The fall is upon us now, and so is the realization that the current Coronavirus environment is here to stay for longer than many of us can estimate or plan for with any certainty. That said, TVSA continues its work to serve our victim services professionals in Texas.

As we settle into delivering our programs and services through a virtual model, we are extremely pleased with the reception that our regular virtual regional meetings have received. Our regional coordinators are all holding meetings every other month, allowing you to connect with your local area colleagues to support one another, through sharing information and resources for serving crime victims during the pandemic. We also are able to directly share with you current TVSA news and information. We encourage you to attend your regional meetings and to invite others to join you at our Zoom meetings.

We have recently completed our curriculum for our Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance (TAAVA) in management and leadership, and just as quickly are now pivoting to adapting it for a virtual academy. We are also preparing to launch our Texas Victim Friendly Initiative (TVFI) pilot project this fall, which is featured in more detail in our Resources column in this issue. And our board ad hoc work group on information technology is actively working to assess our current IT infrastructure and capacity for delivering virtual trainings, along with making plans to address additional needs we may have in these areas.

I wish to thank all those of you who have renewed your membership to TVSA or joined us for the first time this year. We remain primarily a grassroots organization and your support through your membership dues allows us to continue meeting our mission of support, education and recognition to victim services providers in our state. If your membership has lapsed, we encourage you to consider supporting us at this time when other means of fundraising during COVID-19 have become difficult to unavailable. And we invite new members, always. It is you, the people, who make TVSA, through your attendance at our trainings, your active participation in our working groups, our committees, and through your service on our board of directors. We deeply appreciate all of you who are giving of your time and talent to work with us during these challenging times!

To make a donation to TVSA, please click here: http://www.txvsa.org/page-837451.

President's Column

There are still some things COVID-19 has not changed or been able to cancel: the cooler weather brought on by the change of the season and welcoming the deliciousness of pumpkin spice are two that immediately rise to the top for me as I embrace the fall.

We all know the COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges, but it also presented us with an opportunity to encourage innovation and reimagine what supports to victims could look like; ensuring every Texan has access to justice and the supports they may need to not only survive the pandemic but come out thriving, in light of facing the unimaginable. 

As frontline support you have maintained a connection to survivors, assisted them in coping with the impacts and stress brought on by their victimization that has been compounded by living through a pandemic, and served as a connector to other support services in your community.

I appreciate your commitment to the victims in your communities and hope you feel supported by TVSA. You are all in our hearts and minds as we continue to create connection, education and recognition opportunities for you. Take care of yourselves and each other. 

By Brooke King, M.A.
Membership Committee Chair

We currently have regional coordinators on our board for regions B (Julie Jesperson), C (Jennifer Sterling), D (Stacey Manigold), E (John Dominguez), and F (Angela Luna). If you are interested in filling the open coordinator position in Region A (panhandle region) please reach out to myself and Natacha.

Regional Updates:

Region A (Panhandle - Amarillo/Lubbock/Wichita Falls): Coordinator: Vacant. Please contact us at director@txvsa.org if you are interested in serving as Region A Coordinator! 

Region B (Central-Austin/Waco/San Antonio): Coordinator: Julie Jesperson, Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Victim Services Division; julie.jesperson@tdcj.texas.gov; Office: (512) 406-5920; Cell: 512-970-5162. Region B held its first ever virtual meeting via Zoom in September. Meeting hosts Julie Jesperson and Mike Jones, Region B TVSA board members, discussed outreach to counties in Region B that are underrepresented or unrepresented in our membership and what current members would like to see from future virtual meetings. We also talked briefly about the revised TVSA Code of Ethics. We held our next meeting on November 16^th and TDCJ-Victim Services Division Deputy Director Mary McCaffity spoke on changes to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 56.

Region D (Southeast - Beaumont/Houston/College Station): Coordinator: Stacey Manigold, BCFS Health and Human Services, sm1016@bcfs.net; 832-948-3841: For Region D I plan to continue my outreach to local advocacy agencies that are working with victims of crime. I have been reaching out to the Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners and sexual assault nurse examiners and law enforcement at Precinct 4 and 3 for the constables’ offices.  I have also been working on reaching out to lapsed members to invite them back to TVSA. Our next virtual meeting is November 17, 2020 from 12 p.m.- 1 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Region E (West - El Paso/Midland/San Angelo): Coordinator, John Dominguez, El Paso County Attorney’s Office Victim Services.   JohDominguez@epcounty.com; (915) 303-6069: Region E held its first virtual meeting on September 25^th. I had the opportunity to meet with some great people who share the passion, diligence, and hard work to ensure education and safety to people who have been victimized. Some great topics were discussed in our meeting, such as how other areas in this region in our vast area stay connected, especially during this difficult time (COVD-19). I have to say, technology has allowed us to have the capabilities to stay connected with other people in our workplace and other agencies and being able to network and collaborate together. As we move forward, with our regional meetings TVSA is providing the support and leadership  needed to spearhead our goals and succeed in our region. Our next meeting is scheduled for Friday, December 4^th, from noon to 1:00 p.m. mountain time. Please join us!

