (What can I today, in six months, by next year?)

Slide 32: Empowerment-Based Advocacy

Slide 33: General Principles for Advocacy:
* Accountability 
* Non-racist
* Accessibility

Slide 34: Feminist Concepts that Frame Survivor-Focused Advocacy
* Self-help Ð process through which women learn to know their own strengths
* Self-determination Ð individual choice
* Empowerment Ð a method of partnering with a battered woman so she increasingly retakes control of her life.

Slide 35: Empowerment
* We cannot ÒempowerÓ anyone.
* Empowerment based advocacy is based on the belief that people are empowered.
* Oppressive systems act as road blocks but the individual possesses power.

Slide 36: Empowerment (ContÕd 2)
* The advocates role is to be empowered and create a place that is safe for survivors to be empowered, too!

Slide 37: Empowerment is NotÉ
* Informing a survivor that you know what is best for them.
* Assuming that you know everything about a survivor the first time you meet them (or ever!).

Slide 38: Empowerment is Not AboutÉ
* Assuming that a survivor is incapable of making decisions because they are in Òcrisis modeÓ.
* Concentrating on a survivorÕs challenges rather than focusing on their strengths.

Slide 39: *Remember *
* Each portion of a survivorÕs experience (staying, leaving or returning) is logical.
* It is a way to literally SURVIVE!
* Anyone in their circumstances might do the same thing.

Slide 40: How do we assist a person who has been harmed in seeing their strengths?
* IMAGE of  One woman is comforting another woman. They are embracing.

Slide 41: Survivor Centered Advocacy
* Involves a three step process.
* Help the survivor identify: 
(1) Batterer-generated risks.
(2) Life-generated risks.	
(3) Assessing the victimÕs past and current safety plans.

Slide 42: Batterer-generated risks
These include risks of:
* Physical injury
* Child-related risks
* Financial risks
* Risks to family  &  friends
* Risks involving arrest & legal status

Slide 43: Life-generated risks(ContÕd 2)
These include issues of:
* Finances
* Home location
* Physical & mental health
* Discrimination 
* Inadequate responses from social institutions

Slide 44: Life-generated risks
* Once the batterer and life-generated risks are identified, the advocate begins the process of giving the survivor complete and accurate information. 

Slide 45: Culturally Relevant Interventions Support Empowerment
* IMAGE of an animated character. She is a little girl holding a flower. She has a smile on her face. She has orange hair and is wearing brightly colored clothes.

Slide 46: Holistic Approach
* Focusing on one issue/problem not enough
* Cannot limit work to protection orders
* Battered woman defines
* Needs
* Concerns
* Fears
* Assessment of Lethality

Slide 47: Holistic Approach (ContÕd 2) 
* Need advocacy, support and legal assistance
* Holistic Services focus on:
* Spirituality
* Power of unity
* Wholeness
* Support of family and community

Slide 48: Human Rights Approach
* Goes beyond acquiring cultural knowledge to serve clients
* Individual and Institutional commitment towards creating multicultural institutions committed to social change and the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Slide 49: Human Rights Approach (ContÕd 2)
* The inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, without distinction 

Slide 50: Individual Level 
* Being aware of oneÕs biases, prejudices and knowledge about a victim. For example:
* Do not make assumptions based on appearance.
* Use appropriate language.
* Be aware of assumptions of family.

Slide 51: Individual Level (ContÕd 2) 
* Recognizing professional power and avoiding the imposition of those values. For example,
* Use non-judgmental questions.


Slide 52: Individual Level  (ContÕd 3)
* Gathering information about the victimÕs interpretation of their culture. For example in assessment:
* ÒWhat is it like for you to talk about this problem in your community.Ó

Slide 53: At the Organizational Level
* The adoption of intentional, purposeful practices to eliminate institutional racism and oppression as well as other barriers to services;
* A commitment to building egalitarian organizational practices, including input from participants

Slide 54: Organizational Level (ContÕd 1)
* Providing services and programs that are designed in a manner that meets community needs and delivered in a culturally responsive manner;

Slide 55: Organizational Level (ContÕd 2)
* A commitment to recruiting and retaining bilingual/bicultural or culturally competent staff in all areas (including providing training and professional development opportunities for them); and
* Ensuring victims safety and self-determination. For example,
* Safety plans that take into account culturally specific needs.

Slide 56: Organizational Level (ContÕd 3)
* Developing linkages with the community. For example,
* Give culturally appropriate referrals.
* Work with community based organizations.
* Defer issues to Native advocates, traditional healers or Native nations if need be

Slide 57: Final Thoughts
* As empowerment-based advocates it is important to regularly ask survivors for feedback and use that information to improve your advocacy.
* Remember we are privileged to be a part of this intensely critical time in a survivorÕs life.

Slide 58: Resilience 
* What do you think of when you see this word?
* What activities build resilience?
* What structures need to be in place to support resilience?

Slide 59: Questions?
* IMAGE of a woman holding a large question mark. This slide is to open up the call for questions.

Slide 60: THANK YOU
* thank you for your time, expertise and participation!

Slide 61: Contact Information:
* Zoe Flowers
* Zflowers@wocninc.org
* WWW.WOCNINC.ORG