Tribal Victim Assistance (TVA)
What are Tribal Victim Assistance Programs?
Through Tribal Victim Assistance programs, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities can initiate or expand efforts to provide direct services to victims of crime. TVA Programs are designed to address the needs of unserved and underserved victims, particularly those victimized by crimes such as child abuse, homicide, elder abuse, DUI, gang violence, sexual assault, stalking, domestic abuse, and arson. TVA Programs provide services that respond immediately to the emotional and physical needs of tribal crime victims.
What is the Training & Technical Assistance (T&TA) Project?
Unified Solutions is the Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Provider for the Tribal Victim Assistance (TVA) in Indian Country Grant Program sponsored by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), US Department of Justice (DOJ). Our services are free of charge to grantee programs.
Purpose of Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA):
Our purpose as the T&TA provider is to assist TVA programs to be the best they can be. Our goal is to ensure that all program staff and related agencies, such as law enforcement, are adequately trained. We assist as needed to ensure management operations such as budgeting, data collection, and timely report writing are successfully implemented. We join with our grantees in their heartfelt commitment to provide the most comprehensive, highest quality services possible to the deserving members of their communities, and we do all we can to help them achieve that goal.
What T&TA Provides:
Unified Solutions is committed to supporting American Indian and Alaska Native communities by providing quality, innovative, professional, and culturally appropriate T&TA services. Our services are intended to aid communities as they respond to child victims of crime in Indian Country, increase program capacity, and establish sustainable practices.
T&TA Resource Library:
The Unified Solutions online Resource Library features training manuals, articles, and web links for law enforcement needs and advocacy issues, as well sample tribal codes, Tribal Victim Bill of Rights, program policies & procedures, and educational articles on signs and symptoms of child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, domestic abuse, gang-related crime, elder abuse, and other topics.
As well, Unified Solutions maintains an in-house library at its main office in Tempe, Arizona. The library includes books, newspaper and journal articles, audio/visual materials, legal codes, program management resources, training curriculum, newsletters, and fact sheets. Researchers are available to offer assistance by calling 1-877-438-4400 or by email request at: contact@unified-solutions.org
Communication:
Communication: Frequent contact to connect and support tribal victim assistance programs throughout the lower 48 states and Alaska. Programs are invited to participate on the TVA Advisory Board to help shape service delivery.
Newsletters & Assistance with Management Reports::
Quarterly T&TA Newsletters feature educational articles, training opportunities, funding opportunities, and information about valuable resources.
Several times per year we offer training workshops to provide assistance in filling out all the necessary program reports and financial reports required by OVC and the Office of the Comptroller.
Leadership Skills for Program Managers:
Tele-classes provide tools that have proven successful for other Native American Victim Assistance Programs. A facilitated forum allows participants to share information with peers and to identify and develop best practices in Native American Victim Assistance Programs nationally.
Best Practices:
A program that features grantee programs around the country that are doing innovative work in the field of victim services. The Best Practices trainers become members of our Mentoring Program. Experienced grantees are commissioned to provide on-site training to newly emerging grantees in our TVA community. We believe the best education is the one we get by learning from each other.
Budget Assistance & Sustainability Support:
We provide services and resources to assist Children's Justice Act (CJA) Partnerships for Indian Communities Grant Programs with budget reporting and sustainability efforts in order to promote successful management, continued growth, and program sufficiency.
Annual Conference:
Each year a skills-based training conference is developed based on annual needs assessment interviews, previous conference evaluations, and planning committee recommendations.
One-on-One Technical Assistance:
We are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Arizona) at our office in Tempe. We can be reached by e-mail, telephone, or fax.
The TVA Website provides links to tribal, state and federal resources, including listings for State VOCA administrators, Victim Compensation directors, FBI Victim Witness coordinators, and Victim Specialists from the US Attorney offices. The Resource Library features training manuals, articles, and web links for law enforcement needs and advocacy issues, as well sample tribal codes, Tribal Victim Bill of Rights, program policies & procedures, and educational articles on signs and symptoms of child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, domestic abuse, gang-related crime, elder abuse, and other topics.
Other Resources you might find helpful:
Indian Health Center Locations
Offices of the United States Attorneys - Find Your United States Attorney
Local Law Enforcement Office Locators
Child Abuse Reporting Agencies
OVC and TTAC Contact Information
This project is supported by Grant No. 2009-MU-GX K012, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice.
ON-SITE Training & Program Support
Individualized, culturally-relevant training specific to the needs of reservation-based and urban communities. Trainings are delivered on-site by experienced, professional personnel who understand the unique needs of tribal people and programs.
Law Enforcement Investigations for:
Elder Abuse
Child Abuse
Sexual Assault
Stalking and Strangulation
Domestic Abuse
Advocacy Training and Effective
Community Organization for:
Elder Abuse
Child Abuse
Sexual Assault
Stalking and Strangulation
Domestic Abuse
On-Scene Crisis Response Skills - includes overview of physical and emotional reality of the victim and specific interviewing techniques and behaviors to maximize productivity of investigations and services.
Crimes Affecting Adolescents for:
Dating Violence
Bullying in Schools
Sexual Assault
Gang-related Activity
Program Management topics:
Community Change Strategies
Grant Writing and Program Sustainability
Data Collection & Program Evaluation
Recruiting and Managing Volunteers
We also offer weekly Leadership Development Classes for TVA Program Managers. Any of these classes can be turned into an on-site workshop for your program.
ON-LINE Training & Program Support Tools
Unified Solutions understands that technology has become the most efficient mode of communication. We have recently migrated our interactive website to a secure Learning Management System (LMS) where you will be able to post questions, share resources, receive the latest project updates, support fellow grantees and access interactive training modules as we work collaboratively to promote children's justice.
4 Ways to make a Training Request
1) Complete this online request form.
2) Download the T&TA form and FAX it to 1-480- 966-3599 or
3) Email the completed form or a general request to: training@unified-solutions.org
4) Call us toll-free at: call us toll-free at 1-877-438-4400
Help Us Help You
Complete this Online Tribal Victim Assistance (TVA) Self Assessment Tool to help us insure that we are providing you with the best support options available for your individual organization.
For more information about the assessment, please contact your Unified Solutions Project Director, Dianne Barker Harrold toll-free at 1-877-438-4400 ext. 2 or by email at: dianne@unified-solutions.org or your Unified Solutions Program Manager Jesucita Hernández toll-free at 1-877-438-4400 ext. 6 or by email at jesucita@unified-solutions.org.
New Product Launch November, 2011
The Unified Solutions E-Learning Portal is now up and running with new content being developed everyday. This new training mechanism will be beneficial in so many ways and we are excited about the opportunities we see that it brings.
UP TO DATE CONTENT: Our course material can easily be updated and made current in our ever changing environment of the 21st Century. As laws or policies change, we can address that quickly in our course content and keep all participants who have already taken the training up to date as well.
TRAINING YOU NEED, WHEN YOU NEED IT: Current and appropriate training will be available to your organization when you need it most. Let us help you get your new staff members up to speed as quickly as possible, address attrition based turnover, and address new issues quickly and efficiently.
CONSISTANCY OF MATERIAL: The developed content for this portal will be consistant across all participants and will be easily contain the same supporting materials as the Leader Lead training sessions.
REDUCTION IN TRAVEL SPENDING: As budgets are being squeezed and policies restricting organizational meeting and travel funds are being implemented, online content will developed to mirror our leader lead training sessions as much as possible.