Region F: (South-Corpus Christi/Laredo/McAllen): Coordinator: Angela Luna, Victims' Assistance Coordinator, Nueces County Juvenile Justice.   Angela.Luna@nuecesco.com; direct line (361)561-6019, Office (361)855-7303: People are always searching. We search for acceptance, understanding, a place to belong, a community, a family. Membership in TVSA is exactly that – FAMILY.  When you join TVSA, you are introduced to a community of advocates, victim service providers, and like-minded, inspired individuals that genuinely want to help victims of crime. When you join TVSA, you build a collective identity of what is good and what is just. When you join TVSA, you are family. Region F held its first virtual meeting on September 4^th, and our next one is scheduled for 10:00-11:00 a.m. on September 18^th. I am looking forward to meeting more advocates in South Texas’ Region F at this next meeting!

To join TVSA, or to renew your membership, please go to http://www.txvsa.org/page-837452

Resources

Texas Victim Friendly Initiative (TVFI)

By Torie Camp, TVFI Program Specialist

The Texas Victim Friendly Initiative, the Texas Victim Services Association’s newest project, is a quality improvement program targeted at helping law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices and non-profit advocacy organizations become more trauma-informed. 



The initiative has its roots in the premise that an organization that works with victims should do no harm to victims.  With that premise, TVSA asked a simple question:  What if every organization that works with victims was a welcoming and ‘friendly’ place for victims?  With that question, TVFI was born.

The cornerstone of the TVFI process is the TVFI Self-Assessment. Designed to measure an organization’s environment, policies and practices related to victim care and interactions, the self-assessment reflects best practices of trauma-informed care, Texas Crime Victims’ Rights and Office for Victims of Crime model standards.

The Self-Assessment addresses the following key areas:

• Leadership and Governance
• Policy
• Physical Environment
• Cross-Sector Collaboration
• Victim Interventions and Interactions
• Training and Staff Development
• Program Evaluation
• Crime Victims’ Rights

Once the Self-Assessment is completed, organizations are supported through a 12-month period of coaching and technical assistance in the areas identified by the organization as highest priority. At the end of the 12 months, organizations have the opportunity for TVSA certification as a Victim Friendly Agency. 

“The Texas Victim Friendly Initiative fulfills an important component of TVSA’s mission: recognition of the outstanding work of victim service providers in Texas,” said, Natacha Peláez-Wagner, TVSA Director. “To be sure, any agency that is certified as a Victim Friendly Agency has outstanding victim service providers.”  

While other certification and licensing programs exist, TVFI’s focus on trauma-informed care sets it apart. This focus provides solutions to some of the challenges faced by victim serving organizations: victims will make contact once, but then stop engaging with the agency; victims do not tell us everything, are not always completely honest; staff is unfamiliar with signs and symptoms of trauma; organizations are missing opportunities to provide trauma-informed care and improve case outcomes.

“The Texas Victim Friendly Initiative is meant to inspire and support organizations to improve their interactions and response to victims,” said Brooke King, TVSA Board President. “Not only is that good for victims, but when victims’ needs are recognized and respected, victims are more likely to seek and participate in services, including the criminal justice system.”

TVSA is now seeking applications for the first group of organizations to participate in the Texas Victim Friendly Initiative pilot year. We are looking for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices and non-profit advocacy organizations who are interested in improving their environment, policies, and practices around trauma-informed care.

Organizations receive:

• Participation in the TVFI Self-Assessment process.
• Individualized coaching, technical assistance, and resources on improving victim-centered and trauma-informed care.
• Opportunity for certification as a Victim Friendly Agency by TVSA.

The pilot will be conducted with six organizations: two from law enforcement, two from prosecution, and two from the non-profit sector. To apply to participate in the pilot please click here: http://www.txvsa.org/event-4044974. Deadline to apply is December 7. For additional information about the project please contact info@txvsa.org. 

