National Victim Assistance Academy
Since its inception in 1995, the National Victim Assistance Academy
(NVAA) has provided an academically based curriculum that emphasizes
foundations in victimology and victims' rights and services for
nearly 2,000 victim service professionals from every state and territory
and 7 foreign nations. NVAA's three primary goals are (1) to develop
and implement a comprehensive, research-based, foundation-level course
of academic instruction that provides victim advocates with cutting-edge
knowledge about victim assistance and the field of victimology; (2)
to provide high-quality, intensive education and training to victim
service providers, advocates, and professionals from federal, state,
local, and tribal settings; and (3) to create a training model that
can be adapted and integrated into institutions of higher learning
and other venues.
NVAA offers a 40-hour research-based course of study and produces
a comprehensive text that now covers more than 38 subject areas.
The interactive course of study includes lectures, working and discussion
groups, exercises, computer laboratory modules, faculty mentoring
groups, and self-examinations. The most recent NVAA, held in FY 2002,
also included a live satellite training broadcast: "Victims of Terrorism
and Mass Violence: A Continuum of Care." OVC sponsored the broadcast
with the Victim Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR) and Eastern
Kentucky University. The telecast was designed for victim advocates,
law enforcement officials, mental health professionals, and emergency
responders.
A formal evaluation of NVAA was completed in 2003. It assessed the
appropriateness and effectiveness of the academy model and its impact
on students, institutions of higher learning, and the victim services
field. The findings were generally positive; however, respondents
concluded that the NVAA structure and text need to be updated and
that a standardized curriculum should be developed. The revised text
would be used to create the standardized curriculum, which in turn
would offer training that both addresses the needs of adult learners
and effective instructional practices and provides foundation- and
advanced-level training in specialized topics, training that offers
hands-on experiences more relevant to providers' day-to-day work
with victims, and management-level training. For more details visit
the NVAA Web site.
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