No Wrong Door New Jersey Needs Assessment Plan May 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Goals____________________________________________________ 4 Information Sources________________________________________ 5 Purpose__________________________________________________ 5 Collecting New Data_______________________________________ 5 Focus Groups_________________________________ _____ 6 Interviews______________________________________________ 6 Surveys________________________________________________ 6 Total Number of Focus Groups Per Pilot Partner_________________ 8 Total Number of Interviews Per Pilot Partner____________ ________ 9 Total Number of Focus Groups and Interviews Recruited from Statewide Partners__________________________________________________10 Audience 11 Board of Directors 11 Executive Directors 11 Program Directors__________________________________________11 Staff____________________________________________________ 12 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners 12 Volunteers________________________________________________12 Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities______________________________________________ 12 Self – Advocates___________________________________________13 Consumers_______________________________________________ 13 Mental Health Consumers at Large____________________________ 14 Survivors________________________________________________ 14 Recruitment Strategies_______________________________________ 15 Board of Directors_________________________________________ 15 Executive Directors_________________________________________15 Program Directors_________________________________________ 15 Staff____________________________________________________ 16 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners__________________________ 16 Volunteers_______________________________________________ 16 Recruitment Orientation for Staff of Pilot Partners_________________ 17 Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities_______________________________________________ 18 Self – Advocates__________________________________________ 18 Consumers_______________________________________________ 19 Mental Health Consumers at Large____________________________ 19 Survivors_________________________________________________20 Safety and Accessibility Concerns______________________________ 20 Confidentiality Plan__________________________________________ 22 Consent Process___________________________________________ 23 Incentives_________________________________________________23 Work Plan_________________________________________________ 24 Appendix___________________________________________________25 Tools - Appendix A - Appendix S______________________________ 25 Board of Directors Interview Questions________________________ 25 Executive Director Interview Questions________________________ 27 Program Director Interview Questions_________________________ 29 Staff Focus Group Questions and Surveys______________________31 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Interview Questions___________ __41 Volunteers Focus Group Questions___________________________42 Caregivers Interview Questions______________________________44 Self – Advocate Focus Group Questions_______________________45 Consumer Focus Group Questions____________________________46 Mental Health Consumers at Large Focus Group Questions_________47 Survivor Focus Group Questions______________________________48 Appendix R - Script for Pilot Site Staff Recruiters__________________ 49 Appendix S – Focus Group RSVP Form__________________________51 Appendix T – Focus Group and Interview Check-in_________________ 53 Appendix U – Focus Group Confidentiality Statement_______________ 55 Appendix V – Recruitment Flyers_______________________________ 56 1 No Wrong Door New Jersey: Needs Assessment Plan Introduction No Wrong Door New Jersey is a collaboration of The Arc of New Jersey (The Arc of NJ), the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA), and the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women (NJCBW). In 2005, existing relationships with these organizations formed the basis for aligning to address the issue of violence against women with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and women with mental illness. Subsequent discussion revealed strong impressions that women with either mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities are possibly the least understood and most feared of all women with disabilities. Fear and societal stigma create an invisibility cloak that keeps women with such disabilities hidden and underserved. Furthermore, mental illness and developmental disabilities, while sometimes co-occurring, are often not distinguished by service providers. Finally, the intersection of domestic and sexual violence with disabilities add a layer of complexity that leaves these individuals with very little voice and limited power. These revelations led the collaboration to choose these two disabilities as a focus. In 2007, No Wrong Door NJ was awarded a three-phased grant from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The grant challenged the statewide grantees to create sustainable systems change in service delivery within domestic violence, sexual violence and disability organizations. The funding guidelines gave the collaboration (project team) substantial time, during a planning phase, to consider strategies to address existing service delivery gaps. As part of the planning phase, No Wrong Door NJ will conduct a Needs Assessment with identified community stakeholders and will use that data to develop a two-year strategic plan to implement changes to domestic violence, sexual violence and disability services systems. The planning phase also gave the project team members time to develop stronger relationships; identify shared values and assumptions; document our work processes and agreements all of which are outlined in a document called the Collaboration Charter. The overall process enabled the collaborative to incorporate its shared values into a vision that eventually led to the formal naming of the collaborative. We envision that survivors of domestic and sexual violence with disabilities will be treated with dignity and respect through a seamless integrated system where they will receive timely, appropriate and sufficient service regardless of the door they enter. Thus the name became No Wrong Door New Jersey (referred to as No Wrong Door NJ). 2 During planning for the needs assessment, the project team developed viable strategies to identify and recruit organizations that would become pilot sites. The collaboration outlined factors important to making the project successful, and took those factors into consideration in developing pilot site criteria. The pilot concept envisioned that ideal county sites would include an affiliate or member program from each of the collaboration organizations. In addition, other considerations included, but were not limited to, geographic and demographic diversity; a willingness and commitment to address violence against women with disabilities; and the capacity for the organization to commit to a process of sustainable systems change. Affiliates and member programs of the four collaboration organizations from New Jersey’s 21 counties were evaluated against the criteria and chosen as pilot sites. From that initial list of agencies, four counties were chosen and proposed to OVW in an Identifying Focus Memo (IFM). Upon approval of the IFM, No Wrong Door NJ began the process of recruiting potential pilot sites. Potential pilot partners were invited to project briefings in their respective counties where they learned about 1) background of the project; 2) expectations of pilot partners; 3) benefits of participating in the project. Ultimately, organization affiliates and member programs from The Arc, MHANJ, NJCASA and NJCBW in Atlantic County and in Morris County, New Jersey agreed to participate in the project. The statewide collaboration anticipates continued success as a result of the partnerships with the county pilot sites. The organizations involved at a county-level include: Atlantic County  The Arc of Atlantic County (The Arc of AC) – A developmental disability organization providing advocacy and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Atlantic County Women’s Center (ACWC) – An organization providing domestic violence and sexual violence services through advocacy, counseling, emergency shelter and a variety of other programs.  The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County (MHA in AC) – A mental health organization providing advocacy and services to people with mental illness. 3 Morris County  Jersey Battered Women’s Service (JBWS) – An organization providing domestic violence services through advocacy, counseling, emergency shelter and a variety of other programs.  The Mental Health Association of Morris County (MHA of MC) – A mental health organization providing advocacy and services to people with mental illness.  Morris County Sexual Assault Center (JBWS) – An organization providing sexual violence services through advocacy, counseling and a variety of other programs. The Arc of Morris County declined participation in the No Wrong Door NJ project. A decision to proceed without an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deviates slightly from the project’s initial concept for pilot sites, however, the collaboration feels that the three other agencies in that county have a strong potential to create sustainable systems change. In addition, The Arc of NJ’s Self-Advocacy Program; a statewide program consisting of individuals who have developmental disabilities that advocate for themselves as well as assisting other selfadvocates to form advocacy groups in their residing county areas will provide assistance in collecting data from Self-Advocates in both counties. The data will be analyzed and incorporated to determine needs in those communities during the Needs Assessment. The following document outlines the Needs Assessment Plan developed by the No Wrong Door NJ statewide collaboration team. 4 Goals Prior to discussions regarding potential pilot sites and the needs assessment design, the No Wrong Door NJ collaboration spent some time exploring what types of information should be gathered. Through the needs assessment and subsequent Strategic Plan, No Wrong Door NJ hopes to address the following global questions: 1. What are the hopes and expectations of consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and consumers with mental illness when they first reach out to the service system(s) for help? What are the hopes and expectations of survivors of domestic and sexual violence when they first reach out to the service systems for help? How do those expectations align with the services currently available? 2. What are the experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and people with mental illness when utilizing services? What are the experiences of survivors of domestic and sexual violence when utilizing services? 3. What do existing relationships between organizations providing direct services look like? What barriers exist that make it difficult for relationship building between organizations? 4. What is the status of the current service system between disability organizations and providers of domestic and sexual violence programs in Atlantic and Morris Counties? What are the opportunities for change within these systems? What barriers are present that prevents that change? These four questions informed the development of the tools which will be used during the needs assessment process. The four questions will also inform the analysis of the data that comes from the needs assessment process. 