TVSA and CVR Research Survey Results

By Cortney A Franklin, PhD

Thank you to the 130+ of who took part in the TVSA/Center for Victim Research survey this summer. We learned so much from you that will help us focus our efforts to meet your needs in the future.

You told us about the types of products you would like to see, factors that influence your trust in research, and resources you would find helpful. We asked about the format you prefer for research information, and the highest rated formats were one-to-two page brief reports on research, and research webinars.

We asked you how you and your organization use your own data. Here’s what you said:

We also asked about resources – in addition to funding – that would help you partner with a researcher. You told us:

The good news is that there are already some excellent resources available – FREE – from the Center for Victim Research. You can find:

• Podcast interviews with victim service providers about their partnerships with researchers, including the staff of the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, Ronit Barkai of Transition House, the Identity Theft Resource Center, and others.  
• Information about protecting victims in research, including the purpose of IRBs.
• Information about research basics.
• A searchable directory to find researchers.
• A guide for selecting a research partner.
• A sample MOU.
• Tips for collaboration.

The information gleaned from our survey with CVR will inform our future TVSA victimology research symposiums, and some of our upcoming conference programming as well, to better serve you, our victim services professionals across the state.

For a full summary of the survey results, please click here: http://www.txvsa.org/page-1681880/9349374

We welcome the following new members who have joined TVSA this quarter:

Mary Breaux, Huntsville

Rebbecca Freeman, Granbury

Rakesh Ganeriwala, Austin

Karen Gonzalez, Houston

Sam Jaroudi, Katy

Raelene Pace, Lubbock

Valerie Payton, Spring

New Member of Communities in Schools – Southeast Harris County & Brazoria County Agency Membership:

Lisa Odom, Alvin

New Members of the Rio Grande Valley Empowerment Zone Agency Membership:

Mariza Barrera, Rio Grande City

Joan Garza, Alton

Ilene Salas, Alton

New Agency Members:

Richland Hills, N. Richland Hills, Watauga, & Haltom City Police Department:

Dennise Espeleta

Teresa Koontz

Claire Mullaney

Tom Green County District Attorney’s Office:

Nickie Gotschall

And our newest Lifetime Advocate Member!

Angela Luna, Corpus Christi

Professional Development and Training Committee

As we look ahead to 2021, the board and staff of TVSA, along with the chairs of our Professional Development and Training committee and of our academy planning committee, are assessing how best to deliver our annual academy (TAAVA) and our biennial conference. The conference is our longstanding training we hold the first full week of May in South Padre Island every two years. TAAVA is normally a two and a half day intensive academy for a class of up to 60 students. Its design is interactive and intended to allow for peer relationships to develop that will last beyond the academy itself. Recently the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC) held a four-part webinar series for victim assistance academy directors and personnel across the country on transitioning in-person academies to a virtual model. The TVSA academy director, planning committee chair, and curriculum specialist attended the webinars, which provided valuable information on changes to academies during the Coronavirus pandemic.

After much deliberation we have determined that next year’s events will need to be conducted virtually. These events will continue to provide you with the high quality, trauma-informed, victim-centered training and instruction for victim services professionals, by victim services professionals that are the hallmark of TVSA’s education programs. TAAVA will be held in a weekly series on Wednesdays, beginning March 24 and running through May 5^th, a schedule most conducive to delivering the course content modules in an online format. The application process will open and be announced shortly. The conference will be held in the summer. Confirmed dates will be announced before the end of 2020. In the meantime, if you are interested in serving on the conference planning committee, or have questions about serving on the committee, please contact 
director@txvsa.org. We will be rolling up our sleeves and getting to work very soon!

Board Spotlight

Jennifer Sterling, LCSW

Jennifer Sterling serves as the founding Crime Victim Services Coordinator in the UT Arlington Police Department. Jennifer holds an undergraduate degree and Master of Science in Social Work. Jennifer is also a therapist, working with victims of trauma in private practice, where she assists victims in their healing journeys.  

Jennifer was re-elected to a new two-year term on the board this year, where she serves as Region C Coordinator for the Northeast/Dallas/Fort Worth/Tyler region. She is also a recurring instructor at TVSA’s annual Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance in management and leadership.

“Serving on the Texas Victim Services Association board is important to me because TVSA provides an important professional fellowship for victim service providers and works as a driving force to continue to grow and give back to the profession.”

Angela Luna, BA, NACP