The Louisville Airport is six miles, or a 12-minute drive, from The Brown Hotel. The Brown offers complimentary shuttle service 24 hours a day. A taxi ride from the airport to the hotel usually runs $9.20 each way.
Sunday, February 24, 2013 ~ Territories Meeting
Michelle Brickley & Omar Mohammed, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice
Condencia Brade & Val Fergus, National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA)
Staff of the VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (MEI), Muskie School of Public Service
STOP Administrators will engage in facilitated discussions about challenges and strategies related to addressing sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and stalking in the U.S. Territories. The conversations will include a focus on cultural competence and building relationships with diverse communities in order to address the needs of all survivors and hold offenders accountable. VAWA MEI staff will offer information about reporting, and resources and training to assist with this process.
Monday, February 25, 2013 ~ New Administrators Meeting
MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS
Welcome and Information-Sharing
Office on Violence Against Women STOP Unit Staff
OVW staff will provide information and updates on important topics for STOP administrators.
Financial Administration of STOP Funds
Donna Simmons, Grants Financial Management Division (GFMD), Office on Violence Against Women
In this session, participants will learn about OVW requirements and procedures related to the financial management of STOP funds. The presenter will cover essential topics including GFMD services, cost principles, conference costs, grant recipient financial management systems, grant adjustments, reporting, audits, monitoring, closeout procedures, and record retention. Participants will learn about additional resources and available training to support their work in these areas.
Using GMS and GPRS
Kyle Lohrke, Office on Violence Against Women
STOP administrators are required to use the Grants Management System (GMS) to perform a number of STOP grant management functions including submitting progress reports, grant adjustment notifications (GANs), and federal financial reports. Participants will receive step-by-step instruction in how to perform these crucial functions, as well as how to create payment requests in the Grants Payment Request System (GPRS).
Civil Rights Requirements for Department of Justice Grantees
Debra S. Murphy, Office for Civil Rights, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Recipients of Federal financial assistance under DOJ programs must comply with several civil rights statutes and regulations, and must ensure that their sub recipients also comply. In this session, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Civil Rights Attorney Debra Murphy will review the applicable laws, and discuss how recipients can ensure that they do not discriminate in services and employment.
LUNCH ON OWN
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSIONS
Progress Reporting for STOP Administrators
Karen Monahan & Jennifer Dodge, VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative, Muskie School of Public Service
The speakers will provide information that is important for the completion and submission of STOP Administrator and Subgrantee Reports. They will cover common errors, tools for data collection and reporting, and frequently asked questions about the form.
Implementation Planning
Robin H. Thompson, Robin H. Thompson & Associates
In this scenario-based session, Ms. Thompson will ask participants to think critically about the implementation planning process including recruiting and retaining planning committee members; ensuring representation of underserved, unserved, and inadequately served survivors; keeping members engaged; and incorporating planning committee member ideas into a new plan while maintaining core victim services and foundational criminal justice system work. It may be helpful for participants to bring a paper or electronic copy of their current and any draft STOP Implementation Plans to this session for reference purposes. Ms. Thompson will be available immediately following the session to schedule time for follow-up conversations.
Roundtable Discussions
Facilitators:
Mary Lucia, Maine Department of Public Safety
Marc Peoples, Missouri Department of Public Safety
Kittie Smith, Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
Office on Violence Against Women STOP Unit Staff
STOP Technical Assistance to Administrators’ Resource Project (STAAR) Staff, Alliance of Local Service Orgs. (ALSO)
Administrators will participate in discussions with each of the three groups to speak with staff of the Office on Violence Against Women, discuss technical assistance needs and opportunities with STAAR Project staff, and engage in peer-to-peer consultation with STOP administrators.