5 Information Sources Existing Data A literature review was performed to analyze existing data on the issues of women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities as well as women with mental illness’ experiences with domestic and/or sexual violence. A number of studies focused on the high occurrence of violence against women with disabilities. Studies have indicated that women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities are four to ten times more likely than women without such disabilities to experience sexual and/or domestic violence. National studies report that over 60% of women with mental illness have experienced sexual assault and over 50% have experienced domestic violence. Many studies have addressed the feelings of frustration, helplessness and worthlessness that survivors with disabilities face when seeking services. There is wealth of data available regarding the prevalence against women with disabilities; therefore, No Wrong Door NJ believes that there is no need to construct a needs assessment with a prevalence focus. Information, however, is limited regarding survivors in need of both domestic and sexual violence services and disability related services. Little data was discovered relating to service provision for survivors with disabilities. Furthermore, few of the articles emphasized the need for community collaboration as a solution to the gaps in services. The No Wrong Door NJ Needs Assessment anticipates gathering county specific data to clearly identify the areas of opportunity in service provision. The result will be a Strategic Plan around initiatives to create sustainable systems change. Purpose Collecting New Data The purpose for this Needs Assessment Plan is to outline in detail the way information will be gathered at the two pilot sites. The following plan highlights the aspects taken into account while designing the plan including why particular audiences were chosen; the methodology that will be used during the needs assessment and the anticipated results. No Wrong Door NJ emphasizes gathering data from all stakeholders who have relevant information to contribute and in creating an environment that promotes safety and accessibility. In consideration of the diverse audiences participating and efforts to gather data in the most effective manner, focus groups, interviews and surveys have been designed accordingly. The following is an explanation of each type of methodology. More detail regarding the audiences will be discussed further in the audience section of this document. 6 Focus Groups Focus groups will be conducted in both Atlantic and Morris Counties respectively. For the safety of participants, all focus groups will be staffed by a facilitator, note taker and floater from the statewide No Wrong Door NJ team. The floater will be available to speak with any participant who feels uncomfortable in the focus group setting in a safe room outside of the room where the focus group is being conducted. Audiences participating in focus groups include staff of the Atlantic County Women’s Center, The Arc of Atlantic County, The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County, Jersey Battered Women’s Service, The Mental Health Association of Morris County and the Morris County Sexual Assault Center; consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and consumers with mental illness respectively; mental health consumers-atlarge; survivors of domestic and sexual violence; self-advocates; volunteers from the Atlantic County Women’s Center Sexual Assault Program and volunteers from the Morris County Sexual Assault Center. These audiences were chosen to participate in a focus group because No Wrong Door NJ feels it is the most effective means of creating dialogue around service provision. All focus groups will be held for two hours in locations accessible to public transportation. Focus groups will have a minimum of five people and a maximum of ten people. All consumers with disabilities and survivors will receive a $10 Target gift card as incentive upon their arrival at a focus group. Other safety and accessibility considerations are located on page 20 of this document. Interviews Interviews will be conducted in both Atlantic and Morris Counties respectively. Interviews will be conducted by team members of the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team and individual audience members. Audiences participating in interviews includes a Board of Director representative, the Executive Director and all Program Directors from the Atlantic County Women’s Center, The Arc of Atlantic County, The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County, Jersey Battered Women’s Service, The Mental Health Association of Morris County and the Morris County Sexual Assault Center; as well as caregivers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Atlantic County. These audiences were chosen for interviews for the purpose of gathering in depth, detailed information about the overall service delivery systems and gaps that may currently exist. Additionally, No Wrong Door believes that removing supervisors from staff focus groups creates a safer environment for staff to share their opinions freely. Consumers with disabilities and survivors will be invited to participate in focus groups but can choose an opt-out one on one interview if they feel uncomfortable in a focus group setting. Interviews will last approximately one hour and will be conducted via face-to-face or over the telephone. Surveys Online surveys will be conducted with staff of agencies in both Atlantic and Morris counties. Surveys will be conducted as an alternative to staff who is unable to join focus groups due to personal or business commitments. Overnight staff from the Atlantic County Women's Center, the Arc of Atlantic County and Jersey Battered Women's 7 Service will be asked a series of questions through an online survey via Survey Monkey. The overnight staff at these agencies have vital information to share that will be useful to the overall needs assessment. However, most of this staff would be unable to join focus groups that are scheduled for the daytime or evening hours. In an attempt to collect data from them and to evaluate any discrepancies between day staff and night staff an online survey with specific questions relating to their experiences was created. Staff will be invited to participate in the survey via e-mail and verbal invitation from their project directors. Any staff member who does not have access to the Internet but wishes to participate will receive a paper copy of the survey with a self addressed stamped envelope to be returned to No Wrong Door New Jersey's project coordinator. Surveys will take approximately 20 minutes for the participant to fill out. No Wrong Door New Jersey has designed the methods above in order to gather data from various stakeholders in the most efficient way. The expectation is that all data gathered will help identify gaps in service provision and trends identified to create change. Data will be analyzed by the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team with the assistance of a student intern from the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women. An intern was recruited to assist with compiling the needs assessment data based on the volume of data being collected. The intern will also provide input into the needs assessment report. The data and the input of pilot site partners are essential tools in the development of a strategic plan resulting in sustainable change. The following illustrates the total number of focus groups, interviews and surveys that will be conducted. 8 Total Number of Focus Groups per Pilot Partner Staff Volunteers Survivors Consumers Total Number of Focus Groups Atlantic County ACWC 2 1 2 5 MHA in AC 1 1 2 The Arc of AC 2 2 4 Morris County JBWS 1 1 2 MHA of MC 2 1 3 MCSAC 1 1 1 3 Total 19 9 Total Number of Interviews per Pilot Partner Executive Directors Program Directors SANES Total Number of Interviews Atlantic County ACWC 1 5 2 8 MHA in AC 1 2 3 The Arc of AC 1 7 8 Morris County JBWS 1 3 4 MHA of MC 1 5 7 MCSAC 1 2 2 5 Note: Interviews will be conducted with the Board of Directors from ACWC, MHA in AC, The Arc of AC, JBWS, MHA of MC and MCSAC. The total number of interviews will be determined based on the number of acceptances received from the invitation to participate. See Recruitment Strategy (page 14) for more detail. 10 Total Number of Focus Groups Recruited from Statewide Partners Self- Advocates Mental Health Consumersat- Large Total Number of Focus Groups Atlantic County The Arc of NJ 1 1 The Self Help Center of AC 1 1 Morris County The Arc of NJ 1 1 The Self Help Center of MC 1 1 Total 4 Total Number of Interviews Recruited from Statewide Partners Caregivers Total Number of Focus Groups Atlantic County The Arc of NJ 5 5 Total 5 11 Audiences Participating in On-line Survey  Overnight staff of The Arc of Atlantic County, Atlantic County Women’s Center and Jersey Battered Women’s Services Audiences Providing services for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities and women with mental illness who experience violence is a multilayered and complex process. A decision was made to gather responses from a number of stakeholders to ensure that the No Wrong Door NJ Needs Assessment would collect valid data concerning the systemic change. The following audiences have valuable information to share about the issue of sufficient services for survivors of violence with disabilities. It is important to include feedback from multiple organizational levels including management, staff and users of service to create a broader range of buy-in regarding the needs assessment and ultimately, a strategic plan. The following information details each audience and the contribution they will make to the needs assessment process. The recruitment strategies for each audience and the justification for speaking with each of these crucial audience members are in the next section. The tools for each audience are located in Appendix A – Appendix Q. Board of Directors No Wrong Door NJ feels strongly that if one is addressing systems change in an organization, all levels of the organization must be engaged. The boards of directors of the county-level agencies possess a wide range of experiences and skills and have a significant influence over the direction of their agency. One-on-one interviews will be conducted with Board members who agree to participate. Executive Directors Executive Directors of each of the pilot site partners will be asked a series of questions through one-on-one interviews. The management of these sites has a thorough understanding of the needs of their community and the individuals they serve, the overall structure of their agency and its areas of strength and opportunity. There will be three interviews conducted in the Atlantic and Morris County pilot sites. Program Directors Program Directors of each of the pilot site partners will be asked a series of questions through one-on-one interviews. The Program Directors of these sites supervise the front line staff and often act as a conduit of information between the staff and management of an agency. The number of interviews at each pilot site will be based on the number of Program Directors employed by each partner. 