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View new OVC products on emerging victim issues, promising practices, policy development, and technical assistance and skill-building tools.

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The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (Updated October 2018)
Research shows that vicarious trauma, when left unaddressed, can lead to staff burnout, turnover, stress, and a lesser quality of services for victims. This OVC toolkit offers guidance to help organizations strengthen their ability to address work-related exposure to trauma.

The toolkit contains a state-of-the-art repository with nearly 500 resources for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement, and other allied professions.

The toolkit includes a Blueprint for a Vicarious Trauma-Informed Organization to help organizations begin the process of becoming more trauma-informed.

Vision 21: Center for Victim Research (August 2018)
In response to the victim assistance field’s call for increased statistical data, evidence-based practices, and program evaluation, OVC funded the creation of the Center for Victim Research.

This fact sheet describes how the Center is tool for victim service providers and researchers to connect and share knowledge, supports the field in two ways. It facilitates access to victim research and data while improving the utility of research and data collection to crime victim services nationwide.

Vision 21: National Resource Center for Reaching Victims (August 2018)
According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, only 1 in 10 victims of violent crime report receiving victim services.

This fact sheet describes the OVC-funded National Resource Center for Reaching Victims project. The center seeks to be one-stop shop where providers, policymakers, and other professionals will be able to obtain information and expert guidance to enhance their capacity to identify, reach, and serve all victims, especially those from communities that too often have less access to healing services and avenues to justice.

OVC Fact Sheet: Action Research (May 2018)
Action research is social research carried out by a team consisting of a professional researcher and representatives from an organization or group seeking to improve its processes, products, or services.

In Fiscal Year 2018, OVC will transition recipients of human trafficking grants from an evaluation model to an action research model. This fact sheet will help grantees transition to the new action research model.

OVC Partnerships With Law Enforcement (May 2018)
Law enforcement personnel are often the first contact that victims of crime have. It is therefore critical that law enforcement understand the needs of crime victims, have the skills to provide a trauma-informed response, and have resources to help address work-related exposure to trauma.

This 6-minute video discusses OVC-sponsored programs and resources to enhance the delivery of services to victims of crime by law enforcement agencies.

2018 National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) Resource Guide (February 2018)
NCVRW will be commemorated April 8–14, observing the 2018 theme—Expand the Circle: Reach All Victims.

The 2018 NCVRW Resource Guide provides all of the materials you need to create your own public awareness campaigns for NCVRW and throughout the year.

The guide features campaign materials in both English and Spanish, and includes planning tips, artwork, crime and victimization fact sheets, and more.

2017 OVC Report to the Nation: Fiscal Years 2015-2016 Reaching Victims Everywhere (June 2017)
This biennial report summarizes the programs, activities, and accomplishments of OVC in fiscal years 2015-2016 and their impact on victims, survivors, and communities.

The report provides an overview of how OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund—a significant resource for supporting services to victims. Learn how OVC is working to build a body of evidence-based knowledge for the crime victims field, and the ways in which OVC is seeking to increase the capacity of the field and reach unserved and underserved victims.

Office for Victims of Crime TIMS Snapshot Report, July 2015–June 2016: Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Program (September 2017) (PDF 363 kb)
This brief highlights data reported in the Trafficking Information Management System (TIMS) by 20 grantees funded under the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Program.

Through this program, OVC supports multidisciplinary task forces that implement collaborative approaches to combating all forms of human trafficking within the United States.

Office for Victims of Crime TIMS Snapshot Report, July 2015–June 2016: Comprehensive Services for All Victims of Human Trafficking Program (September 2017) (PDF 352 kb)
This brief highlights data reported in TIMS by 34 grantees funded through the OVC Comprehensive Services for All Victims of Human Trafficking program.

This grant program supports high-quality, comprehensive services to address the individualized needs of trafficking victims.

Office for Victims of Crime TIMS Snapshot Report, July 2015–June 2016: Services for Victims of Human Trafficking (September 2017) (PDF 325 kb)
OVC administers grant funding to enhance services for victims of human trafficking. This brief provides data across three OVC human trafficking grant programs as reported in TIMS.

Grantee services included case management, legal services, housing assistance, and personal items (e.g., food, clothing, hygiene products).

Office for Victims of Crime TIMS Snapshot Report, July 2015–June 2016: Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Program (September 2017) (PDF 323 kb)
This brief highlights data reported in TIMS by 23 grantees funded through the Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Program.

OVC recognizes that victims of trafficking have diverse and distinct needs that may require specialized responses. This program seeks to enhance specialized services available to assist all victims of human trafficking in achieving their goals.

Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States: Fiscal Year 2016 Status Report (August 2017) (PDF 678 kb)
Based on the goals and objectives identified in the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States, 2013–2017 (PDF 3.48 mb), released by the White House in January of 2014, this status report identifies actions taken during fiscal year 2016 to ensure that all victims of human trafficking in the U.S. are identified and have access to the services they need to recover.

Vision 21: Multidisciplinary Responses in Complex Homicide Cases (August 2017) (PDF 143 kb)
This fact sheet describes an OVC-funded project to support the enhancement of multidisciplinary interventions within 24 to 48 hours of a death for some of the most complex cases.

These cases may include gang-related homicides, intrafamilial homicides, homicides involving child witnesses, and deaths involving impaired driving or driving under the influence.

Vision 21: Supporting Male Survivors of Violence Initiative (August 2017)
(PDF 147 kb)
Too often, male survivors are left to cope silently with the harmful effects of trauma, which makes them less likely to heal. To help address this service gap, OVC partnered with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and National Institute of Justice to launch the Supporting Male Survivors of Violence Initiative.

This fact sheet describes the initiative’s efforts to bolster the field’s ability to provide effective, culturally appropriate, and trauma-informed services for boys and men harmed by violence and to expand services that help normalize their lives and promote their healing.

Vision 21: Victim Services Mobile Applications (July 2017) (PDF 196 kb)
Technology can be a powerful tool for expanding victims’ safe access to information and services.

This fact sheet provides an overview of two OVC-funded Vision 21 mobile app projects that highlight how technology can help victims and victim service providers.

Vision 21: Tribal Victim Services Resource Mapping Project (July 2017) (PDF 190 kb)
American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest crime victimization rates in the Nation but often have difficulty connecting with existing services to help them recover from crime and abuse.

This fact sheet discusses an OVC project to develop a web-based tool that will enable victims and service providers to quickly access information about critical services wherever they are seeking help.

International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program 2015 Report to Congress (June 2017)
This report provides a summary of the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program’s (ITVERP) activities from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015.

It covers two critical areas of ITVERP assistance—application processing and claims payment, and public awareness activities undertaken to reach out to potential claimants—and concludes with a discussion of future program needs and suggested improvements.

Vision 21: Using Technology To Expand Access to Victim Services (June 2017) (PDF 203 kb)
OVC’s Vision 21: Transforming Services Final Report reiterated and reinforced what we already know, both in the field and at the federal level—that there is still a large gap in service delivery to crime victims.

This fact sheet discusses an OVC program which provided funding for nonprofit organizations that use technology creatively to interact directly with crime victims (in the United States and Americans victimized abroad). Project participants used technology to provide victims of crime with information, referrals, crisis assistance, and longer term help to close this gap in service delivery.

Vision 21: Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve (June 2017) (PDF 186 kb)
This fact sheet discusses an OVC-sponsored project that is designed to:

• Assist law enforcement in developing evidence-based and trauma-informed response strategies in the wake of law enforcement-involved shootings and other high-profile incidents of violence; and


• Develop and disseminate comprehensive, expert technical assistance resources for law enforcement on trauma-informed culture and practice.

Developing and Implementing a Response to Sexual Assault in Tribal Communities: A Summary of the Suggestions from the National Roundtable Discussion on Sexual Assault in Indian Country (April 2017) (PDF 842 kb).

This publication is a product of an OVC, Indian Health Service, and Office on Violence Against Women event in July 2016. The publication offers practical guidance to tribal governments who are interested in developing or enhancing their community’s response to sexual violence.

View three short videos on Spiritual Practices, Reducing the Stigma of Sexual Assault, and Multidisciplinary Team Approach that were produced to complement the report.

State-Tribal Crime Victim Liaison Demonstration Program: Tribal Outreach To Establish Trust and Increase Awareness of Victim Services (December 2016)
This report discusses the outcome of a 3-year project through which the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council, Victim Services Division, supported a State-Tribal Crime Victim Liaison.

This liaison provided outreach to Oklahoma American Indian victims regarding tribal victim assistance, grant opportunities, and crime victim compensation.

Partners in Justice—Bureau of Indian Affairs Victim Specialists (December 2016)
This video presents an overview of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Victim Specialist Program. The video, prepared by OVC and BIA, identifies some of the program’s successes and challenges providing services to victims of crime in Indian Country.

The video provides an explanation of the services available to Native victims of crime through the program and how the program complements tribally operated victim services programs.

