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A University Partnership for Victim Service Professional Development: Model Standards for Serving Victims and Survivors of Crime

NCJ Number
251235
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2014 Pages: 421-434
Author(s)
Dana Dehart
Date Published
October 2014
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article describes processes and products of a partnership to promote professionalization of the field of victim services.
Abstract
The National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium was established by the federal Office for Victims of Crime in partnership with the University of South Carolina. The Consortium reached across geographic, philosophical, and disciplinary divides to forge a common ground in professional development, including a definition and mission for the field as well as three sets of model standards for serving victims and survivors. The project included a review of literature on victim services, town hall meetings across the country, and layered review and refinement of standards by approximately 50 professionals working at the local, state, and national levels. The online document, Achieving Excellence: Model Standards for Serving Victims & Survivors of Crime, will provide standards for promoting competence and ethical integrity, as well as quality and consistency of service. (Publisher abstract modified)