12 Staff Staff from each pilot site partner will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. The staff has direct access to consumers and survivors and can provide specific examples of successes and challenges with service delivery. The number of focus groups will vary based on the size of staff and other considerations including the number of staff shifts and multiple site locations for each of the county-level programs. One focus group will be conducted at the Jersey Battered Women’s Service, the Morris County Sexual Assault Center and the Mental Health Association of Morris County. Two focus groups will be conducted at The Arc of Atlantic County and the Mental Health Association of Morris County due to the larger size of their staff. Two focus groups will be conducted at the Atlantic County Women’s Center as it is a dual agency with staff working in both domestic violence and sexual violence programs. Each focus group will have eight to ten participants. Staff of the Atlantic County Women’s Center, the Jersey Battered Women’s Service and The Arc of Atlantic County, who work overnight shifts and are unable to participate in a focus group will be given the opportunity to participate via an on-line survey through Survey Monkey. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) will be asked a series of questions through one-on-one interviews. SANEs are often one of the first people that survivors of sexual violence come in contact with. They play an important role in terms of service provision for people with disabilities who experience violence. SANEs work as part of a collaborative team with the county Sexual Assault Centers and in the case of Atlantic County, are housed in the pilot partner site. Two interviews of SANEs will be conducted at each pilot site. Volunteers Volunteers of each Sexual Assault program in the pilot sites will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. The volunteers in the county-level programs often assist survivors with disabilities, both over the telephone and in person. One focus group of volunteers will be held at each pilot site. Each focus group will have eight to ten participants. Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Caregivers will be asked a series of questions in telephone interviews. For the purpose of this project, Caregivers will be those who have provided shelter and care to individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and who may now be residing in residential programs. For the purpose of this needs assessment process caregivers are defined as family members such as parents, siblings or extended family. For safety considerations no interviews will be conducted with caregivers who have full legal guardianship of consumers with developmental disabilities. No Wrong Door NJ believes that Caregivers can provide a unique perspective to service delivery. For persons with intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities, caregivers are initially the ones requesting services, researching community resources, and advocating on 13 their family member’s behalf. Caregivers are generally the ones with ongoing fears that their family member may not have the tools to say “no”’ and are the first to respond to signs of abuse by staff or other consumers. Caregivers are aware of the complexities of the various service systems which they realize are not properly prepared to accommodate the needs of their family members with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. They are dedicated to improving services and get centrally involved, acting as volunteers to service agencies and as advocates for other families who may face challenges navigating the various service delivery systems. The No Wrong Door NJ Project will interview five selectively chosen caregivers from the Family Advocacy Program; a program of The Arc of New Jersey. The Family Advocacy Program assists families in getting more personally involved with public policy, advocating on a county, state, and national level. The Family Advocacy Program will recruit five Caregivers who reside in Atlantic County. The families of the five selected Caregivers may or may not be receiving services from the local Arc chapter. Caregivers will be contacted via telephone and asked to participate in a telephone interview to discuss their experience with service delivery in Atlantic County. ** The No Wrong Door NJ collaboration understands that these audiences may raise concerns for OVW. We have attempted to fully explain their importance to our Needs Assessment in this document but would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have or to further clarify our position, if necessary. Self-Advocates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Self-Advocates will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. Self-Advocates are individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who advocate for themselves and others. Advocates have the experience and expertise in speaking up for the concerns of other people with intellectual and developmental disabilities when accessing and utilizing services. The services they receive may or may not be from their local Arc office. One focus group of Self-Advocates will be held at each pilot site. Each focus group will have five to seven participants. Consumers Consumers with disabilities will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. The consumers will be able to shed light on gaps in service provision based on their experience. One focus group will be conducted for consumers of the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County and of the Mental Health Association of Morris County respectively. Two focus groups will be conducted for consumers of The Arc of Atlantic County. Each focus group will have five to seven participants. Consumers who wish to participate but are uncomfortable in a focus group setting will be offered one-on-one interviews. 14 Mental Health Consumers-at-Large Consumers-at-large will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. Mental Health Consumers-at-Large is an important sample to be included in the assessment plan as they provide another perspective in terms of identifying gaps in service provision. This group will represent consumers not receiving services from county Mental Health Associations, but represent a broader array of consumers in the community. The county self help centers provide an excellent gatekeeper for this community. The centers offer a wide variety of self help, wellness and recover services, education, and vocations services and attracts a more diverse group of consumers as well from a broader geographical area. It also includes individuals that may not be currently receiving clinical services and are still struggling with their illness. The Self Help Center managers will invite consumers to participate in focus groups and will serve as the RSVP contact point with those willing to participate in a focus group. One focus group of consumers-at-large will be held at each pilot site. Each focus group will have five to seven participants. Consumers who wish to participate but are uncomfortable in a focus group setting will be offered one-on-one interviews. ** The No Wrong Door NJ collaboration understands that these audiences may raise concerns for OVW. We have attempted to fully explain their importance to our Needs Assessment in this document but would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have or to further clarify our position, if necessary. Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence will be asked a series of questions in focus groups. Although survivors may or may not have a disability, they have utilized services and can identify possible overarching gaps. No Wrong Door NJ anticipates gathering data from survivors about the issues that non-violence related service providers need to understand about people who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence. One focus group for survivors of domestic violence and one focus group for survivors of sexual violence will be held at each of the pilot sites. Each focus group will have eight to ten participants. Survivors who wish to participate but are uncomfortable in a focus group setting will be offered one-on-one interviews. 15 Recruitment Strategies As stated in the Audience section, there are a number of stakeholders who can contribute important data to No Wrong Door NJ’s Needs Assessment. In order to create the greatest amount of buy-in possible, varying recruitment strategies will be employed. Accessibility and safety concerns will be taken into account with each audience group. Recruitment strategies will include outreach to attract a broad range of ethnic and cultural diversity. Self-Advocates, consumers and survivors will be recruited with the assistance of staff from the pilot site organizations. The following section details how each audience will be invited to participate in the project. Board of Directors 1. The Executive Director of each county level partner will be asked to send an email to their agency’s Board of Directors regarding the No Wrong Door NJ project. The state-wide collaboration will draft a form letter email that will briefly describe the project’s purpose and why input from the Board of Directors is crucial. 2. The Executive Director will encourage all members of the Board to participate in one-on-one interviews with No Wrong Door NJ team members. Telephone interviews will be arranged at the earliest convenience of Board members who volunteer to participate. Executive Directors 1. During the No Wrong Door NJ Project Briefings, the Executive Directors of the county-level partners were informed that the team would be requesting a one-onone interview with them. 2. Once the Needs Assessment Plan has been approved by the Office on Violence Against Women, face-to-face and telephone interviews will be arranged at the Executive Directors’ earliest convenience. Program Directors 1. The Executive Director of each county-level partner will be asked to communicate to their Program Directors, the agency’s involvement in the project and to request full participation. 2. The No Wrong Door NJ state-wide team will contact Program Directors directly to set up one-on-one interviews. 16 Staff 1. The No Wrong Door NJ state-wide team will conduct a brief presentation regarding the purpose of the project at each county-level partners’ monthly staff meetings. 2. The Executive Director of each county-level partner will be asked to send an email, drafted by the state-wide team, encouraging staff to participate in focus groups. 3. A follow-up email will be sent to staff containing information on the dates, times and locations for focus groups along with RSVP contact information for an identified No Wrong Door NJ team member. The team decided to gather the RSVPs to decrease the safety risks for staff who do not feel comfortable reporting to management their level of participation. Staff of Domestic Violence Programs and The Arc of Atlantic County 1. In addition to focus groups, a survey through Survey Monkey will be offered to staff that work overnight shifts and are unable to attend a focus group. 2. Program Directors at the county-level programs will be asked to send an email, encouraging overnight staff participation in the survey. The email will be drafted by the statewide collaboration with a link to the survey. 3. If a staff member is unable to participate due to lack of web access, he/she will be given an opportunity to fill out a paper survey with a self-addressed stamped envelope addressed to the Project Coordinator. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) 1. The county-level Sexual Assault programs will identify SANEs that work with the Sexual Assault Response Teams in their counties. 2. The Program Director will communicate via a form email, drafted by the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team, explaining the purpose of the project and requesting the SANEs involvement. 3. SANEs who agree to participate will each receive a telephone call from a member of the state-wide team to arrange a telephone interview at the SANEs’ earliest convenience. Volunteers 1. Program Directors at the county-level Sexual Assault programs will be asked to send an email, drafted by the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team, inviting volunteers to participate in a focus group. 