Toolkit with Report Form - Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic ...

When Crisis Strikes: 

A Toolkit for Critical Incident 

Response and Management 

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence 

2012

If you are experiencing a crisis... 

If you are experiencing a crisis and need immediate information, turn to SECTION 

3 for checklists of what to do and not to do when managing a critical incident. 

DISCLAIMER 

Nothing contained in this Toolkit is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for specific cases, and 

readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. This book and any forms and 

agreements herein are intended for educational and informational purposes only. 

PERMISSION TO REPRINT 

This Toolkit, or parts thereof, may be reproduced and adapted with permission of the Pennsylvania Coalition 

Against Domestic Violence. Any adaptation or reprint must be accompanied by the following acknowledgement: 

This material was adapted from WHEN CRISIS STRIKES: A Toolkit for Critical 

Incident Response and Management, published by the Pennsylvania Coalition 

Against Domestic Violence. 

IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS 

PCADV 

800-932-4632 

VICTIMS COMPENSATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 

800-233-2339 

KEYSTONE CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM (KCIT) 

When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. When Crisis Strikes 

◗ About This Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

◗ PCADV Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

2. Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

3. Checklists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

4. Support from PCADV Legal Department 

◗ Protecting Confidentiality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

◗ Responding to a Subpoena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

◗ Responding to a Warrant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

5. Creating a Crisis Response Plan 

◗ Elements of Crisis Respone Response Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

◗ Considerations and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

6. Media Response Strategies 

◗ PCADV Media Protocol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

◗ Managing Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

◗ Creating a Communications Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

◗ A Reference Guide to the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

◗ Media Tips for Victims & Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 

◗ Dispelling Myths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

7. Community Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 

Appendix 


ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT 

Operating in crisis mode may seem like just another day at your program. 

You’re short-staffed, underfunded, overwhelmed by requests for help, and 

struggling to keep your doors open. 

Section one 

However, there may be times when something 

“out of the ordinary” – a homicide, suicide, 

natural death, accident or fire – happens 

without warning and you’re faced with a 

situation that could disrupt services, distress 

staff and shelter residents, and attract 

unwanted media and public interest. 

Despite the unpredictability of a crisis, your 

program’s response can be planned. PCADV 

developed this toolkit to help your program 

navigate the complexities and minimize the 

repercussions when a crisis strikes. 

The content for the toolkit is based, in part, 

on a number of programs’ prior experiences 

handling critical incidents. While we have 

omitted identifying program information and 

details, we have included the lessons learned 

and recommendations that you can implement 

when a situation warrants a crisis response. 

The toolkit breaks down critical incidents into 

two tiers to help you determine the need for a 

state-level response and what responses can 

be put into action. 

Definitions 

◗ Tier One Incidents – major incidents, 

such as domestic violence fatalities, near 

fatalities, or natural deaths of shelter 

residents; requires immediate notification 

to PCADV and submission of Domestic 

Violence Critical Incident Response and 

Management Report Form 

◗ Tier Two Incidents – other incidents, 

such as fires, floods, bed bugs, no heat 

in shelter, that disrupt your program’s 

continuity of services and may attract 

unwanted media attention; requires 

submission of Domestic Violence Critical 

Incident Response and Management 

Report Form 

Note: These examples are not meant to 

limit what constitutes a critical incident 

or warrants a crisis response for your 

program. You’ll know best when 

an incident, whatever it may be, is 

escalating into a crisis. 

We encourage you to use this toolkit as the 

foundation for creating a customized crisis 

management plan for your program. Put it 

in place before you ever need it and, when 

an incident occurs, you should be able to get 

out in front of the crisis, maintain operations 

with minimal disruption, protect confidentiality, 

control public messages, and contain fallout. 

CONTACT PCADV 

During business hours (8:30 am - 4:30 pm): 

– Call 800-932-4632 

– Press 0 

– Ask the receptionist to refer you to 

someone on the Crisis Response 

Technical Assistance Team. 

After hours: 

– Call Judy Yupcavage, 

Director of Communications, 

via cell 717-514-3416 

When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012 

page 1

Section ONE 

PCADV technical Assistance 

pcadv staff is available to help your program navigate the complexities and 

repercussions of a critical incident and situations likely to attract media and 

public interest or disrupt shelter life and the provision of services. 

Crisis Management 

We can help: 

◗ Make referrals to crisis response teams 

when appropriate 

◗ Connect with peers in nearby counties who 

are able to offer direct assistance (cover 

hotline, accept shelter residents, etc.) or who 

may have experienced a similar event 

◗ Assist in replacing resources in the event of a 

fire or other disaster 

◗ Evaluate your emergency/crisis 

management/communications plans 

Legal Review 

We can help: 

◗ Evaluate the impact of the incident on the 

confidentiality of the victim, her/his 

significant others and other recipients of 

your services 

◗ Protect confidentiality 

◗ Assess your options under the law 

◗ Respond to subpoenas and warrants 

◗ Review standards and policies 

Community Response 

We can help: 

◗ Craft the message for public events 

◗ Publicize events and provide graphics for 

posters, billboards, flyers, etc. 

◗ Assist family members and survivors in 

dealing with the media 

◗ Link family members to local program 

◗ Refer survivors to other services in the 

community or state, as appropriate 

◗ Plan community memorial services 

Media Relations: 

We can help: 

◗ Take media calls for you 

◗ Draft talking points and statements 

◗ Provide a statewide perspective 

◗ Assist with press conferences and 

interviews 

◗ Write letters to the editor 

◗ Write or solicit others to write op-eds 

◗ Identify survivors willing to speak to 

the media 

◗ Refer media to topical experts 

◗ Provide general information and up-to-date 

facts, statistics and graphics 

◗ Offer background on state and federal 

domestic violence laws pertaining to 

protection orders, probable cause arrest, 

firearms, child custody, stalking, address 

confidentiality, crime victims rights and 

more 

◗ Reinforce the message that free and 

confidential help is available 

◗ Detail ways the general public can help 

victims and batterers 

◗ Assist in organizing a media roundtable or 

editorial board meeting 

◗ Talk to media outlets about inappropriate 

coverage and negative stereotypes 

If you need assistance not detailed above, 

just ask! We tailor our response to the 

individual incident and unique needs of 

each program. We are here to help you. 

page 2 


LESSONS LEARNED 

The recommendations and comments that follow come directly from pcadv 

programs that have brought in critical incident response teams to help deal 

with the aftermath of a crisis. 

Section TWO 

Make every effort to assess 

staff need for debriefing 

One executive director who was new to the 

position said, “It was hard to tell if staff really 

are OK or just saying that they are.” 

Executive directors should be aware of 

vicarious trauma and the potential impact 

on staff, board members and volunteers. 

