Training

Definitions

• “Confidential communication” means information given to a sexual assault counselor by a victim and includes reports or working papers made in the course of the counseling relationship.
• “Rape crisis center” means any office, institution, or center assisting victims of sexual assault and their families which offers crisis intervention, medical, and legal services, and counseling.
• “Sexual assault counselor” means a person who is employed by or volunteers at a rape crisis center who has a minimum of 40 hours of training in counseling and assisting victims of sexual assault and who is under the supervision of the director or designee of a rape crisis center.
• “Victim” means a person who has experienced a sexual assault of whatever nature including incest and rape and requests counseling or assistance regarding the mental, physical, and emotional consequences of the sexual assault.

Residential Support Program Staffing:

• The program shall have an employed manager responsible for the day-to-day resident supervision and operation of the facility. The responsibilities of the manager shall be clearly defined. Whenever the manager is absent, there shall be a substitute to assume managerial responsibility. With the exception of Domestic Violence Shelters, adult programs are not required to provide twenty- four-hour supervision.
• The program shall make arrangements for medical backup with a medical clinic or physician licensed to practice medicine in the State of Utah.
• The program shall have at least one person on duty who has completed and remains current in certified first aid and CPR programs.
• Programs that utilize students and volunteers, shall provide screening, training, and evaluation of volunteers. Volunteers shall be informed verbally and in writing of program objectives and scope of service.
• Volunteers providing care in Domestic Violence Shelters, without paid staff present, shall have direct communication access to designated staff at all times.

Direct Service:

Domestic Violence Shelter staff completing action plans shall have at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences.

TRAINING FOR CONTRACTOR’S STAFF: Contractor shall conduct all necessary training to ensure that its staff carries out its responsibilities pursuant to this Contract and that the staff is familiar with the requirements imposed by this Contract and applicable laws.

Advocate: A person who has undergone the required domestic violence training in advocacy, crisis intervention, and related areas and who provides services to survivors through a domestic violence program either on an employed or volunteer basis.

Training Requirements

Each staff and volunteer must receive the following training within the first 30 days of employment or volunteering and annually thereafter.

DHS Provider Code of Conduct; and Orientation to the DHS/DCFS Contract requirements.

Staff and volunteers shall not be permitted to be alone with a client, unsupervised, until these trainings are completed.

Each staff and volunteer must receive 24 hours of domestic violence specific training within the first year of employment or volunteering and 16 hours annually thereafter.

Documentation for all training shall include:

(1) Title and brief description of course content;

(2) Date training completed;

(3) Duration of training course;

(4) Instructor name and qualifications that relate to the subject matter; and

(5) Employee signature, which shall include either a handwritten signature by the employee or an electronic, if training is completed electronically.

Staff and/or volunteers answering hotline calls shall have completed domestic violence training in compliance with DHS/OL guidelines and also be trained in listening and communication skills so that they can answer calls for information, for referral, and/or for crisis intervention.

In addition, the Contractor represents that it provides at least annual training for its staff on its plan

“Sexual assault counselor” means a person who is employed by or volunteers at a rape crisis center who has a minimum of 40 hours of training in counseling and assisting victims of sexual assault and who is under the supervision of the director or designee of a rape crisis center.

The following Utah Domestic Violence Coalition member programs meet the criteria for a Rrape Ccrisis Ccenter:

CAPSA, CWCIC, CCWCC, Dove Center, Gentle Ironhawk, New Hope, New Horizons, Pathways (DVSAVA), Seekhaven, Safe Harbor, YCC.

To find out how your program can meet the Utah Department of Health’s requirements, please visit http://health.utah.gov/vipp/pdf/RapeSexualAssault/Rape%20Program%20Contact.pdf.

Definitions:

• “Confidential communication” means information given to a sexual assault counselor by a victim and includes reports or working papers made in the course of the counseling relationship.
• “Rape crisis center” means any office, institution, or center assisting victims of sexual assault and their families which offers crisis intervention, medical, and legal services, and counseling.
• “Sexual assault counselor” means a person who is employed by or volunteers at a rape crisis center who has a minimum of 40 hours of training in counseling and assisting victims of sexual assault and who is under the supervision of the director or designee of a rape crisis center.
• “Victim” means a person who has experienced a sexual assault of whatever nature including incest and rape and requests counseling or assistance regarding the mental, physical, and emotional consequences of the sexual assault.

All 501(c)3 non-profit organizations receiving Violence Against Women (VAWA) funding and  providing rape crisis services are required to certify their compliance with the Confidential Communications for Sexual Assault Act, Utah State Judicial Code 77. Programs must certify their compliance through the Utah Office for Victims of Crime.

As part of the Confidential Communciations requirements, all Sub grantee staff and volunteers who provide direct services to victims of sexual violence must complete 40 hours of training in assisting victims of sexual assault. This rape crisis counselor training must be provided by a Utah Rape Crisis Program or a State Sexual Assault Coalition.