2. Concurrently, a flyer will be distributed at their monthly volunteer meeting. Flyers will be posted in a common area of the organization. The purpose of a flyer is to direct a potential audience member to the proper staff person. Flyers will not be copied or distributed to participants and will avoid language regarding violence. See Appendix W for sample flyer. 17 3. Volunteers will be asked to RSVP to the local Program Director. 4. When the Program Director gathers eight to ten names of willing participants, they will contact an identified member of the No Wrong Door NJ state-wide team. Recruitment Orientation for Pilot Site Staff In order to assure continuity when staff of sexual violence and disability programs are recruiting consumers and survivors, staff will receive a recruitment orientation. No Wrong Door NJ will follow a specific agenda for staff orientations. The orientation will cover the following: • A briefing on the No Wrong Door New Jersey project. • Script for the consumer, caregiver and survivor recruitment: Appendix R. • Logistics of who to contact for RSVP. • Confidentiality Plan : See page 21 of Needs Assessment Plan for details. • Logistics of incentives for consumers/survivors. • Needs assessment work plan deadlines. • Interview options for those who do not want to attend/should not attend the focus group. • Format for focus groups: See page 5 of Needs Assessment Plan for details. • Use of flyers: Emphasis on issue that under no circumstances will flyers be copied and provided to individual consumers or survivors in order to ensure confidentiality and safety. • Transportation arrangements for Focus Group participants. • Safety and Accessibility considerations: See page 20 of the Needs Assessment Plan for details. 18 Caregivers of Consumers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 1. The Arc of NJ’s Family Advocacy Program will be asked to recruit caregivers in Atlantic County. 2. The Program Director of the Family Advocacy Program will receive a recruitment orientation from the No Wrong Door NJ Project. 3. The No Wrong Door NJ chose telephone interviews as the sole method for the gathering information from Caregiver after considering all convenient and safety issues for Caregivers. The Director of the Family Advocacy Program will invite five Caregivers via telephone to participate in a project to improve service delivery for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their county. Which caregivers are invited will be based on the following criteria: (1) their residence in Atlantic County, (2) the family member with intellectual or other developmental disabilities is no longer residing at the home, and (3) the level of participation the Caregiver has with the Family Advocacy Program (i.e. actively involved with Family Advocacy Program sponsored events). 4. The Family Advocacy Program Director will share the first names and contact telephone numbers of the Caregivers with a No Wrong Door NJ team member. 5. All contact concerning this project with Caregivers will be via telephone only. Actual telephone interviews will be scheduled at the convenience of the caregiver and will last no longer than 1.5 hour. The interviewers will be No Wrong Door NJ representatives from The Arc of NJ. They will inform the interviewing Caregiver that the following questions are for the purpose to help improve service delivery from non-disability agencies for individuals that have intellectual or other developmental disabilities. As safety measure, any contact information provided to Caregivers will be that of The Arc of NJ. Calls will be made from The Arc of NJ’s office as a call to or from The Arc would be a familiar number on any caller ID devices, and lastly Caregivers will be asked no questions regarding domestic or sexual violence. Self-Advocates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 1. The Arc of NJ’s regional Self-Advocate Programs will be asked to help recruit self-advocates in Atlantic and Morris County. 2. The Program Coordinators of the Self-Advocate Program will receive a recruitment orientation from No Wrong Door NJ Project. 3. The recruitment orientation will consist of a face-to-face meeting of local county Program Coordinators and statewide team members to review the purpose of the needs assessment and the recruitment strategy including the RSVP process. 4. County level programs will be asked to verbally invite Self-Advocates to participate through their daily interactions with them. A flyer will also be placed in the office of the Self-Advocate Programs. Flyers will be posted in a common area of the organization. The purpose of a flyer is to direct a potential audience member to the proper staff person. Flyers will not be copied or distributed to 19 participants and will avoid language regarding violence. See Appendix V for a sample flyer. 5. All RSVP’s will go to the Program Coordinators of the Self-Advocate Program. 6. When the Program Coordinators gather five to seven names of willing participants, they will contact an identified member of the No Wrong Door NJ state-wide team. 7. If a Self-Advocate would like to participate in the needs assessment but does not feel comfortable doing so in a focus group, a one-on-one interview will be arranged with a No Wrong Door NJ team member. Consumers 1. The staff of The Arc of Atlantic County, the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County and the Mental Health Association of Morris County, identified by Program Directors, will receive a recruitment orientation for the No Wrong Door NJ Project. 2. The recruitment orientation will consist of a face-to-face meeting of local staff and statewide team members to review the purpose of the needs assessment and the recruitment strategy including the RSVP process. 3. County level programs will be asked to verbally invite consumers to participate through their daily interactions with them. 4. All RSVP’s will go to the Program Directors of the county-level disability programs. 5. When the Program Director gathers five to seven names of willing participants, they will contact an identified member of the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team. 6. If a consumer with a disability would like to participate in the needs assessment but does not feel comfortable doing so in a focus group, a one-on-one interview will be arranged with a No Wrong Door NJ team member. Mental Health Consumers-at-Large 1. The mental health Self-Help Centers of Atlantic and Morris County will assist the No Wrong Door NJ project in the recruitment of consumers with mental illness who are not receiving services from a county Mental Health Association affiliate. 2. Flyers will be placed in the Atlantic and Morris County self help centers. Flyers will be posted in a common area of the organization. The purpose of a flyer is to direct a potential audience member to the proper staff person. Flyers will not be copied or distributed to participants and will avoid language regarding violence. See Appendix V for a sample flyer. 3. Self-Help center members willing to participate will be asked to RSVP to the Self- Help Center Manager. 4. When the Manager collects eight to ten names of willing participants, they will contact an identified member of the No Wrong Door NJ statewide team. 20 5. If a Self-Help Center member would like to participate in the needs assessment but does not feel comfortable doing so in a focus group, a one-on-one interview will be arranged with a No Wrong Door NJ team member. Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence 1. Flyers will be placed in the emergency shelters, transitional housing and outreach offices of the Atlantic County Women’s Center and the Jersey Battered Women’s Service to recruit survivors of domestic violence. Flyers will also be placed in the outreach offices of the Atlantic County Women’s Center Sexual Violence Program and the Morris County Sexual Assault Center to recruit survivors of sexual violence. Flyers will be posted in a common area of the organization. The purpose of a flyer is to invite survivors to participate in a focus group regarding improved services in their county. Flyers will not be copied or distributed to participants and will avoid language regarding violence. See Appendix V for a sample flyer. 2. For safety considerations, survivors interested in participating will be asked to RSVP to the No Wrong Door NJ Project Coordinator. 3. If a survivor would like to participate but does not feel comfortable doing so in a focus group, a one-on-one interview will be arranged with a No Wrong Door NJ team member. Safety and Accessibility Considerations Safety of participants was the top priority in designing No Wrong Door NJ’s Needs Assessment. A number of factors were taken into account when considering participants’ physical and emotional well-being; including: • The questions in the tools are designed to minimize disclosure. To ensure safety of consumers with disabilities, survivors of domestic and sexual violence and staff questions in the tools avoid mentioning people’s personal experiences with violence. Questions are focused on people's experience with receiving or providing service provision. • Focus groups will be conducted by a facilitator, note taker and floater. The purpose of having a floater is to attend to the needs of participants if an issue being discussed creates an uncomfortable feeling and they wish to leave the focus group. • During Check-In participants will be given NJ Mental Health Cares referral cards and be informed that they may call the toll free number 24 hours a day if they are in need of a referral. The NJ Mental Health Cares help line is a program of the Mental Health Association in NJ. Staff of the help line will be made aware of potential calls from people looking for services. The collaboration felt that it would be safer to distribute the NJ Mental Health Cares cards because they are a 21 general information and referral help line and do not indicate anything regarding sexual or domestic violence. • The collaboration will provide an opt-out option with opportunity for a private interview for anyone who wishes to participant but feels uncomfortable in a focus group setting. • The Arc of Atlantic County staff will be asked not to recruit consumers under the supervision of full guardianship as it poses a safety risk to those consumers. New Jersey state law would require full disclosure of the No Wrong Door NJ project to guardians. Disclosure of the project’s purpose, vision and mission to potential abusers does not equate with the project’s emphasis on safety. Designing an inclusive needs assessment was also very important. A number of steps have been taken to assure participation that is accessible; including: • To accommodate consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and consumers with mental illness all of the questions in the tools are designed to be as clear and concise as possible. Staff from the Arc of New Jersey and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, who have expertise in user-friendly language, reviewed all questions for their clarity and their level of concreteness. • The state wide team members from the Mental Health Association will be in contact with the NJ Mental Health Cares staff to ensure that all referrals are given to accessible resources. • During the RSVP process, participants will be asked a series of questions regarding possible accommodations needed. • All focus groups will be held in wheelchair accessible locations located on bus route or within the parameters for Access Link, New Jersey Transit’s Para transit service. • In order to provide equal access for participation, consumer focus groups will be limited to seven participants. • To accommodate participants with mental illness, spaces for focus groups will be well-lit spaces and water will be provided to participants. • To ensure equal communication access, certified American Sign Language interpreters will be available upon request. • No Wrong Door NJ will provide material in Arial -14 font and alternative formats upon request. The Arc of NJ will be responsible for all accommodation requests. 