Agenda

Registration will be 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. 

9:00am – 10:30am    Keynote: Jonathan Kurland, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas                           Ballrooms 1 &2

Tech-Facilitated Gender Based Violence and Related Crimes               

As technology becomes more integral to our lives, abusers have increasingly used and misused technology to facilitate criminal activity and as a means to monitor, surveil, and otherwise assert power and control. This presentation will demonstrate how offenders misuse technology to commit crimes such as stalking, nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, human trafficking, and witness intimidation. The presenter will provide strategies for identifying and using relevant digital evidence and how to ethically protect victim privacy in a digital world.

10:45am – 12:00pm  Choose Session A or B       

A. First, Do No Harm: Facilitating a Trauma-Informed Response                                             Ballroom 1

Jonathan Kurland, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas                  

This presentation will describe various forms of trauma that victims may experience throughout their lives and as a result of an offender’s victimization. Jonathan will define cultural humility as a key element of a successful trauma-informed response that improves our individual, collective, and systematic responses to survivors. Additionally, the presenter will provide strategies to identify, document, and introduce evidence of trauma to improve case outcomes and community safety by holding offenders accountable.

B. Assessing and Identifying Tech Abuse                                                                                Ballroom 2

Chad Sniffen, Senior Technology Safety Specialist, SafetyNet Project, NNEDV                                                      The pervasive influence of information technology on our daily lives can make it difficult to spot technologies that are being used abusively. Responding to technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) can be complicated and feel overwhelming, and some responses can cause unintentional harm. This session will present ways to identify common patterns of TFA, ways to strategically respond to abuse, and strategies to proactively reduce the risk of further harm. Topics will include the abuse of location privacy, communication methods, online identity, social media, personal information, and personal images.

1:30pm – 2:50pm     Choose 1 of the 4 Sessions

C1: What You Need to Know                                                                                                    Ballroom 2

Sherry Eling, Deputy Director/VAW Resource Prosecutor, WVPAI 

This session will provide important updates on the WV protocol for handling sexual assault cases and the direct submission of sex crime evidence collection kits (SAECKs). Participants will also gain a better understanding of mandatory HIV testing protocols for individuals arrested for sex crimes. Attendees will gain a better understanding of changes in the law regarding sexual assault from the last few years and have sources to take back to their workplace. Attendees will be able to gauge whether laws are being observed in their workplace and be better educated to address these omissions.

C2: Providing Context: Introducing Expert Testimony in Sexual Assault Cases                                                       Ballroom 1

Jonathan Kurland Attorney Advisor, AEquitas

Assumptions about victims of violence and how they “should” react often conflict with the way victims actually respond to physical and emotional trauma. If left unexplained at trial, these misconceptions can severely impact the outcome of a case. Experienced professionals familiar with the effects of trauma and the range of individual responses to trauma can provide judges and juries with the necessary context to ensure that they are making informed decisions based on the evidence. This presentation will focus on common victim responses to trauma, as well as their impact on fact finders' assessment of victim credibility in sexual violence cases. The presenter will summarize the law related to the introduction of expert testimony and highlight the importance of deciding how and when to introduce it. Participants will also learn strategies for identifying experts and how to use experts during the investigation and preparation of a case for trial, even if the testimony will not be introduced.

C3: Burnout, Fatigue and Self-Care                                                                                                      Birch

Cheryl Keeney, Behavior Support Mentor and Heather Merritt, Curriculum Developer, WVU CED, PBS Program

This training explores ways to recognize and manage one’s own stress. Participants can expect to learn how to recognize compassion fatigue and burnout. Participants will be better equipped to assess their level of stress and anger, along with the effects and ways to manage those effects.

C4: Improving Access to Direct Services for Survivors Who Are Men                                         Lower Level - Pecan

Louie Marven, Project Coordinator and Karla Vierthaler, Advocacy and Resources Director, NSVRC

In this workshop, we’ll identify barriers men face while reporting and seeking sexual violence services, and suggest strategies for overcoming those barriers. We’ll emphasize access needs for survivors who are the most marginalized men, trauma informed services for men, and forming partnerships that reach men.

 3:10pm – 4:30pm     Choose 1 of the 4 Sessions

D1: Confidentiality and Privacy in a Virtual World                                                               Ballroom 2

Chad Sniffen, Senior Technology Safety Specialist, SafetyNet Project, NNEDV

Modern information technologies help advocates to meet survivors where they are and to work more efficiently and effectively. These technologies also present very real, but manageable, risks to survivor privacy and providers’ ability to meet their confidentiality obligations. This presentation will discuss common technologies used in providing direct services, the way that survivors’ information is stored or used by those technologies, and steps that providers and their agencies can take to reduce the risk of survivors’ information from being disclosed or abused.

D2: Improving Sexual Assault Evidence Collection in WV                                                      Ballroom 1

Jennifer Leer, MSN, RN, CCRN, SANE-P, SANE Specialist/Trainer, WVFRIS

This session will provide an opportunity to discuss WV specific changes to the sexual assault evidence collection kit documentation forms. Additionally, participants will discuss evidence-based guidelines for SANE practice, and strategies for developing or enhancing SANE programs.

D3: De-Escalation Techniques                                                                                                            Birch

Cheryl Keeney, Behavior Support Mentor and Heather Merritt, Curriculum Developer, WVU CED, PBS Program 

The crisis cycle will be discussed along with tools and techniques to de-escalate a crisis. This training is targeted to first responders but is also beneficial for professionals assisting individuals with behavioral issues, such as those working with children affected by the opioid crisis in WV.

D4: Reaching Men Who Are Survivors of Sexual Violence                                          Lower Level - Pecan

Louie Marven, Project Coordinator and Karla Vierthaler, Advocacy and Resources Director, NSVRC

Whether you’re describing your program’s services to a friend, talking with a classroom of college students about preventing sexual harassment, or writing your agency’s newsletter, your communication impacts who sees themselves as eligible for your program’s services. To raise awareness in your community that men experience sexual violence, and to let men know that you are here to help, make sure your outreach reflects these commitments. This workshop suggests how you can communicate about sexual violence as something that men experience and what services are available for survivors.