ICDVP Crisis Intervention & Safety Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes 'coercive control' in the context of domestic violence crisis intervention?
- A single incident of severe physical violence
- A pattern of behavior that strips away the victim's liberty and autonomy (Correct answer)
- Mutual conflict between partners of equal power
- Physical restraint used by law enforcement
Correct answer: A pattern of behavior that strips away the victim's liberty and autonomy
Coercive control describes an ongoing pattern of domination that includes isolation, monitoring, degradation, and micromanagement of daily life — not just physical violence.
Question 2: A victim in a rural Illinois county says the nearest shelter is 90 miles away and she has no transportation. An advocate's best immediate response is to:
- Tell her to stay safe until transportation becomes available
- Explore options including remote safety planning, local hotel vouchers, and transportation assistance programs (Correct answer)
- Advise her to go to law enforcement for housing
- Wait for a shelter bed closer to her location to open
Correct answer: Explore options including remote safety planning, local hotel vouchers, and transportation assistance programs
Creative problem-solving that explores all available local and regional options is essential when geographic barriers limit standard shelter access.
Question 3: Which step in safety planning specifically addresses the victim's children's safety at school?
- Identifying a code word with neighbors
- Notifying the school of custody orders and who is not permitted to pick up the children (Correct answer)
- Enrolling the children in after-school programs
- Requesting a home-school arrangement temporarily
Correct answer: Notifying the school of custody orders and who is not permitted to pick up the children
Informing school staff and providing documentation of custody orders ensures children are not removed from school by an abusive parent without authorization.
Question 4: In trauma-informed crisis intervention, an advocate recognizes that a victim's 'irrational' or inconsistent behavior is most likely:
- Evidence that the victim is fabricating the abuse
- A predictable response to the neurological and psychological impact of ongoing trauma (Correct answer)
- A sign of substance abuse complicating the situation
- Manipulation to gain sympathy from the advocate
Correct answer: A predictable response to the neurological and psychological impact of ongoing trauma
Trauma profoundly affects memory, decision-making, and behavior, and trauma-informed practice requires understanding these responses as normal reactions to abnormal situations.
Question 5: A victim tells her advocate she has decided to return to the abuser. The advocate should:
- Threaten to close her case if she returns
- Acknowledge her decision without judgment and review safety strategies she can use if she stays (Correct answer)
- Inform her abuser that she is returning as a safety measure
- Document that services were refused and take no further action
Correct answer: Acknowledge her decision without judgment and review safety strategies she can use if she stays
Non-judgmental support that keeps the door open and provides harm-reduction information keeps the victim connected to services and increases future safety.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a 'code word' strategy in domestic violence safety planning?
- A legal term used in protection order hearings
- A pre-arranged word the victim uses with a trusted person to signal she needs help without alerting the abuser (Correct answer)
- A password for accessing a confidential shelter database
- A phrase used between advocates to discuss a case discreetly
Correct answer: A pre-arranged word the victim uses with a trusted person to signal she needs help without alerting the abuser
A code word agreed upon with a trusted contact allows the victim to signal for help covertly when the abuser is present and direct communication is unsafe.
Question 7: Which approach is most effective when conducting a safety plan with a victim who has a disability that limits her mobility?
- Use a standard safety plan template without modification
- Collaborate with the victim to identify disability-specific resources and adapt the plan to her actual capabilities (Correct answer)
- Refer her exclusively to disability services rather than domestic violence services
- Focus only on shelter options that are fully accessible
Correct answer: Collaborate with the victim to identify disability-specific resources and adapt the plan to her actual capabilities
Effective safety planning for victims with disabilities requires individualized adaptation that accounts for mobility, communication, attendant care, and accessible resources.
ICDVP Crisis Intervention & Safety Planning 5
Which of the following best describes 'coercive control' in the context of domestic violence crisis intervention?