The Concept of Informed Advocacy in Victim Services Organizations

Informed Advocacy

A central mandate in any policy I have created for staff or volunteers (not to mention, myself) is that they practice informed advocacy. Informed advocacy is a fluid practice of seeking relevant, up-to-date knowledge that will enhance their effectiveness as an advocate. Informed advocacy is self- propelled. There is no stagnant mindset resulting in “No one told me how” or “ I didn’t know” responses to unresolved problems.

This management mindset not only ensures better outcomes for the crime victims we are advocating for but it is also empowering  for the advocate doing the work. Advocates are inspired to be pro-active, to research and to think outside the box.  The boundaries, of course, are the ethics established in any victim services agency. Those are rigid - with no exceptions - to ensure confidentiality, safety and professionalism. Thorough staff training in the beginning of any advocacy career provides a reference point. Once staff are trained on  ethics and best practices, trust must follow. The onus of laying this foundation is on the administration. Beyond that, agencies must provide the tools, share information, allow free discussion and encourage new ideas.

Some victim services agencies/ domestic violence shelters have become notorious for their own power and control issues leading to disenfranchised staff members and unappreciated volunteers.  Only an empowered staff can selflessly and effectively empower crime victims.  To achieve this paradigm shift administration must open the door to staff and volunteers. Involve those effected in grant writing and reporting. Allow staff to do internet research, involve them in writing a social media policy and participating in outreach, encourage staff to go to trainings and meetings and network in the community. Support self improvement, further education and even career advancement within or outside your workplace.

Without this freedom, many advocates, after a time, experience disengagement, apathy and perceive themselves as increasingly ineffective. In the practice of informed advocacy an advocate owns their actions, contributes to the formation of their professional legacy and enhances their resume, along the way they learn to provide the best service for victims and their families.

Policies that expect staff to take initiative without worrying about upsetting a stagnant administrative mindset is an investment of trust that is returned many times over. Encourage activism. Employee involvement is creating an environment in which advocates have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their daily work environment and policies. Keeping the workplace environment inclusive and alive translates to providing the best and most innovative services to those who seek our help.

Transitioning from Victim to Survivor to Advocate - Part 1

Victim -> Survivor -> Advocate

The journey from being a crime victim to serving as a crime victim advocate is a journey of healing. In order to be healthy and responsible in the role of advocate there is a series of transitions that are absolutely necessary to be effective.

Most people have been victimized to some degree in their lives, whether by cruelty, politics, economics, disease, accident or even the weather. Victims of domestic and sexual violence experience the most personal and intimate violence that one person can perpetrate upon another. It is the ultimate betrayal that shakes a victim to the core.

A victim of interpersonal violence must necessarily focus on the most basic needs - safety, mental and physical health and just getting through the day. Life is constant chaos - emotions range from shock, guilt, fear, rage, lack of control, humiliation and powerlessness, not to mention the physical manifestations both obvious and unseen. Trauma colors our perceptions.

Once a victim of interpersonal violence is able to remove herself and establish a modicum of safety and peace, healing begins. Part of the healing process is the recognition that we are so much more than those experiences. We recognize that "victim" is not our identity, but part of our experience. Life did not stop at the betrayal and violence. Healing is choosing not to let your experience consume you. If we maintain a victim mentality we give our abusers amazing power while abandoning and denying ourselves. As a survivor we reclaim our lives.

The process from victim to survivor is one that takes time and distance. Coping skills form for the times you must be reminded of your pain but you've learned to protect yourself emotionally. You've taken his power over you away. Everyone has their own process - going through criminal and/ or civil court, self-defense training, therapy, journaling, participating in support groups or talking to friends and family and building a life free from fear. It is important to recognize that it is a process. Healing does not happen overnight.

In the next post I will address the transition from survivor to victim advocate and the necessary boundaries that must be established. Please consider these definitions from Webster:

Victim - (Casualty, target) :
*One that is acted on and adversely affected by a force or agent
*One that is injured, destroyed or sacrificed under any of various conditions
*One that is subjected to oppression, hardship or mistreatment.
*One that is tricked or duped
Survivor:
*To remain or live after someone's death
*To continue to exist or live after
*To continue to function or prosper after and despite of
Advocate-(promoter, booster, champion, supporter):
*One that pleads the case of another
*One that defends or maintains a cause or proposal
*One that supports or promotes the interests of another

Personal:
*Relating or affecting a particular person
*Relating to an individual
Healing:
*To make whole or sound
*Restore to health
*Return to sound state
*To cause an undesirable condition to be overcome
Altruistic:
*Unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

http://www.cbwhit.com/Victim-to-survivor.htm

Code of Ethics for Advocates

Every agency should have a Code of Ethics and standards of professional conduct. Of course every new advocate should read, sign and be given a copy of the agency's code - further, it is important that agency training reinforces the points within the code and expands on subjects such as professional boundaries. These can be illustrated with case scenarios and question and answer formats. This blog will explore the subject of professional boundaries in future posts.

