GOAL #1
Effective Outreach, Training
and Communication
Goal: To inform as many victims as possible about compensation opportunities available to them,
and to communicate effectively and sensitively with victims and groups that work with them or on
their behalf.
Objectives
2. To foster mutual understanding between compensation programs and public and private agencies, organizations,
and individuals that work with victims, such as victim service groups, police, prosecutors, other criminal justice
officials, medical providers, and others.
3. To communicate effectively, sensitively, and in a timely manner with victims through applications, correspondence, and telephone and in-person contact.
STRATEGIES
Objective 1: To increase understanding and awareness of the purpose and availability of crime victim compensation
by providing information to crime victims and the general public and by offering training to public and private
agencies and organizations serving crime victims.
Basic Strategies
o Victim service programs:
+ prosecutor-based victim/witness
+ police-based victim/witness
+ domestic violence
+ rape crisis
+ child victim
+ elderly victim
+ drunk driving victim
+ statewide coalitions and networks
+ other "grassroots" victim organizations
o Police officers or criminal investigators at local, state, federal, military and tribal levels
o Prosecutors, including U.S. Attorneys and military and tribal
prosecutors
b. Develop and disseminate a brochure describing eligibility
requirements, benefits, and procedures.
c. Develop and disseminate a poster publicizing the program's
purpose and a number to call for information.
d. Review outreach materials and training efforts on an annual basis
to improve their effectiveness.
e. When resources are extremely limited for outreach activities, programs should consider focusing efforts on unserved or underserved groups, such as minorities or people in geographically isolated areas, including Indian reservations.
f. Make contact with the state's administrator for VOCA assistance
funds and communicate about how best to provide training and
information to VOCA assistance subgrantees in the state.
g. Maintain communication with U.S. Attorneys' victim/witness
coordinators in your state.
Advanced Strategies
o Judges and court officials, including federal,
military and tribal systems
o Correctional officials
o Probation and parole officers
o Funeral directors
o Hospital and medical personnel
o Mental health professionals
o Governmental child advocacy agencies
o Community organizations, especially in
underserved areas
o Schools and colleges (target appropriate
disciplines such as social work, criminal
justice)
o Clergy
o Lawyers (bar association, law firms, law
schools)
o Collateral source groups, such as insurance
companies and Medicaid administrators
o Large-scale employers
o Key legislators and/or their staffs
b. Develop and disseminate the following to appropriate groups and individuals:
o Patrol officers' cards
o Training manual
o Informational materials for inclusion in
training conducted by police and victim programs
o Merchandise items publicizing the program's name, address
and phone number, such as key rings, pens, shirts, calendars
c. Maintain regular written communication with key programs, agencies and individuals, through the following means:
o Newsletter (quarterly is recommended)
o Correspondence when rules, procedures, benefits change
d. Emphasize communication with individual victim service
programs, such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis programs,
and child victim programs, including VOCA-funded programs,
through correspondence, phone calls, and personal visits to update
key individuals within the programs on changes in benefits or
procedures.
e. Develop and broadcast public service announcements (PSAs)
over commercial and public radio and TV stations, and on military
networks.
f. Contact radio and television stations to request that programs and
interviews focus on the compensation program.
g. Issue press releases on newsworthy information about the
program.
h. Analyze data on which victimization types and geographic areas
are applying less frequently than others, and target those
"underserved" groups or areas for more outreach activities.
i. Use emerging technologies, such as the Internet and "Web," to
provide information to interested parties.
j. Contact victims directly to offer assistance, if appropriate. For
example, use police reports or news accounts to identify victims
and to contact them directly about compensation opportunities.
k. Establish professional liaisons with staff of state legislators and keep them abreast of changing program needs and public demand.
Basic Strategies
b. Identify and contact representatives of major coalitions or groups
representing victims or providing victims with services, to discuss
program changes and progress, and to gain input. Contact should
be made annually or on an as-needed basis.
c. As feasible, participate in conferences of the following groups, officials, and professions:
o Victim service programs, advocacy groups, and "grassroots" organizations
o Police and sheriffs
o Judges
o Prosecutors
o Funeral directors
o Hospital officials
o Mental health professionals
d. Sponsor or participate in Victims Rights Week activities.
e. Provide regular (at least annual) training to compensation staff,
management, and decision makers on issues relating to victimization, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and sex assault, and
on the workings of the criminal justice system.
Advanced Strategies
b. Survey victim service groups and providers of services to
victims to assess their experience and relative satisfaction with the
compensation program's performance.
c. Develop and distribute to victim service programs a "claimant
handbook" to provide applicants with more detailed information
about benefits covered, rate limits, procedures for preauthorization
to incur an expense, emergency awards, supplementary payments,
appeals, etc. This could be modeled on similar materials provided
by insurance companies to their insured.
d. Develop a recognition program to acknowledge and honor those individuals in the victim-service community and criminal justice system who make significant contributions to the welfare of victims.
This could consist of awards presented at an annual ceremony
during Victims' Rights Week.
e. Encourage each staff person to make at least one annual site visit
to a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis program, or other victim
service program. Encourage staff to perform volunteer work for
victim service groups.
f. Develop or obtain directories of victim service programs for
compensation staff to use in referring victims to other sources of
assistance. Be sure the directories are up to date.
g. Notify appropriate local officials and groups of the amounts paid
to and on behalf of victims in their communities by the compensation program.
h. (for programs with Boards) Invite representatives of victim coalitions and service programs to attend Board meetings, and move the meetings around the state so that more people have an opportunity to attend.
Basic Strategies
b. Review application on a regular basis to ensure its effectiveness,
and develop a process to seek input from victims and their
representatives on the content of the form.
c. Develop forms and letters for use with victims, providers, police, and employers that are effective
in communicating information, using simple words and specific
directions.
d. Provide annual and ongoing training to compensation staff on
victimization and crisis reactions, so that staff can communicate
effectively with victims. Training also should include information
on other available victim services and resources, so that compensation staff can help make referrals when appropriate.
e. Establish a means to communicate with individuals who are
hearing or sight impaired to ensure compliance with Americans
With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
Advanced Strategies
b. Develop a means, such as a "client satisfaction survey," to gain
input from at least a sampling of victims on their experience with
the program and their recommendations for improvement.
c. Establish a means to communicate with non-English-speaking
applicants by telephone. At least one long-distance company
(AT&T) now provides translators on demand for a small fee.
d. Seek professional expertise to ensure that applications are easy
to read and understand.
e. Establish a means to give providers quick information on the
status of applicants to whom they have rendered services.
f. Develop a "claimant handbook" to provide applicants with more
detailed information about benefits covered, rate limits, procedures
for preauthorization to incur an expense, emergency awards,
supplementary payments, appeals, etc. This could be modeled on
similar materials provided by insurance companies to their insured.
g. As appropriate in individual cases, refer victims to victim assistance programs and to other sources of payment and relief, such as Medicaid and Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) for which the victim is or may become eligible.