February 1, 2024
A Copy of an Email on Behalf of Will Bronson, State Victim Resource Division (SVRD) Division Director
Dear VOCA State Administrator,
In my first message to you since joining OVC, I’d like to highlight for you an incredible new resource developed to help victim service providers measure the short-term outcomes and quality of services delivered to persons impacted by crime.
The iMPRoVE platform and tool are FREE resources available to all victim service providers nationwide. The National Institute of Justice, along with the Office for Victims of Crime and Office on Violence Against Women, funded the development of iMPRoVE and OVC continues to fund its implementation, including training and technical support. You may have seen iMPRoVE showcased in our OVC Featured Resources last October [https://ovc.ojp.gov/news/featured-resources/october-2023-featured-resources].
iMPRoVE is a free tool offering providers a customized survey that can be shared with survivors to better understand their perceptions of services received and the impact of those services on their lives. Anonymous survivor responses are collected through the platform and displayed in an easy-to-use, interactive dashboard that enables providers to examine their own data to explore the aggregate impact of services on different populations served.
While there is no requirement that grantees or subgrantees collect outcome data, or use the iMPRoVE tool, there are many benefits to doing so. Providers can use outcome data to:
- Demonstrate that their services are making a difference in victims’/survivors’ lives;
- Give clients a voice in services and how they are delivered by asking for their perspectives on their service experience;
- Improve service delivery by identifying strengths and challenges;
- Boost staff/team morale by demonstrating areas of excellence;
- Advocate for funding and show that funds are working.
We encourage you to visit the iMPRoVE website at improve-tool.org and consider whether this is the right tool for your organization or your subgrantees. The website has a range of learning resources to help direct service providers use the platform and start measuring outcomes. There are also introductory webinars and group trainings to provide more information and guidance. You can register for a webinar or training through the Learn tab on the website.
We have an upcoming webinar specifically for SAAs on February 12, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., eastern time. The webinar will have one hour of content with another 30 minutes for extended Q&A. We will discuss how this tool can benefit your state and subgrantees, how to share this tool with your subgrantees, and a mini-grant funding opportunity related to using the iMPRoVE data. Please use this link to register for the upcoming webinar: https://forms.office.com/r/wjhBag4536.
We are excited to share this free tool with you and hope that you will also share it with other organizations or your subgrantees that may be interested.
Attachment: iMPRoVE Handout