Vision 21: Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth Fact Sheet (December 2016) (PDF 426 kb)
Our Nation's children and youth continue to experience crime and victimization at alarming rates, these young victims remain underserved, and the systems charged with caring for them provide fragmented and ineffective responses for children and their families.

This fact sheet describes efforts to bring healthcare, child welfare, justice, and other systems together to coordinate and align efforts to ensure a timely and seamless response to young victims, their families, and caregivers, no matter the system of entry.

Alcohol-Facilitated Sexual Assault in Indian Country (December 2016) This four-video series, produced by the Office for Victims of Crime in collaboration with the Office for Violence Against Women, is designed for criminal justice personnel, victim advocates, and allied professionals. The videos in this series seek to increase awareness about the prevalence of alcohol-facilitated sexual violence, enhance the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence, and provide best practices for responding to victims.

©iStock.com/Jennifer McCormick

A Healing Journey for Alaska Natives (October 2016)
This five-video series is designed to educate federal, state, local, and tribal victim service providers, criminal justice professionals, and others who work with Alaska Native victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program Development and Operation Guide (August 2016)
This Guide serves as a blueprint to improve your SANE program and ensure that all sexual assault victims receive the highest standard of patient-centered care.

Achieving Excellence: Model Standards for Serving Victims & Survivors of Crime (August 2016)
This e-publication provides guidelines and suggestions to help victim service providers and program administrators improve the quality and consistency of their response to crime victims. This resource includes three sets of standards for serving victims and survivors of crime:

• Program standards for guidelines, policies, and procedures that victim-serving organizations should have in place.
• Competency standards for general attitudes, knowledge, and skills that demonstrate professional competency in the crime victims field.
• Ethical standards for the ethical expectations of service providers, based on core values for the field.

Vision 21 Accomplishments Fact Sheet (July 2016)
The goal of OVC's Vision 21 initiative is to expand the vision and impact of the crime victim assistance field. This fact sheet highlights OVC accomplishments to meet the goals of Vision 21 by:

• promoting data and research to inform future program development so that victims can be served effectively,
• supporting and building the capacity of those who work in the field, and
• fostering innovation to address enduring and emerging challenges of the crime victims field.

Crime Victim Compensation Program Initiative Fact Sheet (July 2016)
Through the Crime Victim Compensation Program Initiative, OVC awarded funds to the Iowa, California, and Vermont state crime victim compensation programs to help them develop or enhance innovative strategies to increase program efficiency, responsiveness, and accessibility for crime victims. This fact sheet highlights the work that these three programs implemented which other state programs can use as a model for replication.

OVC Publishing Guidelines (Fourth Edition, July 2016)
This guide describes the criteria you must follow when preparing all types of OVC communication products for publication. It includes guidance on developing e-publications and producing multimedia products. Of special importance are submission deadlines and requirements (including file setup guidelines). Other topics include the publishing process, product types, writing tips, and legal and policy requirements. The guidelines are designed to help grantees, vendors, and others work more efficiently with OVC to produce quality products that adhere to professional standards of excellence.

Notifying Sexual Assault Victims After Testing Evidence (January 2016) (PDF, 1.06 mb)
OVC has partnered with the National Institute of Justice to inform practitioners about lessons learned in sexual assault kit research projects. This new publication explores the victim-centered approach that teams in Houston and Detroit used to develop principles for notifying victims of the results of sexual assault kit (SAK) testing.

This guidance may help other jurisdictions where a large number of previously untested SAKs in older cases are being tested and in current cases.

Faces of Human Trafficking (January 2016) (PDF 1.14 mb)
This video series and resource guide raise awareness of the seriousness of human trafficking, the many forms it takes, and the important role that everyone can play in identifying and serving victims. This new multidisciplinary resource includes:

• Nine videos in English with Spanish subtitle
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs) offered in English, Spanish, Thai, Hindi, and Tagalog
• A discussion guide
• Four OVC fact sheets
• Four posters designed for service providers and allied professionals, law enforcement, the general public, and victims/survivors

OVC News & Program Updates (December 2015)
This issue focuses on children and youth, a vulnerable population that should be safeguarded. Articles include—

• A moving piece authored by a survivor who, as a young child, witnessed the murder of his mother and brother
• Linking systems of care for children and youth to proactively identify victims and ensure they set on a path to healing
• Getting to the root of the problem with violence interrupter programs for boys and young men of color
• Laws that prohibit female genital mutilation and cutting and how to report suspected incidents
• The FY15 increase in the Crime Victims Fund allotment and its impact on crime victim services