The Oregon State Victim Assistance Basic Academy (Basic Academy) provides fundamental education for victim service providers and allied professionals who routinely interact with victims of crime. The Basic Academy will require online distance learning on select dates in January and February, in addition to in-person learning from February 12-15, 2018.

The Basic Academy is designed for advocates who are new to victim services. The curriculum includes sessions that cover the core competencies of victim advocacy taught by local advocacy experts.

The Basic Academy is committed to graduating advocates who possess the core competencies necessary to compassionately, knowledgeably, collaboratively, and sustainably support survivor agency with cultural humility in the aftermath of a crime.

Topics May Include: Justice System Overview; Ethics; Confidentiality; Crime Victims’ Rights; Effective Communication; Crisis Intervention; Intimate Partner Violence; Vicarious Trauma, Resiliency and Self-Care; Neurobiology of Trauma; and Financial Recovery.

Target Audience: This training is designed for Oregon advocates new to victim services who are working in system-based and community-based agencies. Allied professionals working with crime victims (e.g. mental health counselors, crisis response workers) will be enrolled as space allows. Registration priority is given to Oregon participants; out-of-state participants will be enrolled as space allows.

Learner and Academy Obligations and Commitments

The Basic Academy is a place for learning the fundamentals of effective victim advocacy and for building a sustainable, collaborative community dedicated to serving and empowering victims. Success in this endeavor requires commitments from the organizers of the Basic Academy and from each participant.

In addition to participating in the 4-day, in-person Basic Academy and completing the required pre-work, participants must complete four mandatory two-hour pre-Academy distance learning scheduled for Tuesday, January 16, 208, Tuesday, January 23, 2018, Wednesay, January 31, 2018 and Tuesday, February 6, 2018 (flexible times available).

All registrants must review and sign the Agreement found here.

National Advocate Credentialing Available

Successful graduates of the SVAA Basic Academy will be eligible for the National Advocate Credentialing Program Provisional Level credential. For more information about this credential, please visit: http://www.trynova.org/help-crime-victim/nacp/. This training may qualify for CEUs.

CVSD Scholarships for Basic Academy

The Oregon Department of Justice, Crime Victims’ Services Division (CVSD) has limited scholarships (full and partial) for victim service providers to attend the Oregon State Victim Assistance Basic Academy. Scholarship applications are due December 26, 2017. Scholarships may cover the registration fee, lodging and transportation costs. Click here for a scholarship application. For more information, please email Caroline Olfert, CVSD Training and Curriculum Policy Coordinator.