Model Code of Ethics

(Adapted from the NOVA Code of Professional Ethics For Victim Assistance Providers)

Those individuals working in the field of victim services, paid or volunteer, are expected to act with integrity, to treat all victims and survivors with dignity and compassion, and, in cases of crime, to uphold principles of justice for accused and accuser alike. To these ends, this Code will govern the conduct of (insert agency)'s Victim Advocates:

I. In relationships with every client, the Advocate shall:

*. Recognize the interests of the client as a primary responsibility.
*. Respect and protect the client's civil and legal rights.
*. Respect the client's rights to privacy and confidentiality, subject only to reporting statutes.
*. Respond compassionately to each client with individualized services.
*. Accept the client's statement of events as it is told, withholding opinion or judgment, whether or not a suspected offender has been identified, arrested, convicted, or acquitted.
*. Provide services to every client without attributing blame, no matter what the client's conduct was at the time of the victimization or at another stage of the client's life.
*. Foster maximum self-determination on the part of the client.
*. Serve as an advocate when requested and, in that capacity, act on behalf of the client's stated needs without regard to personal convictions and within the guidelines of the (insert agency).
*. Should one client's needs conflict with another's, act with regard to one client only after promptly referring the other to other qualified personnel.
*. Observe the ethical imperative to have no sexual relations with clients, current or past, in recognition that to do so risks exploitation of the knowledge and trust derived from the helping relationship.
*. Make client referrals to other resources or services only in the client's best interest, avoiding any conflict of interest in the process.
*. Provide opportunities for colleagues/ fellow advocates to seek appropriate services when traumatized by a crisis, or by a client.

II. In relationships with colleagues, other professionals, and the public, the Advocate shall:

*. Conduct relationships with colleagues in such a way as to promote mutual respect, public respect, and improvement of service.
*. Make statements that are critical of colleagues only if they are verifiable and constructive in purpose.
*. Conduct relationships with allied professionals such that they are given equal respect and dignity as professionals in the crisis intervention field.
*. Take steps to quell negative, insubstantial rumors about colleagues and allied professionals.
*. Share knowledge and encourage proficiency and excellence in crisis intervention among colleagues and allied professionals, paid and volunteer.
*. Provid professional support, guidance, and assistance to advocates who are new to the field in order to promote consistent quality and professionalism in the field.
*. Seek to ensure that volunteers in crisis intervention have access to the training, supervision, resources, and support required in their efforts to assist clients.
*. Act to promote crime and violence prevention as a public service and an adjunct to crisis intervention.
*. Respect the laws of Michigan while working to change those that may be unjust and discriminatory.

III. In her or his professional conduct, the Victim Advocate shall:

*. Maintain high personal and professional standards in the capacity of a service provider and advocate for clients.
*. Seek and maintain proficiency in the delivery of services to clients.
*. Not discriminate against any victim, employee, colleague, allied professional, or member of the public based on age, gender, disability, ethnicity, race, national origin, religious belief, or sexual orientation.
*. Not reveal the name or other identifying information about a client to another person without clear permission or legal requirements to do so.
*. Not use her or his official position to secure gifts, monetary rewards, business gain/contacts, or special privileges or advantages.
*. Report to the appropriate authority the conduct of any colleague or allied professional that constitutes mistreatment of a client or that brings the profession into disrepute.
*. Report to your supervisor any conflict of interest that prevents oneself or a colleague from being able to provide competent services to a client, to work cooperatively with colleagues or allied professionals, or to be impartial in the treatment of any client.
*. Not seek out or maintain personal contact with client after an intervention for a minimum of six (6) months.
*. Not promote or refer to his or her agency, professional services and/or private practice for business gain.

IV.In his or her responsibility to any other profession, the Victim Advocate will be bound by the ethical standards of ascribed above and of the (insert agency).