“Having someone debrief is actually part of 

a bigger discussion about wellness.” Staff 

may not be overtly showing signs of distress. 

Outside intervention 

can be very beneficial 

As one executive director noted, following 

a critical incident debriefing by a crisis 

response team, “It is good to have 

somebody from the outside come in – even 

better if it is a DV-related team. If you don’t 

bring in someone, you can come across as 

more concerned about process than actual 

needs. It is good to have someone remind 

us that we can’t do this work if we aren’t 

sensitive, but being sensitive exposes us. If 

someone staff works with gets killed, then 

we can’t expect them to just move on.” 

Other executive 

directors cautioned: 

“Sometimes we are too much in the process 

to see what needs there may be…The 

facilitator was perfect for pointing out and 

uncovering some of those needs.” 

“You can’t be the healer in your own group 

– especially if the incident impacts you on a 

personal level as well.” 

“During the debrief, your role is different, not 

that of the ED.” 

Strive for broad program 

participation in debriefing 

Consider including all staff and, if 

appropriate, board members and 

volunteers, when bringing in an outside 

crisis response team to debrief following 

a critical incident. Typically, executive 

directors have been excluded from these 

sessions to encourage staff to freely express 

their feelings. However, as program 

resources shrink and more staff share 

responsibilities, including direct services, 

participation by executive directors has 

been extremely beneficial. 

By participating in the session, one 

executive director learned “there was a 

great sense of fear among many of the 

family members of even long-term staff. A lot 

of new staff members were being pressured 

by their families to quit, because the work is 

too dangerous.” 


page 3

Section two 

Involve other systems in 

debriefing and community events 

Often staff from these systems have been 

involved with the victim at some point leading 

up to, or during, the incident or are interacting 

with the family following the incident. 

Keep in contact with victims/ 

families involved in incident 

Certain events and markers, such as trials and 

anniversaries, can trigger flashbacks, causing 

additional trauma for those affected. “The 

emotional/psychological impact doesn’t stop a 

few days after the event!” 

It’s important to ask family members how 

they would like to keep in contact with your 

program. 

Always protect confidentiality 

When law enforcement suspected a fire in 

one shelter was set on the inside, there was 

a need to interview all shelter residents and 

staff as part of a criminal investigation. The 

executive director met with each resident 

to explain the importance of cooperating 

with law enforcement during the course of 

the investigation. Each resident was given 

the opportunity to release or not release the 

confidentiality of her identity to the investigator. 

Following the program’s confidentiality policy 

worked in this situation and drew attention 

to the need for more specific procedures 

when the program is involved in a criminal 

investigation. 

Routinely practice 

emergency drills 

When fire erupted in one shelter, all residents 

and staff were evacuated safely. The executive 

director noted that although there was 

extensive damage to the building, not one 

person was injured. Everyone stayed calm. 

This is because evacuations were routinely 

practiced. 

page 4 


CHECKLISTS 

Please use these checklists as a quick reference when responding to a critical 

incident. The extent to which the do’s and don’ts are applicable will vary 

based on the nature and circumstances of the crisis. 

Section Three 

Do: 

Don’t: 

OPERATIONS 

✔ Call 911 immediately if it’s an incident requiring police, fire or other 

emergency responders 

✔ Determine who is in charge according to your crisis management or 

communications plan 

✔ Seal off the scene of a death or possible crime 

✔ Decide where to gather staff and shelter residents and how much 

to tell them 

✔ Remind staff and involved service recipients of confidentiality policies 

✔ Implement plan to continue services with minimal or no disruption 

✔ Start documenting (time/date/action) all your crisis response efforts 

✔ When appropriate, ask police to increase patrols around 

shelter or offices 

Don’t remove or alter anything in the area where the incident occurred 

until the authorities arrive 

Don’t allow anyone other than the designated spokesperson to talk 

with staff, shelter residents, the media or the public 

NOTIFICATIONS 

Do: 

Don’t: 

✔ Notify your board president 

✔ Notify your program attorney 

✔ Notify PCADV (immediate notification to PCADV and submission of 

Domestic Violence Critical Incident Response and Management 

Report Form) 

✔ Notify other agencies that should be involved, i.e. Children and Youth 

Services, your funders, etc. 

✔ Determine if you should contact family members of staff or 

service recipients 

Don’t go public until you have completed internal notifications 


page 5

COMMUNICATIONS 

Do: 

Don’t: 

Do: 

Don’t: 

✔ Identify spokesperson for media and inform staff 

✔ Gather the facts and prepare a statement (based on input from staff, program 

counsel, PCADV or other relevant parties) 

✔ Wait for the media to contact you, unless it can’t be avoided 

✔ If contacted by media before you’re ready to comment, offer to get back to 

reporter as quickly as possible. Then follow through and return the call 

✔ Be forthright without disclosing anything confidential 

✔ Provide the same information to all media 

✔ Include in your statement your program’s commitment to domestic violence victims 

in your community. Offer reassurance that (depending on the nature of the critical 

incident) services are still available (even if in an alternate location or county) 

✔ Contact PCADV Communications Team: 

Ellen Lyon, Communications Specialist, 800-934-4632, ext. 209 (elyon@pcadv.org) 

Judy Yupcavage, Communications Director, 800-932-4632, ext. 120, 

during work hours or 717-514-3416 after hours (jyupcavage@pcadv.org) 

Don’t permit anyone other than the spokesperson to respond to media inquiries 

Don’t make it a story if it isn’t one 

Don’t speak to the media until you know the facts of the incident, have determined 

what you can say about it, and have prepared a statement 

Don’t say “No Comment.” Instead, explain that you’re still gathering information 

and will get back to them 

CRISIS INTERVENTIONS 

✔ Determine if staff, shelter residents or others require/could benefit from 

crisis intervention 

✔ Obtain contact information from the Victim Witness offices for victim and family 

of victim 

✔ Reach out to family and children of victim to offer support and services 

and to make sure they’re aware of Crime Victims Compensation for 

funeral expenses and other crime-related costs 

✔ Reach out to community leaders 

Don’t assume your staff doesn’t want or need to debrief because they didn’t request it 

Don’t assume another agency is helping the victim’s family 

page 6 


Do: 

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS 

Protecting Confidentiality 

✔ Politely, but firmly, deny requests for information about a particular 

victim 

✔ Cite PA’s absolute confidentiality statute – Victims of domestic violence 

have a legal right to confidentiality: All confidential communications 

between a victim and domestic violence program are privileged and 

cannot be revealed without the victim’s express written consent 

(23 Pa. C.S. 6116) 

