ICDVP Risk Assessment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Technology-facilitated abuse, such as GPS tracking and spyware, is relevant to risk assessment because it:
- Is only relevant if the abuser has technical expertise
- Indicates a high level of monitoring and control that elevates risk, particularly post-separation (Correct answer)
- Is a privacy issue rather than a safety issue
- Only poses danger if the survivor is unaware of the monitoring
Correct answer: Indicates a high level of monitoring and control that elevates risk, particularly post-separation
Technology-facilitated abuse enables the abuser to monitor, control, and locate the survivor, significantly increasing risk especially after separation.
Question 2: A survivor has a protection order against their abuser but reports the abuser has violated it multiple times. What does this indicate in risk assessment?
- The protection order is ineffective and should not factor into safety planning
- Repeated violations indicate high level of disregard for legal consequences and elevated lethality risk (Correct answer)
- Violation history means the case should be closed and transferred to law enforcement only
- Multiple violations suggest the abuser is escalating but the survivor is adequately protected by the courts
Correct answer: Repeated violations indicate high level of disregard for legal consequences and elevated lethality risk
Repeated violation of protective orders indicates the abuser's willingness to ignore legal boundaries, which is a serious lethality indicator.
Question 3: In Illinois, which mandatory reporting obligation applies to domestic violence professionals working with minors who witness domestic violence?
- There is no mandatory reporting obligation for witnessing domestic violence
- Professionals must report child abuse or neglect if children are exposed to conditions that harm their welfare (Correct answer)
- Reporting is only required if the child is directly physically harmed
- Reporting is optional and based solely on professional discretion
Correct answer: Professionals must report child abuse or neglect if children are exposed to conditions that harm their welfare
In Illinois, mandatory reporters must report when children are exposed to conditions that endanger their health or welfare, which can include witnessing domestic violence.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of using a strengths-based approach during risk assessment?
- Focusing only on incidents of violence to establish severity
- Identifying the survivor's coping skills, support network, and past successful safety actions (Correct answer)
- Telling the survivor what steps they must take to be safe
- Prioritizing official records over the survivor's self-report
Correct answer: Identifying the survivor's coping skills, support network, and past successful safety actions
A strengths-based approach recognizes the survivor's existing resources, resilience, and strategies, which are essential inputs to effective safety planning.
Question 5: When risk assessment reveals a survivor is in immediate danger, what is the advocate's priority?
- Filing a police report on behalf of the survivor
- Ensuring the survivor's physical safety and connecting them to emergency resources and shelter (Correct answer)
- Contacting the abuser to warn them of consequences
- Documenting the risk level and scheduling a follow-up appointment
Correct answer: Ensuring the survivor's physical safety and connecting them to emergency resources and shelter
When immediate danger is identified, the advocate's first priority is the survivor's physical safety, which includes accessing emergency shelter, law enforcement, or other crisis resources.
Question 6: Cultural humility in risk assessment requires DV professionals to:
- Apply universal risk standards without modification for cultural context
- Recognize how culture, community norms, and identity shape a survivor's experience and options (Correct answer)
- Defer risk assessment to community leaders from the survivor's background
- Assume that cultural factors reduce the severity of domestic violence
Correct answer: Recognize how culture, community norms, and identity shape a survivor's experience and options
Cultural humility means understanding that cultural, ethnic, and community contexts influence how survivors experience abuse, seek help, and perceive risk.
Question 7: Which statement best describes the role of the survivor in the risk assessment process?
- The advocate determines risk level based on objective criteria, independent of the survivor's input
- The survivor is the expert on their own situation and their assessment of danger should be central to the process (Correct answer)
- Survivor input is secondary to law enforcement records and documentation
- The survivor should be shielded from discussing risk to avoid re-traumatization
Correct answer: The survivor is the expert on their own situation and their assessment of danger should be central to the process
Survivors are the experts on their own safety and lived experience; their assessment of danger is a primary and essential component of any risk evaluation.
ICDVP Risk Assessment 5
Technology-facilitated abuse, such as GPS tracking and spyware, is relevant to risk assessment because it: