Statewide Needs assessment
Assessment
Every few years the UDVC conducts statewide needs assessments to assess the current state of domestic violence victim services and victims’ needs in Utah. Below you will find two of the most recent needs assessment we conducted; 2016/17 and the 2021/22 statewide needs assessments with the primary objectives:
- Reviewing the structure and composition of the field of domestic violence victim services response to domestic violence in Utah.
- Providing information about the current needs of domestic violence victims and the state of the service delivery.
- Developing the beginnings of a comprehensive understanding of unmet needs and service gaps through the perspectives of both service providers and victims
- Identifying gaps in available services and barriers to accessing services among populations considered to have specific needs
This assessment report is designed to provide an analysis of select aspects of domestic violence response in Utah, to supplement information already available from other sources, and to identify significant areas of remaining need in our state’s domestic violence response. It is meant to give a voice to domestic violence survivors as it relates to their experience navigating various systems. It is presented in a detailed format that can be used as a reference document for planning purposes.
In conjunction with information available from other sources, the information in the report sections can be used for:
- Providing discussion points for planners and funders.
- Planning services to meet victims’ immediate needs, as well as their needs related to the long-term impacts of domestic violence victimization on their lives.
- Prioritizing services so they can be provided in a way that has the greatest impact on victims.
- Designing the content, location, audience, and methods for future training.
- Determining the type of information on domestic violence victims’ needs and rights to disseminate to partners within various systems, including mental health practitioners, medical care providers, law enforcement, and courts
Collaboration
UDVC is grateful to have worked in collaboration with the Gender Based Violence Consortium, Restoring Ancestral Winds, Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault and DCFS on this needs assessment project. We are also appreciative of the community members who took time out of their busy lives to share their thoughts on the advocacy needs of survivors of violence in the state of Utah. We want to thank all the participants in the study who provided invaluable expertise as this project would not be a success without having heard their thoughtful insights.
On the Gender Based Violence Consortium website, you will find a recording of the community presentation detailing the findings of the State-wide Needs Assessment, as well as the downloadable infographic and an option to offer community feedback on the presentation. The release of the final report is scheduled for March 2022. We thank you for your patience as that report is completed.