Advocacy Data Collection Form

1. Advocacy Data Collection Form VAdata: Virginia’s Sexual and Domestic Violence Data Collection System

2. What is an Advocacy Contact An advocacy contact is any face-to-face crisis/support services that you provided to a victim, family/friend of victim, parent/guardian of victim, or perpetrator You will use the advocacy form to record face-to-face direct services provided to adults and children.

3. How Does the Advocacy Form Work? The Advocacy Form is actually more like an advocacy record than a form. What that means is each person is entered only one time into VAdata. The record, once entered, is then “updated” based on the “new” information learned and/or new services provided.

4. What is a Participant Code? A participant code is a unique set of alpha-numeric characters that your agency assigns to a person receiving advocacy services so that your agency can know how many unduplicated (different) people you served. Only your agency should know or be able to link a person to their participant code.

5. Why Do We Use a Code? We use a participant code to protect the identity of the people we serve. The participant code allows you to know the number of people you serve without having to use personally identifying information (name, social security number, etc.) Using personally identifying information in a data collection system, especially a web-based system, can create safety risks and violate one’s privacy and confidentiality.

6. Things to Know About Creating Codes Local agencies are responsible for developing their own coding system. The coding system should not include the use of personally identifying information, such as full names, social security numbers, date of birth, etc. All staff need to use the same system A participant code for a specific individual must remain constant over time (this includes children who, over time, may also receive services as adults)

7. Information in an Advocacy Record Each advocacy record includes five different sections: • Information on Person Receiving Services • Presenting Sexual Violence Experience • Presenting Domestic Violence Experience • Services and Referrals • Shelter/Transitional Housing Services Services that are provided through VSTOP of Victim Funds may also include VSTOP or VFUND supplements

8. Victim Information Sheet This part of the record contains demographic information on the person receiving services. Required fields on the Information on Person sheet to submit an Advocacy Record are: • Date • Staff Name • Gender • Race/Ethnicity (you can select unknown) • Approximate Age • Locality (you can select unknown) • Referral Source (you can select unknown) This sheet also allows you to record information on the different types of violence a person may have experienced throughout her/his lifetime.

9. Victim Information If you are providing services to someone who has NOT experienced sexual and/or domestic violence, you can record this in the “other reason for advocacy” section of the Information on Person Served tab. It is expected that information on this sheet is more static and does not change often. Unlike the other four sheets, this one only allows one sheet of information to be stored. You can “update” the information on this sheet, but you can not add additional sheets.

10. Presenting Sexual Violence This is the part of the record where you will record information on each presenting sexual violence experience that is reported to you. Specific information on each sexual violence experience is recorded separately by “adding” a “new sheet” to this section. For example, if a person was sexually abused as a child and then raped again in college, you would have two presenting experiences sheets stored in the record.

11. Presenting Sexual Violence If there is a presenting sexual violence experience, the following fields are required: • Date • Staff Name • Description of Person Receiving Services • Type of Sexual Violence • Relationship of Perpetrator to Victim (unknown option is available) • Please note: all other perpetrator information is optional and need only be included if known If there is not a presenting sexual violence experience, you can skip this part of the record and the fields will not be required.

12. Presenting Domestic Violence This is the part of the record where you will record information on each presenting domestic violence experience that is reported to you. Specific information on each domestic violence experience is recorded separately by “adding” a “new sheet” to this section. It is important to note, that in domestic violence situations, it would only be considered a new presenting incident if there was a new relationship. For example, a woman who was beaten last week by her husband calls you again to report another act of violence, this would still be consider one presenting experience because it is part of the same pattern of abuse by the same perpetrator.

13. Presenting Domestic Violence If there is a presenting domestic violence experience, the following fields are required: • Date • Staff Name • Description of Person Receiving Services • Type of Domestic Violence • Relationship of Perpetrator to Victim (unknown option is available) • Please note: all other perpetrator information is optional and need only be included if known If there is not a presenting domestic violence experience, you can skip this part of the record and the fields will not be required.

14. Services and Referrals This is the part of the record where you will store the specific services you have provided. Required fields on the Services and Referrals sheet are: • Date • Staff Name • At least one service must be checked • Hours of service must be completed Each new service contact will be stored by “adding” a “new sheet” for each individual service contact.

15. Services and Referrals • All domestic violence services will require a new Advocacy Services & Referrals sheet each time a DVP provides a “supportive service which extends beyond a brief, isolated contact.” • While the method outlined above is the recommended data entry practice, some agencies providing sexual violence services may be choosing to enter data on a daily or weekly basis (rather than by contact as is required of all domestic violence services).

16. Shelter & Transitional Housing This is the part of the record where you will store Shelter and/or Transitional Housing stays. A “new sheet” is required for each shelter and/or transitional housing stay. For example, if a person exits your shelter and returns, you will need to “add” a “new sheet” to the Shelter part of the record. Required fields on the Shelter/Transitional sheet are: • Date of Shelter Entry or Date of Transitional Housing Entry • Staff Name • If Shelter Stay, reason shelter is needed If a person enters shelter or transitional housing with children, you will need a separate advocacy record for the children. Shelter stays for children can not be stored in the adult’s record.

17. VSTOP and Victim Fund Data • VSTOP and Victim Fund grantees are required to report detailed information about the people served and the services provided to them. • If the advocacy services funded by VSTOP and/or Victim Fund, agencies can complete the appropriate supplement to record data for their report(s). • Remember, the VSTOP of VFUND box must ALSO be checked on all Services sheets. **If you do not receive VSTOP or Victim Fund funds for services, you can ignore these supplements**

18. Advocacy Questions Do we fill out an advocacy record for face-to-face contacts where we have access to limited information about the person or the violence experienced? • Yes. Though the Advocacy record is intended to allow you to collect a lot of information over time, only a few fields are required to open a record. If you have had limited time, it is expected that there will be minimal information in the record on the initial contact.

19. Questions cont. How do I “update” or change information in the Advocacy record? • If you need to change information that you previously entered in the system (revise demographics, obtained new info on a known sexual/domestic violence experience, etc), you can access the specific sheet by “date of service” and update that sheet. • Remember if it is a “new” presenting experience or “new” service contact, you “add” a “new sheet”, you do not update.

20. Questions cont. Can I “delete” information? • Yes, the system will allow you to delete individual “sheets” or to delete an entire record. • You can only delete an entire record from the Information on Person Served part of the record. • There is a “delete sheet” option at the bottom of every sheet stored in the record to allow you to delete individual sheets.

21. Help Options You may note this symbol by several fields on the form: Click on the symbol to receive information about the field.

22. HELP! VAdata’s Not Working If you think something is wrong with VAdata, please always call us! 804.377.0335 We don’t use VAdata every day (like you do), so sometimes the only way we know that something is broken is when you tell us. We also like to talk with you by phone when you have questions, because we usually want a whole lot of information that you might not know we need.

23. How Do I Get Help? Please contact your assigned SDVA liaison @ 804.377.0335. If they are unable to respond to your immediate concern, they will contact the VAdata staff for support.

24. Really, It’s OK to ASK The VAdata staff urge you to contact us whenever you have a question or a concern about VAdata. We have a saying at the Action Alliance, “there are no stupid VAdata questions.”

25. Comments and Suggestions This is a great place to make a suggestion or request support that does not need immediate attention. If you need immediate attention, please give us a call. Often we will need additional information from you, so a call is usually more expedient than an email.