✔ See Section 4 of the toolkit for more specifics on confidentiality issues 

✔ Contact PCADV’s Legal Department for more detailed assistance 

Section Three 

Don’t: 

Don’t reveal a victim’s name or whether she/he is or was a service 

recipient 

Don’t discuss a case with anyone or share information about a victim 

without the victim’s written consent 

Don’t lie or destroy/falsify records 

Don’t instruct a victim to flee 

Do: 

Don’t: 

Responding to Subpoena 

for Shelter Resident 

✔ Resist the subpoena by responding, “I have no information for you” 

or “I can neither confirm nor deny that the person is here.” (Cite 

confidentially privilege above) 

✔ Inform the resident about the subpoena and suggest that the resident 

consult an attorney 

✔ See Section 4 of the toolkit for specifics on responding to subpoenas 


Don’t ever accept a subpoena directed to a resident 

Don’t advise the resident to flee or destroy evidence that the 

subpoena requests 

When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012 page 7

Responding to Subpoena 

for Program or Staff 

Do: 

Don’t: 

✔ Always resist a subpoena, unless resident gives written consent 

✔ Politely, but firmly, inform the person serving the subpoena that the 

executive director is the only person who can accept a subpoena 

✔ Immediately contact your executive director and program attorney who 

should decide whether to comply with the subpoena 

✔ File a Motion to Quash if decision is to not comply 

✔ See Section 5 of the toolkit for specifics on responding to subpoenas 


Don’t accept service of a subpoena 

Don’t falsify or destroy records 

Responding to Arrest 

Warrant for Shelter Resident 

Do: 

✔ Speak with the officer outside your facility to verify his or her identity 

✔ Tell the officer “I have no information” or “I can neither confirm nor deny that the 

person is here” 

✔ If there, inform the resident about the warrant and suggest she contact an attorney 

✔ Help the resident voluntarily surrender if she gives written permission 

✔ See Section 4 of the toolkit for specifics on responding to a warrant 


page 8 


Do: 

Responding to Search Warrant 

for Shelter Resident or Items 

✔ Ask to review the warrant and verify that it has the shelter’s correct 

address 

✔ Explain that you do not have authority to provide consent (if staff person 

receiving the warrant is not the executive director) and ask the officer for 

time to contact the executive director 

✔ Ask the officer for time to explain the search to the residents to ensure 

confidentiality and minimize disruptions 

✔ Notify the resident who is the subject of the warrant and suggest that 

she contact an attorney 

✔ See Section 4 of the toolkit for specifics on responding to a warrant 


Section Three 

Don’t: 

Don’t physically obstruct the officer 

Don’t advise the resident to flee or to destroy any item that is the subject 

of the warrant 

Do: 

Don’t: 

FOLLOW-UP 

✔ Keep in touch with family and children of victim; many will need your 

support and assistance long after the crisis has abated – milestones, 

such as anniversaries, can trigger flashbacks and be very stressful 

✔ Continue to document (time/date/action) program’s crisis 

response effort 

✔ Continue to reach out to PCADV or other crisis response teams 

as necessary 

✔ Provide feedback to PCADV on your program’s experience with critical 

incident debriefing 

Don’t pressure family members if they resist your outreach efforts 


Section four 

PROTECTING CONFIDENTIALITY 

Confidentiality is, perhaps, the most critical tool for protecting the safety and 

anonymity of victims of domestic violence. The consequences of breaching 

confidentiality are serious and, even when a victim requests disclosure, can 

put shelter residents, service recipients and the program at risk. Therefore, it 

is essential for programs to maintain absolute confidentiality. 

Legal and Ethical Parameters 

Victims of domestic violence have a legal 

right to confidentiality: All “confidential 

communications” between a victim and the 

domestic violence program are privileged and 

cannot be revealed without the victim’s express 

written consent. 23 Pa. C.S. § 6116. The 

Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed that this 

privilege is “absolute.” VBT v. Family Servs. 

of W. Pa., 705 A.2d 1325 (Pa. Super. Ct. 

1998), aff’d 728 A.2d 953 (Pa. 1999). Also, 

programs that receive federal funding under 

the Violence Against Women Act, 42 U.S.C. 

§ 13925, the Family Violence Prevention 

and Safety Act, 42 U.S.C. § 10406, and the 

Victims of Crime Act, 42 U.S.C. § 10601 et 

seq., are required to maintain confidentiality 

as a condition of their funding. 

protected Information 

Program staff members are legally and 

ethically prohibited from revealing any 

information about a victim. Staff cannot testify 

in court, reveal program records, discuss a 

case or share information with friends, family 

or otherwise reveal information about a victim 

of domestic violence without the victim’s 

express, written consent. A program cannot 

reveal the victim’s name or whether she/he is 

or was a service recipient. 

When Does Confidentiality End? 

Technically, legal privilege ends “upon the 

death of the victim”; however, the program’s 

ethical duty to protect the victim, as well as the 

victim’s family and other program participants, 

requires the program to maintain strict 

confidentiality, even after death. 

Strategies for Maintaining 

Confidentiality Under Pressure: 

◗ Responding to law enforcement or other 

legal officials: 

◗ Information and records should always 

be treated as though they will harm the 

victim if revealed, to avoid any unintended 

consequences. 

◗ A customary response to requests 

for information should be: “I have no 

information for you” or “I cannot confirm or 

deny that ___ is or was a client here.” 

◗ If the individual persists, contact the 

executive director or designated emergency 

contact person or law enforcement liaison 

immediately. 

◗ Program staff should be assertive, but 

should never intentionally lie to a legal 

official. Likewise, program staff should not, 

under any circumstances, destroy, hide, or 

falsify records or instruct a victim to flee. 

◗ Responding to the media or requests from 

other organizations: 

◗ Share statistical information or discuss 

domestic violence in broad terms. 

◗ Focus on the need for systemic change to 

achieve safety for all victims. 

◗ Refer to other sources, such as law 

enforcement agencies, for information that 

may be part of the public record. 

page 10 


PROTECTING CONFIDENTIALITY 

Protecting Confidentiality 

during a Criminal Investigation 

A program may experience a crisis related 

to criminal activity. Acts of domestic violence 

may result in homicide, strangulation, 

sexual violence, stalking and other crimes. 

Shelters could be the sites of criminal activity, 

including homicide or suspected homicide, 

unlawful drug and alcohol activity, theft or 

arson. If suspect activity leads to a criminal 

investigation, programs face the challenge 

of protecting the confidentiality of the victim 

as well as her/his survivors and other shelter 

residents while upholding a legal obligation 

to comply with valid warrants and crime 

scene investigations. 

