Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT): Evidence-Based Support for Victim Assistance Professionals, Law Enforcement Officers, and Other First Responders

In FY 2013, OVC provided funding to Northeastern University (NEU) for Phase I of a project to support the examination, assessment, identification, and pilot testing of evidence-based policies, practices, procedures and protocols designed to facilitate understanding and address vicarious traumatic stress in victim assistance professionals, law enforcement personnel, and other first responders who are subject to the impact of traumatic stress due to: (1) large-scale incidents of criminal mass violence; or (2) a series of exposures to an accumulation of traumatizing incidents. NEU conducted a nationwide comprehensive assessment of policies, practices, procedures and protocols having evidence of their effectiveness in understanding and addressing trauma; identified existing resources; conducted a gap analysis identifying resources that do not currently exist, and developed an online toolkit for victim services providers, law enforcement, fire services, and EMS to address vicarious trauma. With FY 2015 funding, NEU will: develop a comprehensive dissemination and marketing strategy for promoting the VTT developed under Phase I of this project; deliver technical assistance to jurisdictions throughout the Nation wishing to utilize the VTT to address vicarious trauma within their own agency or jurisdiction; develop a strategy to identify and vet new resources to be added to the VTT to ensure the toolkit's resources are state-of-the-art; and partner with national organizations to develop resources to be added to the toolkit to fill identified gaps.

NC/NCF

The goal of this project is to provide victim assistance professionals, law enforcement personnel, and other first responders (i.e., fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel) with a state-of-the art online vicarious trauma toolkit that can be implemented in jurisdictions throughout the Nation. In Fiscal Years 2013 and 2015 OVC provided funding to Northeastern University (NEU) and its national partners, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Children’s Advocacy Center, and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies to develop and pilot test a Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT).
The purpose of this supplemental funding is to provide continued support to NEU is to implement and disseminate the VTT to the field through targeted marketing efforts, training (e.g., conferences, webinars with stakeholder groups), and intensive technical assistance to jurisdictions throughout the Nation wishing to implement the VTT. NCA/NCF