EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Friday, August12, 2016
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Advocacy, Coordination and Collaboration, Outreach and Awareness
Exelon Golf Tournament
MNADV Board members Laurie Duker, Kelley Rainey, and Inga James, along with Executive Director Michaele Cohen, and former Board member Janet Blackburn, attended the Exelon Golf Tournament on Monday, July 18 to meet the participants, express our appreciation, and provide information about the MNADV. Michaele Cohen also attended the Pairings Party on Sunday evening, July 17. Proceeds from the golf tournament will be given to the MNADV.
MSAA 7K Run Publicity and Follow-Up
Laurie Duker and Michaele Cohen met with Run organizers on Tuesday, July 26 to take photos of the check presentation. MSAA will write a press release, and MSAA and MNADV will disseminate the press release and photo. MNADV staff and Board members will also have a conference call with MSAA Run organizers to discuss this year’s Run and plans for next year.
Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Michaele Cohen and Amber Guthrie attended the Health Care Coalition Board of Directors meetingon Thursday, August 4, 2016. The meeting includeda presentation on a model project on the workplace response to domestic violence and sexual assault, a partnership of Futures Without Violence, House of Ruth Maryland, TurnAround, and St. Joseph’s Hospital. The meeting also included a discussion of LAP confidentiality in the hospital setting, planning for future seminars and trainings, discussion of the VOCA grant application, and other updates.
Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition (IDVC)
Erin Boguski attendedtwo IDVC Steering Committeeconference planning subcommittee meetings and is providing technical assistance on the development of their November conference, which will be held on November 9, 2016 in Annapolis, MD.
Culturally Specific Service Provider Round Table
The next call will be held on August 31, 2016. The next training isscheduled for September 13 on serving Hispanic and Latin@ survivors of DV. Registration is now open. Workshops on serving African immigrant survivors (November) and serving d/Deaf survivors (January) are being planned.
Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force’s Victim Services Committee
Amber Guthrie attended the July meeting and Erin Boguski attended the August meeting of the committee to promote and coordinate on victim services and training issues.
Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW)
Michaele Cohen, president of MLAW, led the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors on July 25, 2016. The Board discussed the 2016 fall conference, membership efforts for 2016-2017, and outreach activities.The MLAW Legislative Agenda supports a variety of issues affecting women and families, including domestic violence and sexual assault.
National Catholic Symposium on Domestic Violence
Tara Pavao and Megan Rosenfeld represented the MNADV at the two-day National Catholic Symposium on Domestic Violence in Washington DC on July 7 and 8.
Fels Institute of Government’s Victim Service Provider (VSP) Summit
Michaele Cohen has been invited to participate in this Summit on Tuesday, August 16 in Philadelphia to discuss their report addressing training and professional development for VSP administrators. A model program is being developed by the Institute, and the Summit will include experts in the field to discuss the report findings and provide feedback.
****
Communications and Social Networking
Social Media: From July1 through July31, 2016,4messages were posted and tweetedon social media, reaching 650 Facebook users alone. This included information on changes in child custody law for LGBTQ families, the Annual Meeting, and the 7K Run.
E-newsletters: Monthly e-newsletterswere sent onJuly 1, 2016 and August 8, 2016, whichfeatured the Annual Meeting, award nominations, and sponsorships; legislative planning survey; the availability of substance abuse trainings; and open positions at MNADV. The July newsletter was opened by 550 email users.
MNADV Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Membership/Nominating Committee
As a result of the Committee’s recommendations, follow-up calls were done with prospective Board members. Consequently, three new people applied for the 2016-2017 Board: Jennifer Morton (Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office), Fiona Oliphant (DVRP), and Eliane Lakam (student/survivor). These applications will be considered at the August Board meeting. There are still two vacancies for next year’s Board. The final Board ballot will be mailed in September to paid MNADV members.
Board Legislative Committee
Following recommendations from the Board, a legislative survey was sent out to the MNADV’s Constant Contact e-mail list, a legislative conference call was set for August 24, and informational materials were developed for the Board by Cynthia Lifson, Legislative Counsel, and Executive Director Michaele Cohen. These included: MNADV historical legislative positions, bills supported or opposed that failed, and a legislative memo summarizing the legislative survey results. These handouts, along with the legislative history of passed bills: 1980-2016, will be provided to the Board for the August meeting.
Training and Technical Assistance for Service Providers
MNADV Domestic Violence Service Standards Task Force
The draft of the standards is being re-formatted and will be sent out for comment.
Shelter Directors’ Group
The Shelter Directors’ Group met on Friday July 22, 2016 to discuss rapid re-housing and transitional housing with Monica McLaughlin, NNEDV's Public Policy Deputy Director. The group will have an open forum meeting on September 9, 2016 to discuss recent challenges and successes.
