Development of a tool to assess client-centered practice on a domestic violence hotline

Abstract

Client-centered practice, also termed survivor-centered practice in the context of domestic violence, has broad support as a set of strategies for working effectively with trauma survivors. However, research, evaluation and staff training are limited by a lack of measurement tools. This paper describes the process of developing an index of hotline caller reactions to practitioners' client-centered practices. Findings: The project was a collaborative effort between academic researchers and practitioners working in a community agency. To generate and refine the items, researchers consulted the scholarly literature and agency materials, had discussions with practitioners, and coded a group of 25 recorded calls to the agency's hotline. The resulting tool separates two phases of the hotline calls and identifies 23 client reactions to advocate behaviors that indicate the client-centeredness of the interaction. Application: The collaborative nature of the process ensured that the final product included multiple vantage points on client-centered practice. The tool developed in this study, the Client-Centered Hotline Assessment Tool (C-CHAT), may be used for research, evaluation, and training. Future research could explore the generalizability and, consequently, predictive utility of the tool in outcomes of interest to practitioners. In evaluation, the tool allows agencies, in assessing client experience, to go beyond client self-report of general satisfaction, and to improve services in response. Finally, in training, the tool allows supervisors to assess the level of fidelity to the client-centered

The 988 suicide hotline—Lifeline or letdown? A pre-post policy analysis

“…For example, Veteran or active military callers can dial 988 then press 1, which connects them to the Veteran Crisis Line, and American Indian and Alaska Native Communities can dial 988 then press 4 to be connected to the Native and Strong Lifeline. Thus, future research can look to other crisis lines such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline and offshoots of 988 such as the Veteran Crisis Line and the Native and Strong Lifeline to understand the hurdles implementers and policymakers have considered in addressing specific populations ( 66 ).…”

The United Nations Victim Approach Revisited: A Review of the Literature on Sexual Assault and Gender-Based Violence Hotlines

“…Telephone and digital hotline services are programs directed at providing voluntary interventions to primary and secondary VOV, such as family members or friends within their community or region. These services play a key role in how VOV interact with the criminal justice system because they are often the first communication that VOV have with the system, and they sometimes constitute the only interaction a VOV has with the criminal justice system (Grossmann et al, 2019, p. 115). Research shows that intimate partner violence survivors reporting self-harm behaviors and thoughts, as a result of the violence they endured, usually report their contact with the hotline as the first communication with a mental health institution (Wong et al, 2011, p.536).…”

Creating a Digital Trauma Informed Space: Chat and Text Advocacy for Survivors of Violence

“…Historically, a primary access point for community-based advocacy services and connection to formal support systems for victims of interpersonal violence has been phone hotlines that provide service users with support, empathic connection, and resource referrals (Bennett et al, 2004; Finn & Hughes, 2008; Grossmann et al, 2019). The NNDEV 2019 census reported that agencies answered 19,159 hotline calls over a 24-hour timespan (NNDEV, 2020).…”

“…Service user feedback in previous hotline evaluations has found that service users felt positive about their experiences when they believed advocates listened to them, helped them think more clearly, and provided options for seeking help (Finn & Hughes, 2008; Kalafat et al, 2007). Crisis hotlines work to improve the safety of service users with the understanding that this may be the first, and sometimes only, interaction service users will have with formal support systems (Grossmann et al, 2019).…”

“…Further, they have garnered positive evaluations from service users (Bennett et al, 2004; Cross et al, 2017) who often report using the services more than once. The importance of hotline use among victims of interpersonal violence is twofold in that they offer service users immediate and most times anonymous, crisis intervention services and referrals, as well as open doors to longer-term interventions (Grossmann et al, 2019; Wasco et al, 2004). Service user feedback in previous hotline evaluations has found that service users felt positive about their experiences when they believed advocates listened to them, helped them think more clearly, and provided options for seeking help (Finn & Hughes, 2008; Kalafat et al, 2007).…”