◗ If criminal activity occurring at the program 

or shelter places residents, service recipients 

and staff in immediate danger, do not 

hesitate to contact emergency responders 

and law enforcement for assistance. 

While programs struggle to protect service 

recipients’ confidentiality, it is acceptable 

to summon help to intervene in a crisis. 

As this contact with emergency assistance 

still constitutes a breach of confidentiality, 

take steps after the call to protect the 

confidentiality of those you serve as much as 

possible under the circumstances. PCADV’s 

Legal Department can assist you with 

protecting confidentiality in the aftermath of a 

breach resulting from a crisis. 

Section four 

Guidelines for a program faced 

with these competing challenges: 

◗ Prioritize the confidentiality of shelter 

residents and program participants who are 

not involved in the investigation. 

◗ Follow program policies and procedures 

related to responding to warrants and 

subpoenas. 

◗ Ensure that staff and shelter residents are 

safe and separated from the crime scene. 

◗ If a criminal incident occurs at the program 

or shelter, do not touch or move anything 

until law enforcement gives you clearance to 

do so. You would not want to be accused 

of obstructing justice or interfering with a 

criminal investigation. 

◗ The PFA Act provides that a victim’s 

confidentiality ends upon her death. Continue 

to consider the need for confidentiality for 

victim’s survivors and significant others 

and protect that confidentiality within the 

boundaries permitted by law. Do not 

volunteer information unless compelled by the 

court to do so. 

◗ When a crime is committed on program 

property and law enforcement appear at 

the program armed with valid warrants, 

they must be allowed to enter. Follow the 

protocols outlined in this toolkit and your 

program policies. Ask the investigators to 

allow the executive director or a designee 

to speak with the residents and staff first to 

explain the nature of the investigation and the 

request for their cooperation. 

◗ If law enforcement has a warrant or 

subpoena for a particular person, encourage 

that person to speak to an attorney. Do not 

encourage anyone; to flee and not offer 

anyone legal advice. 

◗ If an investigator requests interviews 

with program participants, obtain signed 

releases from them before introducing them 

to the investigator. Do not obtain a release 

to turn over any information to aid in the 

investigation. Law enforcement should seek 

information directly from those they interview 

and/or obtain a subpoena or warrant. 

Never encourage a service recipient or 

staff to flee or destroy evidence. 


Section four 

RESPONDING TO A subpoena 

A subpoena is a document from the court used to compel an individual to 

testify or provide documents about a civil or criminal case. If a person who is 

subpoenaed fails to appear, a warrant may be issued for their arrest. 

Subpoena For Shelter Residents: 

◗ Program staff should never accept a 

subpoena directed to a resident. 

• The response should be: “I have no 

information for you” or “I can neither 

confirm nor deny that the person is here.” 

• The consequences for accepting a 

subpoena on behalf of a shelter resident 

are great. For instance, accepting a 

subpoena for a shelter resident breaches 

that resident’s legally protected, 

confidential information and may open 

the program to legal liability. 

◗ The program should inform the resident 

about the subpoena and suggest the resident 

consult an attorney. The program must never 

advise the resident to flee or destroy evidence 

that the subpoena requests. 

Subpoena For Program or Staff: 

◗ Do not accept service of the subpoena: 

politely inform the person delivering the 

subpoena that the executive director is the 

only person who can accept a subpoena. 

◗ Contact the executive director and 

program attorney immediately. 

◗ Keep detailed notes about how the 

subpoena was served. 

◗ The executive director, together with the 

program attorney, should assess the nature 

of the request and decide whether to comply 

with or resist the subpoena. 

• It is a best practice to always resist 

a subpoena unless and until a resident 

asks the program to disclose and signs a 

written release. 

• Even if the resident consents to disclosure, 

the program may oppose the subpoena to 

protect other confidential information. 

Resisting a Subpoena? 

◗ The executive director and program 

attorney should identify the source of the 

subpoena and ask the issuing attorney to 

withdraw it based on the absolute privilege 

extended to confidential communications 

between programs and service recipients. 

◗ If the issuing attorney will not withdraw the 

subpoena, file a Motion to Quash as soon as 

possible. 

• Along with filing a Motion to Quash, 

the program attorney should request a 

hearing and attach a memorandum of law 

that lays out legal arguments in support of 

quashing the subpoena. This will help to 

build a record in case of appeal. 

• PCADV’s Legal Department can provide 

a sample motion and/or memorandum of 

law and can assist the program attorney, 

if needed. 

◗ If the Motion to Quash is denied, a 

Motion for Protective Order should be filed 

immediately to limit the information that must 

be disclosed. 

• A Protective Order protects certain 

portions of a record, such as the shelter’s 

address or the identity of other clients or 

program staff. 

• A Protective Order may limit physical 

access to records or the nature of compelled 

testimony, such as how testimony is given 

and who may be present. 

page 12 


RESPONDING TO A WARRANT 

Search warrant: allows police to search for specific things and/or people at a 

specific location. In addition to the listed items, police may generally seize any 

evidence or contraband that they uncover while conducting the search. 

Arrest warrant: allows police to arrest a named individual. police can execute 

an arrest warrant at the individual’s home or at a public place. If the police 

want to arrest an individual at a different location, they must get a search 

warrant for the alternative location. 

Section four 

Warrant for Program: 

◗ Speak with the officer(s) outside the 

residential area to verify their identity. 

◗ If presented with a warrant to search the 

program, politely ask the officers to wait 

outside the residential area while you contact 

the executive director and program attorney. 

◗ Staff should never physically obstruct an 

officer, but should clearly explain that they 

are not authorized to consent to the search. 

◗ Make a copy of the warrant and examine 

the warrant to verify who and/or what 

the warrant seeks to find, the date of the 

warrant, and the issuing authority. 

• Program records or files for service 

participants are legally protected and 

should never be the subject of a search 

warrant. The program attorney should try 

to quash any warrant requesting program 

records or files. 

◗ Keep detailed notes about the way the 

warrant was delivered and executed. 

• If a search is conducted, staff should 

accompany the officer(s), keep detailed 

notes and/or take video or photos to 

record the search. 

arrest Warrant 

for Shelter Resident: 

◗ Speak with the officer(s) outside the 

residential area to verify their identity. Police 

must have a valid search warrant to search 

the shelter for the individual before they may 

execute an arrest warrant. 

◗ If presented with a warrant to arrest a 

shelter resident: 

• The customary response should be: “I 

have no information for you” or “I can 

neither confirm nor deny that the person is 

here.” Tell the resident about the warrant 

and advise them to contact an attorney. 

◗ Staff should never advise the resident to 

flee or to use force to resist arrest. 

• Staff may help arrange for the resident 

to voluntarily surrender if the resident 

gives written permission to do so, 

preferably after speaking to an attorney. 