Domestic Violence Trainings
Completed Trainings
July 5, 2016 – Trauma-informed Services in Shelter for Safe Harbor(Calvert Co. shelter)
July 8, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use and DV for Cecil County DVRCC
July 12, 2016 – Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Advocates (for service providers)
July 14, 2016 – Safety Planning training for Baltimore County's Hotline
July 17, 2016 – Safety Planning training for Baltimore County's Hotline
July 20, August 17, September 21, October 19, 2016 – five day Comprehensive IPV Training at Laurel Hospital (registration is full and session is underway)
August 1, 2016 - Responding to Impact of DV on Youth - Cecil County DVRCC Shelter
August 2, 2016 – Stages of Change for Family Crisis Center of Prince George's Co.
August 3, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use and DV for SARC
August 5, 2016 – Resiliency of Children Exposed to DV for Child Welfare Academy
Upcoming Trainings
August 9, 2016 – Creating Inclusive, Trauma-Informed Environments, Services, and Organizations (for DV service providers)
August 12, 2016 – Stages of Change for Family Crisis Center of PG Co. Shelter
August 16, 2016 – Dynamics of DV for Family Crisis Center of PG Co. Shelter
August 17, 2016 – DV Dynamics, Trauma, and Best Practices for Prince George's Co. FJC
August 19, 2016 – Active Listening for LifeStyles, Inc.
August 23, 2016 – Forced Marriage (DVSPs only)
August 24, 2016 – Intersection of Substance Use and DV - Prince George's Hospital Ctr
August 25, 2016 – Symposium for DV Services Providers on Substance Use
August 26, 2016 – Symposium for Substance Abuse Providers on DV
August 30, 2016 – Self-care for YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County
Sept. 1, 2016 – DV Dynamics, Trauma & Best Practices for Prince George's Co. FJC
Sept. 6, 2016 – Motivational Interviewing for HopeWorks
Sept. 8, 2016 – Survivors with Disabilities (DVSPs only)
Sept. 9, 2016 – Substance Use Workshop for AIPs (9:00-12:00) (for all AIPs)
Sept. 9, 2016 – DV & Substance Abuse (1:00-4:00) (for all substance abuse providers)
Sept. 13, 2016 – Hispanic & Latino Cultural Competency Training, Lanham (for all)
Sept. 14, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for CAP
Sept. 16, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for MedStar St. Mary's Hospital
Sept. 16, 2016 – DV & Substance Use in Health Care (9:00-12:00) (for all healthcare prov.)
Sept. 16, 2016 – Substance Use in DV Services (1:00-4:00) (for all victim services)
Sept. 19, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for PG Hospital DV/SAC
Sept. 21, October 19, 2016 – five day Comprehensive IPV Training at Laurel Hospital (registration is full and session is underway)
Sept. 23, 2016 – Interactive Workshop on Recovering from and Preventing Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Vicarious Trauma (DVSPs only)
Sept. 23, 2016 – Intersection of Substance Use & DV for Balt. Therapy Center Training
Sept. 27, 2106 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for DOVE at NW Hospital
Sept. 28, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for GBMC and Mercy Hospitals
Sept. 29, 2016 – The Intersection of Substance Use & DV for VA Medical Clinic
Sept. 30, 2016 – In Plain Sight Conference - Serving Survivors with Disabilities
October 4, 2016 – Safety Planning for Survivors of DV for Child Welfare Academy
October 19, 2016 – Domestic Violence and Health Care - St. Agnes Oncology Unit
November 9, 2016 – Resiliency and Children Exposed to DV for Child Welfare Academy (Washington County)
November 9, 2016 – Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition Conference DV 101 Session
December 13, 2016 - Resiliency and Children Exposed to DV for Child Welfare Academy (Anne Arundel County)
Lethality Assessment Program (LAP)
Maryland
Technical Assistance and Training
Staff continue to provide technical assistance to participating law enforcement agencies and their partner domestic violence program.
Staff continued to collect data for January – June 2016.
LAP in Healthcare
Staff held two train-the-trainer sessions for Union Hospital on July 21 (1:00-4:00) and July 29 (1:00-4:00), in collaboration with Cecil County Domestic Violence/Rape Crisis Center.
A statewide LAP hospital coordinators’ meeting is scheduled for August 24.
LAP in Departments
A re-training session for the Garrett County DSS is scheduled for August 29.
Additional re-training sessions are being coordinated for other counties.
A multi-topic domestic violence training for specialized DPSCS agents was held on August 3.
National
LAP OVW-TA Grant
Training is scheduled for Skagit, WA on September 13 (consultant trainer, Misty Budzinski) and multiple sites in Wisconsin, September 27-29.