OPTIONAL POST-MEETING SESSION
Optional Help Session for New Administrators - Robin H. Thompson Ms. Thompson will be available to answer individual questions from STOP administrators about STOP grants planning.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 ~ Meeting Begins for All
PRE-MEETING ACTIVITIES
Optional OVW Program Manager Meetings
STOP Administrators who signed up in advance will have the opportunity to participate in individual 15-minute meetings with their Program Manager.
MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS
Welcome
Office on Violence Against Women STOP Unit Staff
Facilitating Sexual Assault Reporting and Civil Rights Compliance by Law Enforcement
Bea Hanson, Office on Violence Against Women - Moderator
Sheryl Goldstein & Sunny Schnitzer, Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)
Justice Schisler, Governor's Office on Crime Control & Prevention, Maryland
This panel discussion will focus on two significant topics that have seen recent developments affecting the administration and implementation of law enforcement programs. In January 2012, the definition of rape as it is used within the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program was revised to allow for more complete reporting of rape offenses. This new definition became effective in February 2013. The presenters will discuss the planned work PERF will undertake as part of its new cooperative agreement with OVW to assist law enforcement agencies with accurately reporting rape using this new, broader definition, and will examine law enforcement practices and policies related to investigating sexual assaults. Panelists will share information on Department of Justice Civil Rights Division expectations for police departments related to sex offense cases, as well as strategies for helping state/territory and local law enforcement agencies maintain compliance through grant requirements, training, and other means.
Looking Back at STOP Data on Sexual Assault: What the Data Tells US & What We Can Learn
Michelle Brickley, Office on Violence Against Women
Karen Monahan & Jennifer Dodge, VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative
At the request of OVW, Muskie staff recently took a closer look at sexual assault-related data reported by STOP subgrantees in 2005 and 2010. This session will reveal some of the interesting results of the analysis and will seek input from STOP administrators on what the data means, how their state or territory's efforts compare with the national results, and how this information might be used to inform future planning and implementation.
Methods of Administration for State Administering Agencies
Debra S. Murphy, Office for Civil Rights, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Beginning this grant cycle, the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and its components added a new special condition to selected awards for State Administering Agencies (SAAs). The new special condition makes explicit a decades-old obligation: to develop written Methods of Administration (MOA) for ensuring that sub recipients comply with applicable federal civil rights laws. In this session, OJP Office for Civil Rights Attorney Debra Murphy will explain the MOA special condition and the submission procedures for SAAs.
LUNCH ON OWN
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Update
Marnie Shiels, Office on Violence Against Women
OVW Attorney-Advisor Marnie Shiels will present an informational update on the status of the pending 2013 Violence Against Women Act reauthorization including possible changes related to administration and implementation of the STOP Formula Grants Program. As the legislation is still pending, Ms. Shiels will provide an overview of applicable anti-lobbying laws, and will not offer interpretation of bill provisions.
ALSO Technical Assistance
Lori Crowder, Executive Director, ALSO
Jenna Musselman-Palles, Associate Director, ALSO
The presenters will offer an introduction and overiew of the needs-responsive technical assistance that is available from the STAAR Project of ALSO.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (PLEASE SELECT ONE)
OVW Q & A
OVW STOP Staff & Marnie Shiels, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice
OVW staff will answer participant questions about STOP Grant policies and administration, federal grantee requirements, and how to fulfill administrative functions while addressing the underlying goals of the STOP Program of victim safety and offender accountability.
Applying Best Evidence to Build Community Capacity to Address Violence Against Women
Cris M. Sullivan, PhD, Violence Against Women Research & Outreach Initiative, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
There is increasing pressure from funders and the public to demonstrate that government money is being used wisely and is making a difference in our communities. More and more, people are looking to “evidence-based practice” to understand what is and is not working to address violence against women. The presenter will discuss the current evidence relevant to STOP Administrators and will facilitate a discussion of whether, when, and how to use such evidence moving forward.
Economic Security and Survivor Safety: Strategies within the STOP Grant Program
Malore Dusenbery, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW)
Robin Thompson, Robin H. Thompson & Associates
When policies and programs effectively respond to the economic aspects of abuse, survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking are better able to escape and fully recover. Recognizing that survivor safety and economic security are inextricably linked, this session will present strategies and tools to integrate economic security into the existing work of the STOP Grant Program. Using primarily the Safety and Economic Security Guide for the STOP Grant Program, WOW will discuss the role that each sector within the criminal justice system can play in addition to what resources are available to STOP Administrators. WOW will also introduce the STOP Grant Program Sector Series and the accompanying training guidelines and tools for law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and victim advocates. Participants will be invited to share ways they have incorporated economic security into STOP Grant programming in their state/territory, present challenges and barriers that they have encountered, and participate in problem-solving discussions.
Language Access within the STOP Grants Program (Facilitated Discussion)
Cannon Han, Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence
Understanding what is required to ensure access to services and systems to limited English proficient individuals is essential when planning, administering, and implementing STOP Grants. Participants in this workshop will learn about the federal Title VI requirements and the role the STOP administrators can play in ensuring that they are met by their state or territorial agency and STOP subgrantees. Attendees will have an opportunity to analyze their current standards and requirements, explore promising practices and programs, and learn about useful resources and available technical assistance.
Strengthening the Law Enforcement Connection: Increasing STOP Grant Applications and Improving Responses
Aviva Kurash, International Association of Chiefs of Police
Jenna Musselman-Palles, STAAR Project, ALSO
Shirlynn Perez, CNMI Criminal Justice Planning Agency
The actions and decisions of officers who respond to and investigate domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking can have a far-reaching impact on whether a case will move forward in the criminal justice system, whether a survivor will receive necessary advocacy and services and participate in the case, and whether the perpetrator and the community as a whole will perceive that the criminal justice system regards the crime as a high priority. Congress was cognizant of this critical role when it directed that ¼ of each state and territorial STOP award be applied to strengthening law enforcement response to these crimes, yet some STOP administrators report receiving a low number of grant applications from law enforcement agencies. This session will include preliminary results of a recent IACP survey of law enforcement leaders on awareness of and interest in the STOP Grant Program. Participants will discuss strategies for increasing law enforcement knowledge of STOP Grant Programs, impediments they see to submitting grant proposals, and ideas for supporting the development of successful program ideas. Administrators will also learn about several recent IACP/ STOP collaborative programs as well as receive information about practical tools and resources for law enforcement. The session will include a focus on the 3-day Sexual Assault Response and Investigations Training in December 2012 that CNMI Criminal Justice Planning Agency, IACP and the STAAR Project collaboratively developed and implemented.
Time Tracking
Donna Simmons, Grants Financial Management Division, Office on Violence Against Women
Ms. Simmons will provide an overview and details on time tracking for purposes of documenting staff time allocation and funds drawdown.
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION
Implementation Planning
Robin Thompson, Robin H. Thompson & Associates
Sarah Brown, West Virginia Division of Justice and Community Services
Debi Cain, Michigan Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Prevention & Treatment Board
Debbie Kasyon, Colorado Department of Public Safety
Tonya Lovelace, Women of Color Network (WOCN)
Shirlynn Perez, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Criminal Justice Planning Agency
Ms. Thompson and a panel of STOP administrators will discuss their work in creating and using the STOP Implementation Plan in their jurisdictions. Each will share planning processes, discuss challenges they face, and explore the interrelationship between how the Plan is developed and used with how funds are distributed. Administrators are asked to think critically about how they can improve their planning process to bring greater safety and well being to survivors of sexual, domestic and dating violence, and stalking in their states and territories. The session will include time for questions and open discussion from all administrators.
OPTIONAL POST-MEETING SESSION
Listening Session with Office on Violence Against Women Staff
STOP Administrators are invited to participate in this opportunity to share successes and challenges with Office on Violence Against Women staff.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 ~ Meeting Concludes
PRE-MEETING ACTIVITIES
Optional OVW Program Manager Meetings
STOP Administrators who signed up in advance will have the opportunity to participate in individual 15-minute meetings with their Program Manager.
MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS
Welcome Back
Office on Violence Against Women STOP Unit Staff
Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative
Cat Fribley, Resource Sharing Project, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Dual/multi-service providers, particularly those in rural communities, struggle to dedicate adequate resources to sexual assault services and meet the unique needs of sexual violence survivors. However, they also possess unique potential to provide excellent sexual violence services, if given effective strategies for organizational structure, staff training, and community partnerships. The Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI) is the first large-scale project to address the challenges dual/multi-service programs face in reaching sexual assault survivors. This interactive session will share insights from the first phase: assessing community and organizational readiness. Participants will learn about the variety of assessment tools that were developed, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and community data, as well as strategies that support organizational change work.
PREA Implementation: What it Means for STOP Administrators & Subgrantees
Linda McFarlane, Just Detention International
Marnie Shiels, Office on Violence Against Women
Kittie Smith, Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
The final PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003) standards for detention facilities, issued in 2012, provide implementation guidance for police lockups, jails, prisons, youth detention facilities, and community correctional facilities for the purpose of protecting inmates and preventing future assaults. With a focus on roles for STOP administrators and subgrantees, the panelists will provide an overview and analysis of the federal law and its standards; explore the relationship of PREA to VAWA and how STOP funds can be utilized in this context; offer available tools, resources, and technical assistance that can support PREA implementation; and report on the progress of PREA demonstration projects, with an emphasis on the Wisconsin site.
Grant Fraud Awareness
Patrick Schumacher, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has the responsibility and authority to investigate, fraud, waste, and abuse within government programs. The OIG for the Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for the persons, programs, and resources within DOJ. DOJ-OIG's Fraud Detection Office (FDO) primarily examines contract and grant fraud issues and engages in proactive prevention efforts. Special Agent Schumacher will define grant fraud, enumerate a number of ways it is typically committed, discuss possible legal consequences, and share recommended risk reduction strategies.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (PLEASE SELECT ONE)
OVW Q&A
OVW STOP Staff & Marnie Shiels, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice
OVW staff will answer participant questions about STOP Grant policies and administration, federal grantee requirements, and how to fulfill administrative functions while addressing the underlying goals of the STOP Program of victim safety and offender accountability.
Fostering Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sexual Assault
Laura Williams & staff of the Sexual Violence Justice Institute (SVJI) at MNCASA SVJI, a project of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
The Sexual Violence Justice Institute equips multidisciplinary teams and allied professionals with the concepts, tools, training, and resources needed to create a victim-centered response to sexual violence within their local communities. Their staff works extensively with teams and team leaders from across the United States by helping
launch and revive teams, developing work plans, designing and delivering training, and providing in-depth coaching to leaders. They also convene the National Institute for SART Leaders. In this session, SVJI staff will provide an executive overview of the current knowledge of sexual assault response teams (SARTs) and highlight innovative strategies teams use to make a difference. A few key themes will be introduced for discussion including: Why a team: how and when are they a fit for changing systems? All in one: how and when do teams address both sexual assault and domestic violence? Case conversations: how do teams learn from reviewing their own response? SVJI will also provide a brief overview of their new technical assistance project for STOP Administrators.
Looking Forward: Using What We Have Learned About Best Reporting Practices
Karen Monahan & Jennifer Dodge, VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative
Overseeing the collection and reporting of subgrantee data for the annual progress report is an important and sometimes confusing part of the STOP Administrator's role. This session will present tools and resources to make this process easier for administrators and subgrantees, to reduce the number of red flags, and to improve the accuracy of the data. Administrators will have the opportunity to meet in small groups to share their challenges and successes in training subgrantees on reporting, reviewing subgrantee data, and responding to red flag reports.
