The Idaho Victim Assistance Academy is an interdisciplinary, academically based setting for professionals working with crime victims. The Academy provides a foundation in the principle of victims’ rights and a comprehensive set of skills, knowledge, and resources to better meet the needs of Idaho crime victims.
“Criminal justice and allied professionals working together for one common goal, to ensure the quality of service to all victims”
- Law Enforcement Officer, 2007 IVAA Graduate
2010 IVAA June 13th - 18th, 2010 for professionals with five years or less experience who work crime victims.
Click here to download the 2010 IVAA Application.
Application deadline is March 1st.
The Idaho Victim Assistance Academy (IVAA) provides a broad spectrum of theory-based academic training which will expand and enhance the level of professionalism within the victim services field, provide an opportunity to network with other victim service providers, and increase participants’ knowledge of national, state, and local resources. An IVAA basic academy and an IVAA advanced academy are offered on alternating years.
“Challenging, inspiring, and educational”
- Government Agency Staff, 2007 IVAA Graduate
 The IVAA consists of a forty-hour intensive course that is taught in a five-day session on the campus of Boise State University. The IVAA academic faculty consists of university-based staff and field experts from Idaho. The curriculum and well-researched text have been developed by local experts to reflect Idaho’s community practices and needs. Students are required to read materials in advance in order to be prepared for the rigorous academic experience and to enhance their critical thinking skills. To successfully complete the Academy, students must attend the entire program and participate in all working group session, including evening sessions.
IVAA Basic
The basic academy will accept twenty-five (25) eligible students who have five or fewer years experience in their field. The next IVAA is scheduled for June 2009.
IVAA Advanced
The advanced/specialized academy will accept thirty (30) eligible students who have five or more years experience working with crime victims. Students will be selected to ensure geographic, demographic, and professional affiliation diversity in keeping with the IVAA’s mission statement and the focus of the Academy. The 2008 IVAA Advanced will be held June 8–13, 2008.
By the end of the forty hours of training, students will have:
- Developed critical thinking skills based on criminological, sociological, and psychological theories regarding crime victims and their experiences.
- Practiced effective response and referral techniques for the multiple issues facing victims and survivors of crime.
- Applied their shared knowledge of the practical functioning of the Idaho criminal justice and victims’ services systems and examined the impact of these systems on victims and survivors of crime.
- Identified collaborative problem-solving strategies for an effective professional response that meets crime victims’ and survivors’ needs.
For more information on the Idaho Victim Assistance Academy, please contact Kelly Miller, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence at kmiller@idvsa.org or (208) 384-0419.
This Project was supported by Grant No. 2005-VF-GX-K015 awarded by the Office of Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. |