• If the resident does not give permission, 

staff should not disclose any information. 

◗ If presented with a search warrant to search 

the shelter for a resident or particular items: 

• Politely ask the officer(s) for a moment 

so you can contact the executive director 

and explain the search to the residents to 

maintain maximum confidentiality and to 

minimize the disruption that a search may 

cause. 


page 13

Section four 

◗ Staff should never physically obstruct an 

officer or advise a resident to flee. 

• Residents who are not the subject of a 

warrant may be given the option to leave 

the shelter or move to an area that is not 

part of the search. 

• Keep detailed notes and/or take video 

or photos to record the search. 

• Staff should clearly object, without 

physically obstructing the officer(s), if they 

appear to go beyond the terms of the 

warrant. 

All programs are required to have 

policies that protect service recipients’ 

confidentiality and detail the program’s 

response to a subpoena or warrant. 

PCADV’s Legal Department can assist 

you with the development and review of 

these policies and with staff training on 

these issues. 

After a Warrant is Executed 

◗ Warrants may be included in the public 

record, which may reveal the shelter’s 

location. The program should file a motion to 

seal any confidential information. 

page 14 


ELEMENTS OF crisis response plan 

Developing a critical incident response plan may seem like a daunting task. 

However, preparation for these situations is necessary to maintain services 

and care for your staff, volunteers, clients and the community. 

Section five 

Elements of a Critical Incident Response Plan 

A. Purpose 

◗ Provides a context about the purpose 

of the plan. Explains to the reader why 

the plan is important – may reference 

any existing legal statutes or 

requirements of funders. 

◗ Is similar to a safety plan: It is a 

“living” document that needs periodic 

review. 

B. Definitions 

1. Crisis 

◗ Pain, distress or disordered 

functioning 

◗ Radical change of status in a 

person’s life 

◗ Can occur as the result of a specific 

critical incident or series of events in 

which the individual may be a either a 

victim or witness 

2. Crisis Response Team 

◗ A group of trained individuals who 

provide short-term crisis intervention 

services, consultation, risk assessment 

and referrals to top individuals and 

communities affected by crisis or 

disaster 

3. Critical Incident 

◗ Tier One Incidents – major 

incidents, such as domestic violence 

fatalities, near fatalities, or natural 

deaths of shelter residents. Requires 

immediate notification to PCADV and 

report submission. 

◗ Tier Two Incidents – other 

incidents, such as fires, floods, bed 

bugs, or no heat in shelter that 

disrupt your program’s continuity of 

services and may attract unwanted 

media attention. Requires report 

submission only. 


Section five 

4. Trauma 

◗ A unique individual experience of an 

event or enduring condition, in which: 

• Victim experiences a threat to life, 

bodily integrity, or sanity 

• Occurs in a sudden and forceful way 

and is experienced as overwhelming 

• Victim’s normal coping capacity 

and/or ability to integrate emotional 

experience is overwhelmed 

◗ Can take many forms: 

• Domestic violence 

• Rape or assault 

• Emotional, sexual or physical abuse 

• Extremely painful and frightening 

medical procedures 

• Catastrophic injuries and illnesses 

• Muggings 

• Burglary 

• Witnessing traumatic events, 

i.e., murder 

• Natural disasters 

5. Traumatic Stress 

◗ Shifts people away from emotional 

safety, emotional balance and 

predictability 

◗ Disrupts the victim’s ability to return to 

stability 

6. Vicarious Trauma 

◗ The traumatizing effects of working 

with victims who have been traumatized 

C. considerations 

1. Create Your Internal Team 

◗ Considerations for developing a team 

approach include: 

• Staff trained in crisis response or 

critical incident response 

• Roles that staff, volunteers and the 

board of directors can fill 

• Diversity of program staff and those 

leading the critical incident response to 

mirror that of the clients, families and 

community 

2. Communication (External Inquiries) 

◗ Designate individuals who have the 

authority to handle media inquiries 

• List of media contacts: 

– Outlet name 

– Contact person 

– Contact phone 

– Contact email 

• One program representative to 

have contact with media 

– Public message will be 

controlled by the program 

– If it is necessary to shut down 

or reduce services, work with 

PCADV to craft a press release 

that assures the community that 

services are still available and 

tells how to access those services 

• A program representative to respond 

to inquiries about clients receiving 

services that may invite a breach of 

confidentiality 

page 16 


D. Service stabilization/ 

continuity of services 

1. Stabilizing Services Is The 

Counterpart To Stabilizing The 

Emotional And Physical Crisis 

Reactions Of Staff, Volunteers 

And Clients. 

◗ Includes referrals or requests made to 

other programs to handle hotline/shelter 

◗ Points to consider when stabilizing 

services: 

• Assessing the immediate safety of 

other clients/volunteers and staff 

• Triaging incoming calls 

• Incidents that may occur after 

daylight hours or over the weekend. 

– Will the program need to shut 

down or reduce services? If so, 

for how long? 

• Managing a death that occurs on-site 

• Technology interruptions 

– Re-establishing electronic 

communication 

• Creating agreements with other 

local programs to cover hotline, offer 

alternative shelter and provide other 

client services 

• Developing staffing schedules to 

handle increases or decreases in 

requests for service 

2. Making Required Reports To 

Funders 

3. Communication Between 

Program Leaders/Teams 

◗ Plan to disseminate information to 

staff, residents, clients, volunteers and 

board of directors BOD members both 

on and off-site. 

◗ Phone Tree 

• Include contact information for all 

staff, volunteers and BOD members 

◗ Clear and consistent communication at 

regular intervals 

• Document if staff or volunteers were 

directly involved in the incident 

• Prepare a written account of their 

involvement as soon as possible and 

give to the team leader 

• Conduct staff meetings, daily or 

several times throughout the week in 

the immediate aftermath of critical 

incidents, to provide an opportunity for 

the Team to: 

– Offer accurate information 

– Dispel rumors 

– Answer questions/concerns 

– Present staff with strategies 

for talking with clients not on-site 

during the critical incident about 

the event 

– Provide a safe place for staff to 

deal with their own concerns and 

emotions 

Section five 


Section five 

E. Take Care of Staff 

1. Monitor Staff For Any Ongoing 

Crisis Reactions That May Be Leading 

Into Long-Term Crisis Reactions And/ 

Or Vicarious Trauma. 

