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NCJ Number:
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NCJ 205529
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Title:
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Assessment of the Effects of the National Victim Assistance Academy: Final Report
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Corporate Author:
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ICF International (formerly Caliber Associates)
United States
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Date Published:
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04/2003 |
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Page Count:
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248 |
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Sponsoring Agency:
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Grant Number:
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2002-VF-GX-0001 |
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Sale Source:
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NCJRS Photocopy Services
Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
United States
ICF International (formerly Caliber Associates)
9300 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
United States |
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Document:
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PDF PDF |
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Agency Summary:
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Agency Summary |
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Type:
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Program/project evaluations |
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Language:
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English |
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Country:
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United States |
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Annotation:
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After describing the features and goals of the National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA), this report presents the methodology, findings, and recommendations from a 2002 evaluation of the NVAA. |
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Abstract:
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Established in 1995 as part of a cooperative agreement between
the Federal Office for Victims of Crime and the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization on behalf of a consortium of national victim assistance organizations, the NVAA has three primary goals. One goal is to develop and implement a
comprehensive, research-based, foundation-level course of
academic instruction that provides victim advocates with current
and cutting-edge knowledge about victim assistance and the field
of victimology. A second goal is to provide high-quality, intensive education and training to victim service providers, advocates, and professionals from Federal, State, local, and tribal settings. A third goal is to create a training model that can be adapted and integrated into institutions of higher
learning and other venues. The evaluation collected and analyzed
data and information from on-site observations by the evaluation
team; participants' responses to questions at the conclusion of
the NVAA curriculum; and interviews with faculty, students, and
supervisors approximately 6 months after academy participation.
The evaluation found that the Academy was partially successful in
achieving the overall goals. Generally, it presented a
comprehensive, research-based foundation-level course of academic
instruction that provided victim advocates with knowledge about
victim assistance and the field of victimology; however, the NVAA
failed to offer current and cutting-edge information for a number
of topics covered in the text. The curriculum must be continually
updated to reflect the frontiers of victimology. Regarding high-quality, intensive education and training, the NVAA covers a
lot of information in a short period of time. In order for
participants to internalize the volume of information covered,
more time is required for the presentation of important
information, reaction or discussion of the information among
participants with and without faculty, and personal time to
interpret how the information will be useful to the student in
his/her specific work with crime victims. For the most part, the
NVAA did offer quality instruction to participants. Some suggestions for improving quality included using more interactive, adult learning strategies in the sessions to engage participants, bringing in more direct-service providers who are working in specific areas, and incorporating more skill-building
exercises. Information from faculty, supervisors, and program
coordinators of State Academies suggests that institutions of
higher learning, agencies and organizations, and States as a
whole have benefited from the use of the NVAA as a model for
educating and training victim service providers, advocates, and
allied professionals. In addition to achieving a significant
measure of NVAA goals, the evaluation found that the Academy had a noticeable and even statistically significant impact on
students by increasing their knowledge, improving their
attitudes, and providing them with the capacity to make changes.
Extensive exhibits and appended NVAA data collection instruments
and instructions as well as highlights of Academy text reviews by chapter |
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Main Term(s):
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Victim services training |
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Index Term(s):
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Victimology ; Staff development training ; Educational benefits ; Victim services ; Educational courses ; NIJ final report ; NIJ grant-related documents |
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Note:
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For the executive summary of this report, see NCJ-205528. |
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To cite this abstract, use the following link:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=205529
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* A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents
not available online, a link to the publisher's web site is provided.
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