Laserfiche WebLink
City of Everett <br /> Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery and Undermine <br /> Offender Accountability <br /> The Office on Violence Against Women does not fund activities that jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent <br /> physical or emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions. Below is <br /> information about these activities and related statutory requirements. <br /> 1) Procedures or policies that exclude victims from receiving safe shelter, advocacy services, counseling, <br /> and other assistance based on their actual or perceived sex, age, immigration status, race, religion, <br /> sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health condition, physical health condition, criminal record, <br /> work in the sex industry, income or lack of income, or the age and/or sex of their children. <br /> 2) Procedures or policies that compromise the confidentiality of information and/or privacy of persons <br /> receiving services. <br /> 3) Procedures or policies that require victims to take certain actions (e.g., seek an order of protection, <br /> receive counseling, participate in couples counseling or mediation, report to law enforcement, seek civil <br /> or criminal remedies) in order to receive services. <br /> 4) Procedures or policies that fail to include conducting safety planning with victims. <br /> 5) Project designs, products,services, and/or budgets that fail to account for the unique needs of <br /> individuals with disabilities,with limited English proficiency, or who are Deaf or hard of hearing, <br /> including accessibility for such individuals. <br /> Additional activities that compromise victim safety and recovery and undermine offender accountability <br /> appear in the table below. <br /> The use of pre-trial diversion programs in cases of domestic violence,dating violence,sexual assault,or stalking or the <br /> automatic placement of offenders in such programs. <br /> Couples counseling,family counseling,or any other joint victim-offender counseling as a routine or required response to <br /> sexual assault,domestic violence,dating violence,or stalking,or in situations in which child sexual abuse is alleged. <br /> Mediation in cases of domestic violence,dating violence,sexual assault,or stalking, except where the mediation is <br /> voluntary for the victim and there is screening for such victimization prior to the start of mediation,there is informed <br /> consent on the part of the victim,the mediators have appropriate training on such victimization issues,and the process <br /> includes ongoing safety planning for victims and flexibilities such as having the victim and offender physically separated. <br /> Offering or ordering anger management programs for offenders as a substitute for batterer's intervention programs or <br /> relying on batterer intervention programs that do not use court monitoring to hold offenders accountable for their <br /> behavior. <br /> Partnering with individuals or organizations that support/promote practices that compromise victim safety and recovery <br /> or undermine offender accountability. <br /> Policies or procedures that require victims to report the crime to law enforcement,participate in the criminal justice <br /> system,or seek a protection or restraining order against the offender,and penalize them for failing to do so. <br /> Training and technical assistance that do not reflect an understanding of domestic violence,dating violence,sexual <br /> assault,and stalking,and the experience of survivors,that fail to incorporate the experiences and unique needs of <br /> underserved communities,or that include or promote practices that may re-victimize survivors. <br /> Except if required by law, procedures or policies that require automatic reporting to child or adult protective services, <br /> regardless of the circumstances of an incident.This includes automatically reporting situations that may implicate victims <br /> of domestic violence solely for failure to protect a minor child. <br /> Procedures or policies that deny individuals access to services based on their relationship to the perpetrator. <br /> Procedures or policies that deny victims and non-abusing parents or caretakers and their children access to services <br /> based on their involvement with the perpetrator. <br /> Washington State STOP Formula Grant Program Renewal Application for FFY 2019 26 <br />