◗ KCIT or your local crisis response team 

may be able to make additional referrals 

for the long-term and provide crisis 

intervention services in the short-term 

◗ Liberal leave policy could/should be 

instituted 

◗ Understand vicarious trauma and its 

implications for staff 

◗ Communicate and implement coping 

strategies for staff 

2. Effects on Current Clients 

◗ Gauge client reactions to crisis 

◗ Provide supportive mechanisms 

◗ Refocus or redirect client to their 

situation, goals, and safety plan 

3. Have Resources Ready To Address 

Possible Reactions Of Family 

Members Of The Victim(S) 

F. How Crisis Intervention Helps 

1. Returning To Business As Usual: 

Structure And Familiar Patterns 

Usually Help People Organize And 

Problem Solve, Thereby Rendering 

Them Better Equipped To Cope With 

Stressful Situations. 

G. Confidentiality Provisions 

1. Your Agency’s Confidentiality 

Policy 

2. Maintaining Confidentiality In 

Section 4: Support From Pcadv 

Legal Department 

H. Organizational/ 

Community Resources 

For obtaining technical assistance, talking 

points, or direct crisis intervention service to 

staff/residents/community 

1. Keystone Crisis Intervention 

Team (KCIT) 

◗ During business hours: 

◗ 

2. PCADV 

◗ 800-932-4632 

◗ Ask to speak to the Director of 

Communications or a member of 

the Crisis Response Technical 

Assistance Team 

3. Your Community’s Local Crisis 

Response Team 

2. Honoring Victims/ 

Community Anniversaries 

page 18 


Considerations & resources 

The information below includes explanations, considerations and resources 

for responding to a critical incident and provides greater detail about the 

critical elements to consider in the development of your plan. 

Section five 

Purpose 

Having a Critical Incident Response Plan in 

place will assist your program when a Tier 

One critical incident occurs and it is essential 

to act quickly to: 

◗ Stabilize services 

◗ Support staff, volunteers, clients and 

others directly affected 

The pace and manner of your initial response 

will set the tone for recovery and potentially 

reduce stress levels and opportunities for 

mistakes. 

Assuring the continuity of services is an 

early and essential part of this process. 

Tools like the Continuity of Operations 

Charts ( © HollyHartConsulting.com 2010), 

located in the Appendix, are available to 

provide guidance to programs updating their 

existing plans or exploring the development 

of a Critical Incident Response Plan. It is a 

very comprehensive document. You do not 

have to address all of the elements listed. 

It is meant to stimulate some thought and 

discussion at your program. 

A Critical Incident Response Plan is similar 

to a safety plan in that it is a “living” 

document that needs consistent, regular 

review to update contact information, 

improve response plans (especially if there 

are lessons learned), and refresh staff 

and volunteers’ recollection about how to 

respond when a critical incident occurs. 

When is it a crisis? 

A crisis is a critical incident or traumatic 

event that pushes individuals and, sometimes, 

communities beyond their capacity to function 

on a day-to-day basis. For purposes of 

reporting critical incidents to PCADV, the 

following additional definitions apply: 

◗ Tier One Incidents – Major incidents, 

such as domestic violence fatalities, near 

fatalities, or natural deaths of shelter 

residents. 

◗ Tier Two Incidents – Other incidents, 

such as fires, floods, bed bugs, or no 

heat in shelter that disrupt your program’s 

continuity of services and may attract 

unwanted media attention. 

issues to consider 

There are several specific issues to consider 

when developing a Critical Incident Response 

Plan and/or responding to a critical 

incident. A team approach and direct lines 

of communication with clear documentation 

are recommended to provide structure 

during a situation that can become chaotic. 

Confidentiality also requires dedicated and 

serious consideration in such situations. 


Section five 

A Team Approach 

Most crisis response materials advocate for 

a team approach. It is important to have a 

team structure in place prior to an incident. 

Individuals should be familiar with both this 

toolkit and your program’s Critical Incident 

Response Plan. Individuals need the authority 

to carry out what needs to be done. The 

capacity for a team approach will be based 

on the resources within each program 

and the person(s) affected by the incident. 

Flexibility and composition of the team are 

critical. 

Considerations For Developing 

A Team Approach: 

◗ Who is trained in crisis response or 

critical incident response? 

◗ What roles are reasonable for staff and 

volunteers to fill? 

◗ What happens if staff and volunteers 

were witnesses to the critical incident 

and/or are directly affected by the crisis 

situation? 

◗ What roles can members of your 

BOD fill? 

◗ Does staff have the means to adjust 

to the staffing changes (e.g. childcare if 

different hours/transportation if services 

moved to a different location)? 

◗ Does the diversity of program staff 

and those leading the critical incident 

response mirror that of the clients, 

families and community to whom you are 

responding? 

◗ What community resources might 

be available (assisted living facility for 

residents with special needs, other local 

domestic violence programs to handle 

hotline, counseling, support groups)? 

How can you solidify relationships with 

them? 

Team Roles 

Every team needs a leader who will be 

the primary decision-maker. This is likely 

to be the executive director or her/his 

designee. The team leader needs to have 

crisis response training, the ability to 

maintain composure and a clear head when 

interacting with the media and the public and 

the authority to make decisions. 

Depending on the size of the program, 

several “liaisons” may be helpful in 

responding to the needs of staff, BOD 

volunteers, clients, their families and the 

public. Each of the following roles are 

important and could be assigned to one or 

more staff: 

◗ A staff liaison to serve as the direct line 

of communication between the team and 

all staff, BOD and volunteers needing 

to be informed during the response time 

following a critical incident. 

• They can also make sure that 

logistics, like where to continue 

providing services if the building is 

unavailable, are handled and that staff 

are having their own crisis reactions 

addressed. 

◗ A liaison(s) to work with clients, 

families and the public/media. 

◗ A liaison(s) to work with any 

designated group that may have specific 

needs to be addressed or that needs to 

know what’s happening as it unfolds. 

Liaisons should be considered 

the direct source of factual and 

timely information between the team and 

others. 

page 20 


Include Your Board of Directors 

Participating in the Critical Incident Response 

Team may be a good fit for those board 

members with experience in crisis response 

and may help you add diversity to the skills 

and strengths of your BOD membership. 

Any board member who is part of the 

Critical Incident Response Team also needs 

to be trained in crisis response and have an 

understanding of the impact of trauma and 

vicarious trauma on direct service staff. 

Communication 

Establish a plan to disseminate information to 

staff, residents, clients, volunteers and BOD 

members both on and off-site. Phone trees, 

secure emails and staff meetings are often 

used for important communications. Clear 

and direct communication outlining factual 

information and plans to address the physical 

and emotional safety of those affected will 

offer a sense of security from which all can 

begin to move forward. Ensure that your plan 

addresses the means for providing updated 

information to relevant parties – especially 

if the program is temporarily shut down or 

providing only limited services. 

