National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium

As the field of victim assistance evolves, basic guidelines are needed to ensure consistency and competency. The National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium (NVASC) is an ad-hoc group whose purpose is to draft a set of standards for programs and individual victim advocates.

The project is funded through the federal Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). The Center designed and coordinated the consortium. NVASC comprises victim-service experts representing various disciplines and geographic locales. This group researched victim assistance practices and conducted focus groups of professionals to draft the Standards for Victim Assistance Programs and Providers.

The document is practical and easy to read. It provides a definition and mission statement for victim assistance as well as a list of guiding values. It is divided into three main sections:

• The first describes a set of standards for victim assistance programs.
• The second part delineates a series of skills and knowledge that should be included in any training of victim advocates.
• The third section lists a series of ethical standards for anyone working with victims of crime.

The document also includes suggestions for putting these standards into practice as well as a directory of existing programs for professional development.

This initiative grew out of the Victim Assistance Institute (VAI), The Center’s four-year training collaboration with the SC State Office of Victim Assistance. Although VAI is not currently being offered, the Needs Assessment, Training Curriculum, Participant’s Manual, and Final Evaluation Report are available.

For more information about VAI, NVASC, or the Standards for Victim Assistance Programs and Providers, contact Dana DeHart at 803-777-7867 or dana.dehart@sc.edu.

To obtain a printed copy or CD of the Standards, contact The Center at centerinformation@gwm.sc.edu.