ICDVP Crisis Intervention & Safety Planning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A victim with children asks what items to include in an emergency go-bag. Which item is MOST critical to include?
- Children's favorite toys
- Identification documents for herself and her children (Correct answer)
- Extra clothing for two weeks
- A letter explaining why she is leaving
Correct answer: Identification documents for herself and her children
Identification documents (birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports) are essential to access housing, employment, banking, and legal services after leaving.
Question 2: The Illinois Domestic Violence Act (IDVA) requires law enforcement responding to a domestic violence call to:
- Arrest both parties to ensure safety
- Provide victims with written information about available services (Correct answer)
- Remove the victim from the home
- Conduct a mental health evaluation of the abuser
Correct answer: Provide victims with written information about available services
Under the IDVA, officers must provide victims with written notice of their rights and available domestic violence resources at the scene.
Question 3: Which approach to crisis intervention is most consistent with trauma-informed, survivor-centered practice?
- Telling the victim what steps she must take to be safe
- Following the victim's lead and supporting her self-identified needs (Correct answer)
- Requiring the victim to sign a safety plan before receiving services
- Prioritizing the safety plan over the victim's expressed wishes
Correct answer: Following the victim's lead and supporting her self-identified needs
Survivor-centered practice honors the victim's autonomy and expertise about her own situation, increasing engagement and effectiveness.
Question 4: Which of the following is a protective factor that advocates should reinforce during safety planning?
- Victim's willingness to confront the abuser directly
- Victim's support network of trusted friends or family (Correct answer)
- Abuser's promise to change behavior
- Couple's enrollment in joint counseling
Correct answer: Victim's support network of trusted friends or family
A strong social support network is a well-documented protective factor that increases a victim's resilience and access to resources.
Question 5: What does 'technology safety planning' address in the context of domestic violence?
- Teaching victims to use security camera systems
- Helping victims protect their digital privacy from monitoring abusers (Correct answer)
- Training advocates to use case management software
- Installing safety apps on shelter computers
Correct answer: Helping victims protect their digital privacy from monitoring abusers
Abusers often use spyware, GPS trackers, and shared accounts to monitor victims, so technology safety planning addresses these specific digital threats.
Question 6: When conducting a lethality screen and a victim scores high risk, an advocate's immediate next step should be to:
- Contact the abuser to warn him of consequences
- Connect the victim with emergency shelter and law enforcement resources (Correct answer)
- Advise the victim to confront the abuser with the results
- Complete paperwork before taking any action
Correct answer: Connect the victim with emergency shelter and law enforcement resources
A high lethality score requires an immediate, action-oriented response that connects the victim with safety resources before the session ends.
Question 7: A victim reveals she is undocumented and fears deportation if she calls police. An advocate's best response is to:
- Advise her to avoid all contact with law enforcement or social services
- Explain her legal protections under VAWA and connect her with immigration legal services (Correct answer)
- Tell her deportation risk is minimal and encourage her to call 911
- Refer her only to a Spanish-language hotline
Correct answer: Explain her legal protections under VAWA and connect her with immigration legal services
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides specific immigration protections for undocumented victims, and connecting them with informed legal services is essential.
ICDVP Crisis Intervention & Safety Planning 3
A victim with children asks what items to include in an emergency go-bag.
Which item is MOST critical to include?