22 Confidentiality Plan No Wrong Door NJ is committed to the confidentiality of all parties participating in the needs assessment. A number of steps will be taken to ensure the privacy of the participants: • During the recruitment phase only first names will be recorded for the RSVP Form (Appendix S). At no other time in the Needs Assessment will any other identifying information be recorded by the project team or pilot sites. • During the focus groups, participants will not be identified by name. • Participants will be given a copy of No Wrong Door NJ Confidentiality Statement (Appendix U) during focus group check-in. Focus Group facilitators will review the statement with the group prior to beginning the session. • Following the focus groups, RSVP forms will be shredded and disposed of immediately. All data collected will contain no identifying information. • Data collected will be stored in a locked cabinet in the office of the No Wrong Door NJ Project Coordinator. Data will only be accessible to the statewide project team members and is prohibited from being copied or distributed to other parties. Data from interviews, focus groups and surveys will be complied and computed by a NJCBW intern. The intern will be given data in a locked box and will return data to the No Wrong Door NJ Project Coordinator in the said locked box. • Data from the needs assessment will be stored in a locked cabinet in the office of No Wrong Door NJ’s Project Coordinator for the remainder of the grant cycle. When the grant cycle closes, all data will be shredded and disposed of immediately. • Data in the Needs Assessment report will be separated by Atlantic and Morris counties and by audience category. Data retrieved from focus groups, interviews and surveys will contain no participant names or any other identifying information. • The needs assessment data and subsequent report will contain no individual level of identifying information. The report will contain only aggregate data, qualitative and quantitative information and some participant quotations. When participant quotations are used the “speaker” will remain anonymous and no raw data will be available for public consumption. Prior to their participation, participants will receive full disclosure in writing of how information will be used. The report will be available for any participant who wishes to have a copy and will be sent to the Office of Violence against Women (OVW), Vera Institute, and the partner organizations. Should any participant subsequently seek or receive victim services, information regarding their participation shall remain strictly confidential. 23 • Team members of the No Wrong Door NJ collaboration are mandated reporters under New Jersey Child Abuse laws. If participants share anything regarding abuse or neglect of a child we cannot keep that private and will report any information to the State Central Registry through the Department of Children and Family Services. This information will be communicated to participants during focus group and interview check-in so that participants may make informed decisions about what they choose to disclose. • Arc of NJ and The Arc of Atlantic County are mandated reporters under Danielle’s Law. The law requires staff at a facility for persons with developmental disabilities or a facility for persons with traumatic brain injury, who works directly with person with developmental disabilities or traumatic brain injury, to call the 911 emergency telephone services for assistance in the event of a life threatening emergency at the facility. Consumers of The Arc of Atlantic County will be informed of the mandatory reporting requirement during focus group check-in. • No Wrong Door NJ contacted Disability Rights Network (NJ Protection and Advocacy), the designated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities to determine its responsibility, if any regarding mandatory reporting of domestic or sexual violence to New Jersey Adult Protective Services. It was verified that the team is not required to report any disclosures related to domestic or sexual abuse made during the needs assessment process. Consent Process No Wrong Door New Jersey will use a method of passive consent for conducting focus groups. Consumers with disabilities will be informed during the check-in process and prior to the start of focus groups that they can leave the group at any time for any reason. Survivors, staff and volunteers will be informed by the facilitator prior to a focus group beginning that they may choose not to participate at any time. Choosing to stay in the focus group is equivalent to giving passive consent. The rationale for using passive consent involved safety and accessibility considerations around people with disabilities. Incentives Consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities, consumers with mental illness, mental health consumers at large and survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence will receive a $10.00 Target gift card during the check-in process of the focus groups. Participants will be informed that they will be receiving the gift card whether they choose to stay at the focus group or not. Consumers or survivors who participate in a one-on-one interview will be given the gift card at the time of check-in for the interview. Interviewees will be informed that acceptance of the gift card does not mandate their participation. Transportation vouchers will be provided upon request of consumers or survivors. Refreshments will be provided at all focus groups. 24 Work Plan Task Timeframe Responsible Partner Submit final Needs Assessment Plan to OVW Early April 2009 R. Williams, Project Director Anticipated approval of Needs Assessment Plan Early May 2009 Implement Needs Assessment Early May 2009 – Mid June 2009 Team Compile data from needs assessment and create a report Mid June 2009 – Early July 2009 S. Coracero, Project Coordinator Submit needs assessment report to OVW Early July 2009 R. Williams, Project Director Develop strategic plan Early July – August 2009 Team Submit strategic plan to OVW Late August 2009 R. Williams, Project Director Anticipated approval of Strategic Plan September 2009 Implementation of Strategic Plan Initiatives September 2009 – September 2011 Team 25 Appendix A – Appendix S Tools The following tools include questions for focus groups, interviews and surveys. Appendix A Board of Directors – Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Agencies Interview Questions 1. How knowledgeable is the board about issues involving mental health and developmentally disabled communities, and their accessing of services? 2. How would the board be involved in county level collaboration efforts to improve services for survivors with disabilities? 3. What role does the board of director’s play in identifying gaps in agency policy issues? 4. How does the board make changes to the service delivery systems within your agency? 5. How would the board support changes to agency policy and procedures? 6. How are funding and budgeting priorities determined for your agency? How does the agency decide what funding sources to pursue? 7. Is there anything else you think we should know? 26 Appendix B Board of Directors – Disability Agencies Interview Questions 1. How knowledgeable is the board about issues involving domestic and sexual violence in the disability community? How knowledgeable are they about accessing those services? 2. How would the board be involved in county level collaboration efforts to improve services for consumers who have experienced domestic or sexual violence? 3. What role does the board of director’s play in identifying gaps in agency policy issues? 4. How does the board make changes to the service delivery systems within your agency? 5. How would the board support changes to agency policy and procedures? 6. How are funding and budgeting priorities determined for your agency? How does the agency decide what funding sources to pursue? 7. Is there anything else you think we should know? 27 Appendix C Executive Directors – Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Agencies Interview Questions 1. What are the strengths of your agency’s services when serving women with disabilities? What if any, are the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address the service gaps? What is the process for creating change in your agency? Who influences change? 2. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How are policies and procedures communicated to the staff? How could this be improved? 3. Describe your relationships with other organizations within your county. Are there any ways inter-agency cooperation can be improved? How? Is this true of your agency’s relationship with (insert disability agency in county pilot)? 4. Are your services accessible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and people with mental illness? How does your agency prioritize accessible services? Does your agency have budget line items to support people with disabilities? Are there policies in place to ensure that these line items are included in the budget? 5. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting their work with survivors with disabilities? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development regarding working with consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness who are experiencing domestic violence or sexual violence? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? 6. Is there anything else you think we should know? 28 Appendix D Executive Directors – Disability Agencies Interview Questions 1. What are the strengths of your agency’s services? What if any, are the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address the service gaps? ? What is the process for creating change in your agency? Who influences change? 2. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How are policies and procedures communicated to the staff? How could this be improved? 3. Describe your relationships with other organizations within your county. Are there any ways inter-agency cooperation can be improved? How? Is this true of your agency’s relationship with (insert domestic violence and sexual violence pilot partner agencies)? 4. Is your agency’s environment safe and inviting for consumers? How does your agency prioritize a safe and inviting environment for consumers? Does your agency have budget line items to support consumers who have experienced violence? Are there policies in place to ensure that these line items are included in the budget? 5. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development training regarding working with consumers with who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual violence? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? 6. What type of Is there anything else you think we should know? 29 Appendix E Program Directors - Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Agencies Interview Questions 1. What are the strengths of your agency’s services when serving women with disabilities? What if any, are the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address the service gaps? What is the process for creating change in your agency? Who influences change? 2. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? Is staff aware of these policies and their intent? Are these policies being implemented properly? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How are policies and procedures communicated to the staff? How could this be improved? 3. What are some challenges that staff experience when serving survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? What difficulties do you face as a supervisor in supporting staff? 4. Describe your relationships with other organizations within your county. Are there any ways inter-agency cooperation can be improved? How? 5. What do you consider a welcoming and accessible agency environment for survivors with disabilities? 6. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting their work with survivors with disabilities? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development regarding working with consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness who are experiencing domestic violence or sexual violence? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? What type of training do you think staff need in order to improve services for survivors with disabilities? 7. Is there anything else you think we should know? 30 Appendix F Program Directors - Disability Agencies Interview Questions 1. What are the strengths of your agency’s services when serving women with disabilities? What if any, are the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address the service gaps? What is the process for creating change in your agency? Who influences change? 2. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? Is staff aware of these policies and their intent? Are these policies being implemented properly? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How are policies and procedures communicated to the staff? How could this be improved? 3. What are some challenges that staff experience when serving consumers who have experienced domestic or sexual violence? ? What difficulties do you face as a supervisor in supporting staff? 4. Describe your relationships with other organizations within your county. Are there any ways inter-agency cooperation can be improved? How? 5. What do you consider a safe and inviting agency environment for consumers? 6. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development training regarding working with consumers with who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual violence? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? What type of training and resources do you think the staff need in order to better support consumers who disclose experiences of domestic or sexual violence? 7. Is there anything else you think we should know? 31 Appendix G Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Agency Staff Focus Group Questions 1. Does your agency provide services to people with disabilities? Do you feel prepared to support survivors with disabilities? How does your agency determine if a person has a disability? Does your process include asking survivors if they are in need of an accommodation? What are the range of accommodations that have been requested? Was your agency able to provide those? What accommodations are available to survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and survivors with mental illness and how would you access them? 2. Think about a time when you were supporting a person with a mental illness, what were some of the challenges you experienced when supporting them? What approaches have you used in solving these challenges? How have you been successful? What was missing when you weren’t successful? 3. Think about a time when you were supporting a person with an intellectual and developmental disability, what were some of the challenges you experienced when supporting them? What approaches have you used in solving these challenges? How have you been successful? What was missing when you weren’t successful? 4. Was there a time that you had to turn away a survivor with an intellectual and developmental disability or a survivor with mental illness? If so, what happened in that situation? 5. Think about a time you were answering the hot line, if I was a person with intellectual and developmental disability and/or mental illness and I called your hotline, how would you help me? Would the response be different for someone who did not have an intellectual and developmental disability and/or mental illness? 5a. Would the help be different on the hotline versus in-person service provision? If so, how? 6. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? Do you have proper support around implementing these policies and 32 procedures? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How do you learn about policies and procedures? How could this be improved? 7. Does your agency have interactions with disability organizations within your county? If so, describe your interactions with them. Are there any ways interagency cooperation can be improved? How? Are you aware of a relationship between your agency and The Arc? The Mental Health Association? 8. What do you consider a safe and inviting agency environment for survivors? 9. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting your work with survivors with disabilities? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development regarding working with survivors with intellectual and developmental and/or survivors with mental illness? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? Have you attended them? If not, what prevented you from attending them? As a result of such training do you feel comfortable working with women with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? If not, what else would you like to learn? What kinds of trainings would be helpful? 10. Is there anything else you think we should know? 33 Appendix H Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Agency Staff Survey This survey is intended to gather information about how your agency is currently providing services to survivors with mental illness and/or developmental/intellectual disabilities. If you would prefer to address this issue as part of a focus group rather than complete this survey, please see your supervisor for times and dates of available groups. 1. Have you ever suspected that you are working with a survivor who may have an intellectual and/or developmental disability? NYes NNo 1a. If you answered yes, how often would you say this has happened within the past year? N 1-5 times N 6-10 times N 11-15 N more than 15 times 2. Have you ever suspected that you are working with a survivor who may have a mental illness? N Yes N No 2a. If you answered yes, how often would you say this has happened within the past year? N 1-5 times N 6-10 times N 11-15 N more than 15 times 3. How does your agency identify survivors who may have intellectual/ developmental disabilities or mental illness? Check all that apply: N Questions on the agency intake form N Self-disclosure by survivors N Disclosure by a friend or family member of survivor N A decision made by staff based on survivor behavior N Screening skills learned in intellectual/ developmental disabilities or mental illness training 34 N Other – Comment Box 4. What resources are available to you when you are working with a survivor who may have an intellectual or developmental disability or a mental illness? Check all that apply. N An agency policy on working with a survivor with either disability N An agency procedure or protocol for working with a survivor with either disability N The experience gained from previous work or training related to either disability N A resource list of agencies who provide services to survivors with either disability N The on-call supervisor N Other - Comment box 5. Please rank the list of available resources when working with a survivor who has a disability in order from 1 to 5; the most used would be ranked as 1 and the least often used would be ranked as 5: __ An agency policy on working with a survivor with either disability __ An agency procedure or protocol for working with a survivor with either disability __ The experience gained from previous work or training related to either disability __ A resource list of agencies who provide services to survivors with either disability __ The on-call supervisor __ Other - Comment box 6. If you were placed in a situation where you needed to provide rapid assistance to a survivor with an intellectual and developmental disability and/or a survivor with mental illness, would you feel you have enough knowledge and training to provide adequate supports? N Yes N No 35 7. If no, what do you think you need in order to be more effective when providing services to survivors with disabilities? Check all that apply: N Training in resources and guidelines N Re-evaluation of current agency policies/ procedures N Increase in response time to emergences by on-call supervisor or agency N Other-Comment Box 8. If offered training, which would you find more informative for assisting survivors with disabilities? Please rank the list of potential trainings in order from 1 to 5; the most wanted would be ranked as 1 and the least desired would be ranked as 5: __ Training review on your agency’s policies/ procedures/ protocol when working with survivors with disabilities __ Training on accessible safety planning __ Informational trainings and resources on the developmental disabilities __ Informational trainings and resources on mental illness __ Training on how to advocate and navigate disability services __ Training on New Jersey’s Mandatory reporting requirements 9. What do you believe are some aspects of a welcoming and accessible environment? Check all that apply: N The space functions in a way that benefits all that use the services N Users of services are treated with respect and dignity by all N There is an assurance of confidentiality N Racial and ethnic diversity are represented in staff and in the overall environment N Other – Comment Box 10. Is there anything else you think we need to know? Comment Box 36 Appendix I Disability Agency Staff Focus Group Questions 1. Have you ever suspected that you were working with someone who may have experienced domestic or sexual violence? How does your agency help you identify consumers who have experienced domestic or sexual violence? How do you respond to consumers disclosing experiences of violence? Tell me about the procedures that are in place. 2. Tell us about a time when you were working with a person who you suspected had experienced domestic violence or sexual violence. What went well in that situation? What were the challenges? 3. What challenges, if any do you face in serving consumers who may be experiencing domestic violence or sexual violence? What can be done to remove those challenges? 4. Was there a time that you had to turn away a person who had experienced domestic or sexual violence? If so, what happened in that situation? 5. Does your agency have policies and procedures to support consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you provide some examples of these policies and procedures? Are these written or unwritten policies? Do you have proper support around implementing these policies and procedures? What policies could be improved and/or added? What procedures? How do you learn about policies and procedures? What, if anything could be improved? 6. What are the strengths of your agency’s services related to serving consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? What if any, are the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address the service gaps? What is the process for creating change in your agency? Who influences change? 7. Describe what you consider a safe and inviting agency environment for consumers? 8. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development training regarding working with consumers with who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual violence? What type of these trainings does your agency 37 offer and how often are they offered? Have you attended them? If not, what prevented you from attending them? As a result of such training do you feel comfortable working with consumers who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence? If not, what else would you like to learn? What kinds of trainings would be helpful? 9. Describe your relationships with domestic violence and sexual violence organizations within your county. Are you aware of a relationship between your agency and The Atlantic County Women’s Center/Jersey Battered Women’s Services or Morristown Memorial Hospital Sexual Assault Center? Are there any ways these inter-agency relationships can be improved? Give us some examples. 10. Is there anything else you think we should know? 38 Appendix J Disability Agency Staff Survey This survey is intended to gather information about how your agency is currently providing services to consumers who may have experienced domestic or sexual violence. If you would prefer to address this issue as part of a focus group rather than complete this survey, please see your supervisor for times and dates of the available groups. 1. When working night shifts, do you receive calls requesting assistance and/or referral information for services? N Yes N No 1a. If yes, what type of request would you typically hear? Check all that apply. N Contact numbers for shelters for victims of violence N Contact information for other advocacy agencies N Questions about and request for assistance in getting other non-disability services N Emergency calls concerning someone’s safety N Other-Comment Box 1b. If you answered yes on question 1, how often would you say this has happened within the past year? N 1-5 times N 6-10 times N 11-15 N More than 15 times 2. Have you ever suspected that you were providing services to a consumer who may have experienced domestic or sexual violence? N Yes N No 2a. If you answered yes, how often would you say this has happened within the past year? N1-5 times N 6-10 times N 11-15 N More than 15 times 39 3. How have you identified consumers who may have experienced domestic violence or sexual violence? Check all that apply. N Questions on intake form N Self-disclosure by consumers N Disclosure by friend or family member of consumers N Decision made by staff based on consumer’s behavior N Other – Comment Box 4. Have you ever had to provide assistance to a consumer who may have experienced domestic or sexual violence during a night shift? N Yes N No 4a. If you answered yes, how often would you say this has happened within the past year? N 1-5 times N 6-10 times N 11-15 N More than 15 times 5. What resources are available to you when you are working with a person who has intellectual or developmental disability who has experienced sexual or domestic violence? Please rank the list of available resources in order from 1 to 5; the most used would be ranked as 1 and the least often used would be ranked as 5: __ An agency policy on working with survivors who have a disability __ An agency procedure or protocol for working with a survivor with a disability __ The experience gained from previous work or training related to a disability __ A resource list of agencies who provide services to survivors with a disability __ The on-call supervisor __ Other--comment box 6. If you were placed in a situation where you needed to provide rapid assistance to consumers who are sexual and/or domestic violence survivors, would you feel you have enough knowledge and training to provide adequate supports? N Yes N No 40 7. If no, what do you think you need in order to be more effective when providing services to consumers who experience domestic violence or sexual violence? Check all that apply: N Training in resources and guidelines N Re-evaluation of current agency policies/ procedures N Increase in response time to emergences by on-call supervisor or agency N Other-Comment Box 8. If offered training, which would you find more informative for assisting consumers who have experienced sexual and/or domestic violence? Please rank the list of potential trainings in order from 1 to 5; the most wanted would be ranked as 1 and the least desired would be ranked as 5: __ Training review on your agency’s policies/ procedures/ protocol when working with consumers who are sexual and domestic violence survivors __ Training on safety planning for consumers __ Informational trainings and resources on domestic and sexual violence affecting the developmental disability community __ Training on how to advocate and navigate services __ Training on New Jersey’s Mandatory reporting requirements 9. What do you believe are some aspects of a safe and inviting environment? Please rank the list of criteria below from 1 to 5; the most highly valued would be ranked as 1 and the least valued would be ranked as 5: __ Perpetrators of violence held accountable __ Easily accessible staff and resources for consumers __ Assurance of confidentiality __ Racial and cultural diversity represented __ Users of service treated with respect and dignity __ Other – Comment Box 10. Is there anything else you think we need to know? Comment Box 41 Appendix K SANE Interview Questions 1. Have you ever served a person with an intellectual or developmental disability and/or mental illness? What made you aware that the person had a disability? Do you have a procedure for determining disability? 2. Does your process include asking survivors if they are in need of an accommodation? What accommodations are available and how would you access them? What accommodations are available for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or individuals with mental illness? 3. Does the SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) protocol differ when working with a survivor with an intellectual or developmental disability and/or mental illness? How? How would you proceed from there in service provision as a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)? 4. Think back to a time when you were assisting a survivor who had an intellectual and developmental disability, what were some of the challenges you have experienced? What approaches did you use in solving these challenges? How have you been successful? What was missing when you weren’t successful? 5. Think back to a time when you were assisting a survivor who had a mental illness, what were some of the challenges you experienced? What approaches did you use in solving these challenges? How have you been successful? What was missing when you weren’t successful? 6. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting your work with survivors with disabilities? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development regarding working with survivors with intellectual and developmental and/or survivors with mental illness? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? Have you attended them? If not, what prevented you from attending them? As a result of such training do you feel comfortable working with women with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? If not, what else would you like to learn? What kinds of trainings would be helpful? 7. Is there anything else you think we should know? 42 Appendix L Volunteer Focus Group Questions 1. Have you ever worked with a survivor who you thought had a mental illness or intellectual or developmental disability? What policies and procedures did your agency have to help you support those survivors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? What policies could be improved? What procedures? 2. Does your process include asking survivors if they are in need of an accommodation? What accommodations are available and how would you access them? What accommodations are available for individuals with intellectual or developmental disability and/or mental illness? 3. Think about a time when you worked with a survivor with a disability. What went well in that situation? What didn’t go well? What were the gaps in services? What changes would be needed to address those service gaps? 4. If you had challenges with a client who had an intellectual and developmental disability and/or mental illness where would you seek support or information? 5. If I was a person with an intellectual and developmental disability and/or mental illness and I called your hotline, how would you help me? Would it be different for someone who did not have an intellectual and developmental disability and/or mental illness? Would the help be different on the hotline versus in-person service provision? How about within the SART (Sexual Assault Response Team)? 6. When you have needed help from other organizations in your county, how easy was it to find other resources? How comfortable was it to work with those other 43 agencies? Have you utilized the resources of The Arc in your county? The Mental Health Association? 7. Does your agency offer resources to staff in terms of supporting your work with survivors with disabilities? Can you give some examples of these resources? Does your agency offer professional development regarding working with survivors with intellectual and developmental and/or survivors with mental illness? What type of these trainings does your agency offer and how often are they offered? Have you attended them? If not, what prevented you from attending them? As a result of such training do you feel comfortable working with women with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or mental illness? If not, what else would you like to learn? What kinds of trainings would be helpful? 8. Is there anything else you think we should know? 44 Appendix M Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Interview Questions 1. We understand that you act as the main advocates for people in your family with intellectual and developmental disabilities and we would like to get a better understanding of challenges you may have when seeking resources. Where do you go to get information about services that are available to support the person you care for? Whom do you ask? What kind of information are you looking for? 2. What challenges do you face when trying to get services for the person you are providing care giving services for? How do you overcome these challenges? 3. What would make it easier for the person you are caring for to advocate for their own services? How would a non-disability service provider best help a person with an intellectual and developmental disability? 4. What do people need to know about intellectual and developmental disability to best help the person you are providing care giving for? 5. Is there anything else you think we should know? 45 Appendix N Self-Advocates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Focus Group Questions 1. When you need services or you are helping someone else get services, how do you find out where to go for the services that you need? Who is the first person you go to for help with a problem? Why? 2. When you go to other organizations for help, what do you think those organizations need to know about intellectual and developmental disability? When you ask for help, how do you want to be treated? 3. Think of a time when you felt empowered and able to make a decision for yourself about things that affected your life. What was happening that helped you feel that way? If you were working with someone, what did they do to help you feel that way? 4. Think of times when you have tried to get services from an organization that helps people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Tell us about a time you were able to get the help you needed? What did they do to be helpful? Tell us about a time you were unable to get services. Why not? 5. As advocates in your county, what is the most important issue for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in your (Atlantic – Morris) county? 