ICDVP Survivor Support 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A survivor discloses that her partner controls all finances and she has no access to money. Which term describes this form of abuse?
- Emotional abuse
- Economic abuse (Correct answer)
- Coercive control
- Psychological manipulation
Correct answer: Economic abuse
Economic abuse involves controlling a survivor's access to financial resources, which is a distinct and recognized form of domestic violence.
Question 2: When a survivor returns to an abusive partner multiple times, an ICDVP advocate should primarily:
- Encourage the survivor to leave permanently
- Withdraw services until the survivor commits to leaving
- Continue to offer support and resources without judgment (Correct answer)
- Report the situation to child protective services immediately
Correct answer: Continue to offer support and resources without judgment
Advocates must maintain non-judgmental support because leaving is a process, and survivors are most at risk when attempting to leave.
Question 3: Which approach best describes trauma-informed care in a domestic violence advocacy setting?
- Focusing solely on the abusive incidents
- Recognizing how trauma affects behavior and building safety before exploring trauma (Correct answer)
- Requiring survivors to disclose all trauma before receiving services
- Treating all survivors identically regardless of their experiences
Correct answer: Recognizing how trauma affects behavior and building safety before exploring trauma
Trauma-informed care recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and integrates knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices.
Question 4: A survivor with limited English proficiency needs to communicate with law enforcement. The advocate should:
- Ask the survivor's child to interpret
- Use a professional interpreter service or language line (Correct answer)
- Have the abuser translate since he is bilingual
- Speak slowly and use simple English
Correct answer: Use a professional interpreter service or language line
Professional interpreter services protect confidentiality, accuracy, and the survivor's safety — using family members or the abuser as interpreters is inappropriate and dangerous.
Question 5: Under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act (IDVA), which of the following can file for an Order of Protection?
- Only spouses or former spouses
- Any family or household member who has been abused (Correct answer)
- Only individuals who have filed a police report
- Only individuals with children in common
Correct answer: Any family or household member who has been abused
Illinois IDVA broadly defines eligible petitioners as any family or household member, including dating partners and those who share a residence.
Question 6: A survivor says she cannot leave because she fears losing custody of her children. The advocate's best response is to:
- Assure her that courts always side with abuse victims
- Explain that her fear is unfounded
- Provide information about how abuse documentation may support her custody case (Correct answer)
- Advise her to leave the children with the abuser temporarily
Correct answer: Provide information about how abuse documentation may support her custody case
Advocates should validate the survivor's concerns, explain relevant legal options, and connect her with legal resources that can address custody considerations.
Question 7: Which Illinois agency oversees the certification of domestic violence professionals (ICDVP)?
- Illinois Department of Public Health
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) (Correct answer)
- Illinois State Police
Correct answer: Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV)
The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) administers the ICDVP certification program statewide.
ICDVP Survivor Support 2
A survivor discloses that her partner controls all finances and she has no access to money.
Which term describes this form of abuse?