Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[Becky Lockwood <>]

Hello all. Here are the Peer Advocate Safety Guidelines I agreed to share (months ago). I hope they are helpful.  I’m also interested in hearing what you all think is missing/outdated etc.

 

Counselor Advocate Safety & Boundaries: 

 

How can Counselor Advocates protect their own privacy and safety while providing services?

Before returning any call, block your phone number by dialing *67 first, then dialing the caller’s #.   When *67 is dialed before the caller’s number, your caller identification is blocked.

·        If you forget to press *67 before a HL call, check in with BU (if immediate support is needed) and/or with the RCS Training & Counseling Specialist the next business day to strategize.

 

NEVER give out your last name or any identifying information about yourself or any other CA or CWC staff person to a caller.   This includes home addresses, email, phone number, workplace etc. 

 

Keep the staff/volunteer phone list, the hotline schedule, and all program paperwork confidential. 

• NEVER tell callers when you are on call next or when another CA or staff is on call.  Do not answer questions about who is on call at any given time, instead let the caller know that all staff are trained Rape Crisis Counselors. 
• NEVER give out cell phone #’s to clients, including CA’s, CWC Staff and Back-up.   Clients can be given RCS Staff office #’s as needed (see staff contact information in manual). 
• RCS Schedule and Phone and Email List are to be kept confidential.  Do not post the RCS schedule or phone list where others can view them. 
• For privacy reasons, some volunteers prefer to not use their given name while on the HL.  You can choose an alternative name to use while you are on the HL, be consistent and use the same name each time.  Your actual name will still appear on the schedule for both volunteers and Crocker.  Crocker does not give out the name of the counselor on call, so you can provide the alternative name you are using to the caller when you call them back.
• CONSIDER how much personally identifying information you share on social media sites, such as your address, phone number, last name, date of birth, major etc.  We encourage the use of “privacy” settings; alternate usernames to limit or screen how much of your personal information is made public.

 

Safety Procedures: Advocacy and In-Person Services 

Rape Crisis Services does NOT provide Transportation to clients.  There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy.

 

CA meetings with clients must take place only at a hospital, other medical setting or police station within Hampshire County.  

• Some rural police stations within Hampshire County are not staffed 24 hours a day.  Before agreeing to meet at a rural police station, confirm that the department is staffed at the time of the desired meeting. 
• Counselor Advocates should NEVER meet a client at the client’s home, the CA’s home, a coffee shop or any other location besides those described above.
• If a client is looking for advocacy at a location outside of Hampshire County they should be referred to their local Rape Crisis Center.  Refer to “Tri-County Area Listing by Town” in your resource binder for a list of towns within Hampshire and neighboring counties and to the RAINN website/hotline for additional Massachusetts RCC contact information. 
  • Although CA’s will infrequently meet with clients in person at the CWC or at another community location such as district or probate court, if decided upon by RCS Staff such a meeting is permitted.  Such meetings are not typical and should be arranged only by RCS Staff and not by the volunteer themselves.  Safety procedures as outlined in the RCS Staff Policy & Procedure Guide apply in this case.

 

Medical and Police Advocacy

Prior to going on a police or medical advocacy, contact Back-up to inform them you are leaving. When you complete your advocacy, contact back-up to let them know you are home. This is required for your own safety.

 

Volunteer and CWC staff safety comes first.  When meeting with a client in a community setting, volunteers should be alert to their surroundings.  If, as a volunteer/staff you are concerned for your safety at any time during or following an advocacy, speak with a security or police officer or call back-up depending on the severity of your concerns.  You may want to ask for an escort out of the building to your car, or a safe place to wait for transportation.  Any safety concerns should be discussed immediately with back-up and/or CWC staff for safety planning and response.  Always err on the “safe side” when considering personal safety.

 

Becky Lockwood

Associate Director of Counseling and Rape Crisis Services

Center for Women & Community

413.545.5832

 

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From: Kades, Roshelle [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 9:31 AM
To: ''
Subject: Bystander questions for climate survey

 

Hi, all,

 

If anyone has done or is working to put together a climate survey and include questions regarding bystander interventions (confidence, likelihood, thoughts, previous interventions, etc.), I would love to look at examples of question sets. We have Green Dot on our campus, and are thinking about how to phrase these questions so that they include GD language (3 D’s, etc.) – so particularly if anyone else has done this, it would be great to see what you came up with.

 

I am happy to share responses with anyone interested.

 

Take care,

 

Roshelle Kades

Assistant Director for Student Outreach

Office of the Dean of Students

410.769.5088