Delivering capacity-building training and technical assistance to support crime victims

The Office for Victims of Crime Training & Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) helps victim assistance providers across the country to provide comprehensive services to crime victims. OVC TTAC builds capacity through the delivery of training and technical assistance, continuous quality improvement, data-driven decision making, and a focus on delivering resources to meet the unique needs of crime victims

Challenge

Victim service providers across the country are facing funding uncertainty and navigating the impact of COVID-19 on program services and staff. To meet the diverse needs of providers, the training and technical assistance offered must range from self-paced online training and webinars, online toolkits, and e-guides to customized training and technical assistance delivered in person and/or virtually.

OVC required timely, effective, and accessible support and resources to reach a diverse group of individuals, organizations, and providers. They also wanted to be best positioned to enhance victim services in communities and promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.

Solution

ICF supports OVC TTAC in the creation of multi-pronged training and technical assistance tools, products, and approaches. This includes infusing diversity and inclusion into all aspects of training and technical assistance work:

• The National Victim Assistance Academy uses a blended learning approach to provide interactive skill-based trainings for professionals who assist victims and survivors of crime.
• Expert Q&A is a national live webinar forum designed to help victim service providers communicate with experts about best practices for assisting victims of crime on topics including "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls."

Our team brought in a cadre of professionals who have lived and subject matter experience in working to develop and deliver high-impact training and technical assistance. We help OVC provide an agile capacity building response to meet the unique needs of both crime victims and victim assistance providers.

Results

OVC TTAC provides a wide variety of technical assistance activities—on topics such as human trafficking, mass violence, vicarious trauma and resilience, and the National Victim Assistance Academy—as well as conducting advanced military sexual assault advocate training. In the past year, nearly 100,000 people registered for online training sessions.

Our team supports victim service providers to address trauma and build resilience. Recognizing that culturally responsive assistance increases access to justice and builds trust in the community, our team deploys subject matter experts that are racially, ethnically, culturally, linguistically, physically, and experientially diverse—and thoughtfully matched to each training and technical assistance request.