46 Appendix O Consumers Focus Group Questions 1. Think of a time when you have tried to get services from a mental health organization/ an organization that helps people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Were you able to get the help that you needed? Why or why not? 2. When you were able to get help, what about the organization made it easy for you get help? 3. When you go to other places for help, what do you think those places should know about you? What do you think those other places should know about intellectual and developmental disability or mental illness to best help you? What do you expect from a service provider? How do you want to be treated when you ask for help? 4. When you’ve gone to agencies for help, how did you find out about those organizations? Who is the first person you go to for help with a problem? Why? 5. Think of a time when you felt like you had control over getting help. What made you feel that way? 6. Is there anything else you think we should know? 47 Appendix P Mental Health Consumers-at-Large Focus Group Questions 1. Let’s talk about when you are looking for services. Where do you get information about finding services that you need? Who is the first person/agency or organization you go to for help with a problem? Why? 2. When you contact an agency for assistance, how do you know that the agency is committed to serving you? What would agency staff need to say? To do? What shouldn’t they do? 3. Think about a time you needed to disclose your mental illness to a non-mental health agency, what was challenging about that experience? What can service providers do to make it more comfortable? What do people need to know about people with mental illness to best help you? How do you want to be treated when you ask for help? 4. Think about a time when you had difficulty getting non-mental health services. What challenges did you face when trying to get services? How did you overcome these obstacles? Sometimes an agency cannot provide all of the services an individual might need, tell us about your experiences when an agency has referred you to another service? How can this process be improved? 5. Is there anything else you think we should know? 48 Appendix Q Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Focus Group Questions 1. Often an agency cannot provide all the services an individual might need. Did this ever happen to you? Can you describe what happened? How does it feel when an agency needs to refer you to another service provider? How can this process be improved? 2. Thinking as someone who has experienced sexual/ domestic violence, think of a time when you sought help from an agency that doesn’t focus on domestic / sexual violence. When you sought help from them, did you tell them about your experience of violence? Why/ why not? What did they do to make you feel comfortable telling them? What could they have done to make you feel more comfortable? 3. Think of a time when you were looking for help outside of a domestic or sexual violence agency. When you first approached the agency what were you glad they did? What did you wish they didn’t do? What should that agency have known about domestic/ sexual violence to better help you? What did that agency actually know about domestic/ sexual violence that made the experience better for you? 4. If you contacted an agency seeking assistance, how would you know that the agency was committed to assisting you? 5. Is there anything else you think we should know? 49 Appendix R Script for Pilot Site Staff Recruiters This script, created by the No Wrong Door NJ collaboration statewide team, will be used by the staff of the pilot sites when recruiting consumers, self-advocates and survivors for focus groups and caregivers for interviews. The script is designed to be clear and concise for both the recruiters and the people they are inviting to join focus groups and interviews. Recruiters will use the script to inform people about the project and refer them to the staff responsible for collecting RSVPs. The staff responsible for RSVP’s will follow the RSVP form (Appendix S) when collecting data from potential participants. For the safety of all participants in the needs assessment, recruiters will make no mention of domestic or sexual violence in the recruitment process. The Atlantic County Women’s Center and the Morris County Sexual Assault Center will recruit survivors of sexual violence. The Arc of Atlantic County will recruit consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of NJ’s Family Advocacy Program will recruit caregivers for interviews. The Arc of NJ’s Self-Advocate Program Coordinators will recruit self-advocates with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County and the Mental Health Association of Morris County will recruit consumers with mental illness. The Self-Help centers of Atlantic and Morris County will recruit mental health consumers at large. No Wrong Door New Jersey team members will review this script with staff of the pilot sites during their recruitment orientation (see page 13 for more details on recruitment orientation). Script for staff recruiting consumers, self-advocates and survivors: Hello (consumer/survivor name). If you have a minute, I'd like to tell you about a project (agency name) is working on. We are involved in a project to improve services for people living in (Atlantic/Morris) County. We feel that you would have something important to say about services in your county. We'd like to invite you to join a focus group to give your input on your experiences with receiving services. The focus group will be a 2 hour discussion with people like you that have used (agency name)’s services. All the information that you share will remain confidential and no personal information will be collected from you. Everyone who comes to a group will receive a $10 gift card from Target. If you are interested you can see (RSVP contact) for more information and to sign up. 50 Script for staff recruiting caregivers: Hello (caregiver name). If you have a minute, I'd like to tell you about a project that the Family Advocacy Program is working on. We are involved in a project to improve services for people living in Atlantic County. We feel that you would have something important to say about services in your county. We'd like to invite you to participate in an interview to give your input on your experiences with services for your family member with a developmental disability. The interview will not be longer than 1 ˝ hour and will be conducted over the telephone. All the information that you share will remain confidential and no personal information will be collected from you. If you are interested please let me know and a staff member from The Arc of NJ will call you to set up an appointment. 51 Appendix S Focus Group RSVP Form Participant Name: __________________________________ Focus Group Choice: Date 1________________________ Date 2________________________ Interview Choice: Date 1________________________ Date 2________________________ Reasonable Accommodations: Check all that apply. Q Transportation Reimbursement N NJ Transit Pass N Access Link Pass N Mileage Reimbursement QInterpreter N ASL Certified Interpreter 52 Q Alternative Format N Large Print N Braille N Audio Cassette Q Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Do you currently use PCA's? N Yes N No Will they attend with you? N Yes N No Would you prefer an alternate PCA? N Yes N No Q Dietary concerns for snacks. Please specify: _____________________________ Q Other allergies. Please specify: _____________________________ Q Service animal: N Yes, I will be attending with a service animal. Q Other. Please specify: ___________________________________ RSVP TAKEN BY: ________________ ____________________ Staff Name Organization Name 53 Appendix T Focus Group and Interview Check-in Procedure Facilitator, recorder and floater will assist with participant check-in. Q Welcome and thank participant Q Distribute incentive to participant – Explain that they may keep gift card whether they participate or not. Q Confirm requested accommodations Q Explain who No Wrong Door NJ is S No Wrong Door NJ is a collaboration of four statewide agencies dedicated to improving services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence with disabilities. S We do not work for or supervise local programs. We will not share your information with them. The local programs will get a copy of a report at the end of the needs assessment; the report will include no identifying information. S We are mandated reporters for child abuse and neglect. S For focus groups of Arc consumers only – If you require medical attention during the focus group we are mandated under Danielle’s Law to report it to the local Arc program. Q Explain confidentiality and its limits SThe No Wrong Door NJ team will do everything possible to keep your information private. S We ask everyone to keep today’s discussion private. S We cannot guarantee everyone will keep what is said here private. 54 S If you are worried about sharing something that may put you in danger you can either speak with the No Wrong Door NJ team privately or you can decide not to share. S Hand confidentiality statement. Q Review questions with consumer/survivor S We are trying to improve services for people with disabilities who have experienced domestic or sexual violence. If something said today brings up uncomfortable feelings or you feel unsafe, we will have someone here during the meeting that you can speak with privately if you need to. You have the right to leave the group at any time if you feel uncomfortable. S Hand the consumer/survivor a card from Mental Health Cares in case they need to speak with someone after they leave today. Q Thank the consumer/survivor again for participating and give them a time estimate on when the group will start 55 Appendix U Focus Group Confidentiality Statement No Wrong Door New Jersey’s needs assessment focus groups will operate under the following confidentiality principals: 1. We will do everything possible keep your information private. Any information you share will be kept in a locked cabinet and destroyed when the project is completed. Reports produced from the needs assessment will contain no identifying information. 2. In order to protect people’s privacy please refrain from using people’s names in the focus group. 3. We are mandated reporters under New Jersey Child Abuse laws. If you share anything regarding abuse or neglect of a child we cannot keep that private and will report any information to the State Central Registry through the Department of Children and Family Services. 4. We cannot guarantee confidentiality among participants but we request that everyone respect each other’s privacy. Please keep the conversations discussed today confidential and do not share information you heard with people outside the group. 5. If you are not comfortable sharing your story with the group please remember that we will have a floater available to speak with privately. All matters discussed privately with a No Wrong Door NJ Team Member will be kept private. We are mandated reporters under New Jersey Child Abuse laws. See number two for more information. 6. All information shared will be used to improve services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence with disabilities. 56 Appendix V Sample Flyers The attached pages (57-60) are sample recruitment flyers for Self-Advocates, Volunteers, Survivors and Mental Health Consumers-at-large. 57 58 59 60