Megan Rosenfeld co-presented on the use of risk assessment tools by the police in a workshop titled “When Police Use Risk Assessments – ODARA and LAP” at the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) annual conference in San Diego on July 26-July 28.
LAP Advisory Council
The LAP Advisory Council teleconference was held on August 3 and included a discussion on the use of a waiver on the LAP Screen in law enforcement settings.
Staff will be developing an Advisory Council application and sending out invitations in the new fiscal year.
OVW-TA Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative (HPDI)
The MNADV continues to coordinate with OVW, Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center and several national consultants to manage this award.
Staff continue to work with two LAP implementing sites, Pitt County, NC and Contra Costa County, CA,and two new sites, Miami, FL and Winnebago, IL.
Staff coordinated and will attend Danger Assessment training for Contra Costa County, CA on September 12.
A DVHP all sites meeting is scheduled for November 1.
Hiring for the LAP Manager is still in process. Interested applicants should contact Megan Rosenfeld.
LAP in EMS
Staff are working with EMS and domestic violence programs in Alameda County, CA to provide fee-based LAP training and technical assistance. Training is scheduled for September 14.
Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT) Project
The MNADV continues to provide on-going technical assistance to the eighteen county-based teams.
Staff developed and distributed DVFRT Update #1 in July to announce the statewide meeting and send the MNADV legislative survey.
Staff attended the Howard County DVFRT Meeting on July 28.
The annual Domestic Violence Fatality Review Council meeting will be held on August 11, 2016. The meeting will include discussions on presenting DVFRT recommendations to the public, confidentiality, and highlights from DVFRTs across the state. Templates created by MNADV and provided to DVFRTs include a DVFRT recommendations press release and PowerPoint presentation.
Domestic Violence Homicide Database
Staff continues to collect homicide information for July 2015 – June 2016.
LAP Website
Staff are in the process of working with the designer to develop a LAP website. The website will be launched in September 2016.
Lethality Screen
The Lethality Screen was revised to include non-gender pronouns and update protocol language, as well as re-formatted to include the new logo and colors. The Lethality Screen is currently being translated into Spanish. The translated Screen and an accompanying Guide to Using a Dual Language Lethality Screen will be available in the coming months.
Judicial Initiative Exploratory Committee
An application for the Byrne Criminal Justice (BJA) Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs solicitation was submitted on June 13. If awarded funding, this project would fund the development, implementation and evaluation of a pre-trial risk assessment tool and protocol for offenders. Dr. Jill Messing, Dr. Jackie Campbell, and GOCCP signed on as partners.
****
Administration
2016 MNADV Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner
Staff is planning for the 2016 Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner. The theme is “Connections.”
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, 2016, 6:00-9:00 pm, at the DoubleTree Annapolis Hotel.
The event flier and sponsorship form were created and sent out. Sponsorships are being solicited.
Registration (through Eventbrite) for tickets was opened through the MNADV website on August 1.
Nominations have been received for Community Partners, Leadership, and Service/Program Honorees. These will be shared with the Board and Nominations Review Committee at the August Board meeting.
Senator Mikulski was invited to receive an award and speak at the Annual Meeting but she has declined due to a travel conflict. An invitation has been extended to Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, to be the keynote speaker.
Grant Applications and Reports
A large VOCA training grant will be submitted on or before August 15, 2016.
Quarterly progress reports and financial reports for two STOP VAWA grants and a VOCA grant were submitted in July.
Quarterly financial reports were submitted in July for the federal FVPSA and VAWA Set-Aside Coalition grants as well as the OVW-TA and HPDI grants.
Six month reports were submitted in July for the OVW Set-Aside Coalition, OVW-TA, and HPDI grants.
Staffing
Applications still are being accepted for the LAP Manager position.
Interviews for the part-time Communications Specialist position are being scheduled.
Budget/Financial Oversight/Fundraising
MNADV staff continue to monitor the FY 2016 budget as the fiscal year draws to a close. Annual grants will be closed out by September 30, 2016.
The new fiscal year begins October 1 and the draft FY 2017 budget has been developed in conjunction with the grant applications. The Board will approve the FY 2017 budget at the October Board meeting.
New Server and Printer
The MNADV has purchased a new server with greater capacity to meet the MNADV’s expanding needs. The warranty on the current server expires at the end of August. The server will be installed August 17, 18, and 19. Because all of the computers will be shut down all day on Friday, August 19 for the transition, the MNADV office will be closed for the day.
A new, larger capacity Lexmark laser printer has also been purchased. The MNADV is printing many fliers and brochures internally and this printer will provide greater ability to produce these.
1