◗ Some communication may be 

vulnerable to interception by the media or 

other parties. It is important for everyone 

involved to understand that the designated 

liaison handles all inquires about the 

incident. This is especially true for calls 

from the media. 

◗ Depending on the size of the program 

staff, it MAY be possible to designate 

an additional person to handle the nonmedia 

calls; however, he/she should 

have constant communication with the 

media liaison. 

Documentation 

Documenting the statements you make to 

staff, BOD volunteers, clients, and the media 

are especially helpful in the aftermath of a 

critical incident. It is helpful to have more 

than one staff person review these statements. 

Even on the best days, we sometimes use 

language that can be misinterpreted or 

misleading. In a crisis situation, the human 

brain is not organized as it is in everyday 

situations, leaving those affected vulnerable 

to misinterpretation; sensitivity and clarity can 

be challenging to find in those moments. 

◗ Documenting in-house and media 

communications is a helpful way to 

organize what’s happening to make sure 

things are being done as needed, and to 

provide a “paper trail.” 

◗ A Communication Log (see appendix) 

can ensure accurate transmission of 

information and document the process. 

Some people may not be able to rely 

on memory for the specifics of what 

took place or was done. 

• Memory is sometimes compromised 

in crisis situations. 

• Document all communications. 

• Make documentation a priority in 

your Critical Incident Response Plan. 

Section five 

PCADV can take your media calls and help “control the story” being put out to the public. 

Work with PCADV to establish a public statement if it becomes necessary to shut down or 

reduce services. This statement should assure the community that services are still available 

and will continue though they may be provided at an alternate location. 


Section five 

Communication with Family Members 

During and immediately after a crisis, staff, 

volunteers and clients are likely to have a 

very real need to communicate and connect 

with their families as soon as possible. This 

has very practical implications, but even 

more, feeds their need to establish a sense of 

safety and security for their loved ones. In the 

development of a Critical Incident Response 

Plan, determine a safe way for your staff to 

contact family members to inform them they 

are OK. It is important to maintain control 

over how much information is shared – even 

with family. 

Documentation After an Incident 

All staff, volunteers and BOD who were 

directly involved in the incident should 

prepare a written account of their 

involvement as soon as possible and provide 

it to the team in charge. In the event law 

enforcement or other authorities request 

these documents, confidentiality provisions 

continue to apply. (Refer to your program’s 

confidentiality policy and Protecting 

Confidentiality in Section 4: Support from 

PCADV Legal Department for more complete 

information). 

Crisis Intervention 

It is important to balance the need to “get 

back to business as usual” with the need 

to address the emotional state of staff, 

residents, clients and volunteers who have 

been impacted by the incident. PCADV 

does not provide direct crisis response or 

critical incident debriefing, but does provide 

technical assistance and referrals to others 

who have expertise in providing direct 

services to communities in crisis (See page 2 

for details). 

Sources of Technical Assistance 

◗ There are many crisis response groups/ 

agencies across the Commonwealth. 

All of the statewide agencies and 

organizations that are part of the 

Pennsylvania Emergency Management 

Response Plan have specified roles for 

national or statewide disaster/crisis 

response. Many counties have local 

crisis response teams that can provide 

community assistance in the aftermath of 

a natural disaster. 

◗ Some critical incident response 

agencies/organizations focus on a 

specific population involved in a critical 

incident. 

◗ Critical Incident Stress Management 

Teams respond to the needs of first 

responders. 

◗ School districts and intermediate units 

have specially trained staff to respond to 

school communities. 

“Simple techniques for intervening in 

crisis can help survivors regain a sense 

of control over their lives and begin 

the process of reconstructing a new 

life. Much of the crisis intervention rests 

[with] creative listening and helping 

people develop ideas for how they 

will cope with the next few hours or 

days of their life in the aftermath of a 

traumatic event.” 

~ National Organization For 

Victim Assistance (NOVA), 

The Community Crisis Response 

Team Training Manual 

page 22 


Keystone Crisis Intervention 

Team (KCIT) Services 

KCIT is a statewide volunteer organization 

that trains criminal justice professionals and 

a variety of allied professionals to respond 

to communities in crisis. They use the NOVA 

crisis response model that helps individuals 

exposed to trauma: 

◗ Identify physical and emotional 

reactions to the critical incident 

◗ Create a time anchor of the traumatic 

events 

◗ Predict and prepare for future events 

that may remind them of their trauma 

exposure 

The model also includes an educational 

piece about crisis response and how the 

mind and body may experience similar 

crisis reactions when exposed to similar 

events or sensory cues. 

KCIT works with local teams to meet the 

needs of the program, based on the incident. 

These responses can include providing: 

◗ Group Crisis Interventions (GCIs) 

◗ Companioning 

◗ Resources 

◗ Referrals 

Responses can be coordinated with other 

crisis response groups to meet the needs of all 

impacted by the critical incident. 

For instance, a GCI can be held for: 

◗ Staff and volunteers who were present 

during the critical incident 

◗ Residents and clients who were present 

during the critical incident 

◗ Other staff, volunteers and BOD 

members who did not directly witness the 

critical incident 

◗ Other residents and clients who did not 

directly witness the critical incident 

◗ Family members of staff, volunteers and 

BOD members 

◗ Family members of residents 

and clients 

◗ The community at large 

◗ Other specific groups as identified 

KCIT provides Companions to assist 

with individuals and families or 

at community-wide events where 

individual support is an anticipated 

need. All services provided by KCIT 

remain confidential unless the program 

specifically releases information 

pertaining to the incident response. 

Section five 

Contact KCIT: 

During business hours: 

Think about the “ripple effect” of 

the incident and talk freely with the 

KCIT Team Leader about anticipated 

program and community needs. 


Section five 

Take Care of Staff 

Feelings of fear and loss of control are 

normal reactions during and after a time of 

crisis. Confusion, anger, and sorrow are also 

common reactions to any traumatic event. 

Program staff may: 

◗ Feel a sense of responsibility for not 

maintaining safety and control during 

critical incidents such as intruder and 

hostage situations or evacuations. 

◗ Doubt their abilities and decisions to 

serve clients and residents or care for 

other staff and volunteers. 

Staff meetings, daily or several times 

throughout the week, in the immediate 

aftermath of critical incidents, provide an 

opportunity for the team to: 

◗ Offer accurate information 

◗ Dispel rumors 

◗ Answer questions/concerns 

◗ Present staff with strategies for talking 

about the event with clients not on-site 

during the critical incident. 

◗ Supply a safe place for staff to deal 

with their own concerns and emotions 

A team member should monitor staff 

responses and actions during these meetings 

to determine if any staff members are in 

need of additional support or if their work 

with clients should be suspended for a short 

period of time while they deal with their own 

responses to the critical incident. 