Strengths & Challenges of Rural Jurisdictions: Roundtable
Cat Fribley, Resource Sharing Project, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Donna Phillips, Iowa Attorney General's Crime Victim Assistance Division
Rural survivors of sexual assault and the providers who serve them face a number of challenges not shared by those in urban areas including limited legal, medical, advocacy, and housing options; fewer economic and employment opportunities; lower reporting rates; and longer response times by law enforcement. Other uniquely rural community characteristics are strengths that can be leveraged to build seamless responses. Drawing upon their expertise and experience working in rural Iowa, Ms. Fribley and Ms. Phillips will engage participants in a problem-solving and strategy-development session that will focus on the challenges of working with and in rural jurisdictions and creating tailored solutions.
Using STOP Funds to Effect Change Within Courts
Brenda Uekert, National Center for State Courts (NCSC)
Courts often have the most lasting impact on how states, territories, and communities view and address crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Yet developing and implementing effective and economical ways to implement changes within the courts can be challenging. Using examples and data from a recent survey conducted by NCSC, the presenter will discuss ways to increase interest in and applications for court projects and maximize the impact of STOP dollars on court protocols, procedures, and case outcomes. Participants will learn about available resources and tools that will help them discover how others are utilizing their STOP court dollars, and will have opportunities to ask questions, share information about court projects in their state/territory, and problem-solve barriers that they have encountered.
Working With Prosecutors
Christina Mathews, AEquitas: the Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women
At every point in a criminal sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, or human trafficking case, prosecutors make critical decisions that affect not only the outcome of the case, but also the lives of victims, their children and other family members, and the community at-large. Moreover, prosecutors’ charging decisions, their use of available evidence and close collaboration with law enforcement to obtain it, development of case strategy, consideration of victim needs, and willingness to seek and utilize specialized training and resources can send clear messages to other criminal justice system representatives about expectations for handling these cases. In this session, the presenter will discuss current and emerging issues in prosecuting sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, or human trafficking cases; share promising practices; and offer information about training and technical assistance available to STOP-funded prosecutors. Participants will be invited to ask questions and engage in dialogue about successes and challenges in their state or territory.
LUNCH ON OWN
Shifting Our Approach to Support Underserved, Unserved, and Inadequately Served Populations
Tonya Lovelace, Zoe Flowers, Smita Satiani, & Purvi Shah, Women of Color Network (WOCN)
In this interactive session, WOCN staff and consultants will facilitate a discussion that will define and distinguish among the three tiers of ‘underserved,’ ‘unserved,’ and ‘inadequately served,’ examine the spectrum of needs within each, and encourage participants to think critically about ways to reach survivors in all three groups. The presenters will discuss the results of the STOP administrators survey and listening sessions, and will offer an overview of the WOCN Action Meeting that will take place on Thursday and Friday (Feb. 28-March 1) as well as this coming April.
Closing Remarks
M.E. Hart, JD, Hart Learning Group, LLC
M.E. Hart provides inspirational insights from growing up in a home environment witnessing domestic violence and experiencing sexual abuse. His stories reveal how the work facilitated by STOP Administrators ripple into the lives of the families served by those who receive their funds. Hart spent five years in meetings with men and women hearing hundreds of stories as they all worked to heal from their traumas. There are many silent thrivers who benefit from emergency housing, counseling, legal and client services, and the protections and insistence upon offender accountability provided by the criminal justice system -- programs that are supported by STOP Administrators and their subgrantees. These closing remarks will provide a new way to look at: reflecting on your past, transforming your work and shaping the future.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Revised Frequently Asked Questions on STOP Formula Grants
Thursday, February 28, 2013 ~ WOCN STOP Administrator Action Meeting Begins
Friday, March 1, 2013 ~ WOCN STOP Administrator Action Meeting Concludes
We value access and safety and strive to make our meetings accessible and welcoming to all participants. As you register and prepare for this meeting, please keep us aware of any needs you will have and we will do our best to make sure everyone has an opportunity to fully participate in this year's meeting.