In the days and weeks that follow any critical 

incident, it is important to monitor staff for any 

ongoing crisis reactions that may lead to longterm 

crisis reactions and/or vicarious trauma. 

Don’t hesitate to call on a local mental health 

practitioner with training and experience 

working with clients who have survived 

traumatic events. Additionally, KCIT, PCADV 

or your local crisis response team may be 

able to make referrals for long-term support. 

How Crisis Intervention Helps 

Programs can do a great deal for staff, 

volunteers and BOD by offering crisis 

intervention services. In the short-term, 

crisis intervention provides an opportunity 

for staff, volunteers and BOD to begin to 

process the thoughts, memories and physical 

and emotional reactions in an organized, 

cognitive way. Program staff may also 

benefit from “respite care,” specifically 

having temporary relief from direct service 

responsibility; but how does a program make 

that happen? 

Some situations and possible solutions to 

brainstorm in advance of a critical incident 

include: 

◗ Will additional staff be required to 

assist clients/other staff or to be available 

for unexpected issues? Should this be 

your staff or staff from other programs? 

◗ What happens if a staff member 

thinks they can work, but becomes 

overwhelmed during their shift? 

◗ Should you meet in small groups with 

residents/clients to become aware of their 

concerns? How often will you do this? 

◗ What if your community/BOD is 

pushing you to resume services, but you 

feel your staff is unable to do so? 

Intervention immediately following a 

crisis can reduce the risk of vicarious 

trauma for staff over the long-term. 

page 24 


Family and Community 

Crisis Response Needs 

Crisis intervention services can benefit 

families of program staff and help with 

community-wide responses and healing. 

Family members may become “secondary 

victims” to the overwhelming stressors 

endured - especially if a loved one was 

present at the time of the incident. They 

may urge staff to quit because it is “too 

dangerous” to continue this work. Children, 

who are or were exposed to domestic 

violence, may fear the same thing will 

happen to their parent. Community members 

can be invited to participate in “Y’all come” 

GCIs that can help reduce the impact of the 

incident on them (e.g. a domestic violencerelated 

shooting in a public setting). 

Effects on Current Clients 

When victims personally associate their 

situation with that of another victim who 

was recently seriously injured or killed, they 

may not access services as readily as they 

would have prior to the traumatic event. If 

they are already in the midst of receiving 

services, they may leave shelter or not return 

for regularly scheduled appointments. This 

personal association with another victim may 

completely alter their path to safety. A client’s 

reaction to non-crisis events may intensify. It 

is difficult to anticipate how each person will 

react, especially given a history of trauma. 

Program staff should continue the course of 

client-centered services with patience and a 

trauma-informed approach. They should also 

provide clients with options and education 

that re-directs them to their own personal 

circumstances and back to the path of 

autonomy and safety. This may require the 

program to relax rules about participation in 

program services. Some clients will struggle 

more than others to regain a sense of safety 

and security and find normalcy again. 

Returning to “Business as Usual” 

Structure and familiar patterns usually help 

people organize and problem-solve, which 

leaves them in a better position to cope 

with stressful situations. The timing of this 

return to pre-crisis “normalcy,” and knowing 

when staff, residents, clients and BOD are 

ready to do so, is a judgment call. Making 

this decision as a team will provide various 

points of view and additional information for 

consideration. 

Anniversary/Reminder Events 

As a matter of protocol, KCIT routinely offers 

follow-up contacts to communities in which 

they have responded. Regular time stamps 

(annual or expected life events like birthdays 

or holidays), other similar critical incidents, 

and/or criminal justice system activity 

(when charges have resulted) may mark 

anniversaries of the critical incident. Such 

events may elicit similar reactions to that of 

the initial critical incident, additional concerns 

about safety and security, public responses 

and/or press coverage. 

The program should plan for these 

“anniversaries” or reminder events to 

try to reduce the potential impact and 

provide needed support. 

Anniversaries are usually a concern until 

clients, volunteers, BOD and staff who 

experienced the event are no longer with the 

program or until sufficient time has passed. 

PCADV and/or KCIT can provide technical 

assistance around these issues to assist 

programs in responding to their needs. 

Section five 


Section five 

Vicarious Trauma Implications 

Beyond the anniversary events, attention 

should be paid to the ongoing needs of 

program staff. You should anticipate that 

vicarious trauma will be an ongoing topic in 

your program to maintain healthy staff and 

volunteers. Vicarious trauma can become 

an occupational hazard for professionals in 

“helping professions” such as therapists and 

advocates when they: 

◗ Experience heavy work loads 

◗ Lack experience with trauma victims 

◗ Are exposed regularly to listening to 

clients’ experience of trauma and abuse 

◗ Do not have adequate supervision and 

consultation 

There are layers of coping strategies at the 

personal, professional and organizational 

levels that can be used to minimize the effects 

of working intimately with victims of abuse 

and trauma. (Please refer to the suggested 

reading, Vicarious Trauma and Its Impact 

on Advocates, Therapists and Friends, in the 

Appendix for more information.) 

Victims’ Compensation may be 

available to cover counseling fees, 

loss of support, and transportation to 

sessions resulting from exposure to a 

critical incident. 

In the Appendix, a suggested resource 

on vicarious trauma is available for your 

review: Guidebook on Vicarious Trauma: 

Recommended Solutions for Anti-Violence 

Workers (Jan I. Richardson, Centre for 

Research on Violence Against Women and 

Children, London, Ontario, for the Family 

Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada). 

Children Exposed to Trauma 

Local crisis response teams and KCIT can 

provide helpful technical assistance in 

addressing the needs of children exposed 

to trauma. The children’s advocate in your 

program can be an important resource – 

she/he is likely to have a solid relationship 

with the children in shelter and with those 

coming in for services; children are likely 

to trust her/him. Additionally, you should 

consider creating a relationship with a 

local practitioner or counseling group that 

specializes in treatment of children to turn to 

in times of need. 

Stabilizing Services 

The same practices of using a team 

approach, establishing clear lines 

of communication and maintaining 

confidentiality are of importance when 

stabilizing services in the aftermath of 

a critical incident and/or in developing 

a program plan in preparation for such 

an event. 

Critical incidents can exacerbate already 

growing banks of secondary exposure to 

trauma. It is important for programs, as a 

matter of practice, to create relationships 

with local practitioners or counseling groups 

with experience in serving those affected by 

vicarious trauma so that you can refer staff to 

them in times of need. 

page 26 


Points to consider 

• Assessing the immediate safety of other 

clients, volunteers and staff: 

◗ Triaging incoming calls 

◗ Procedure if incident occurs during the 

week but outside of administrative staff 

hours, or over the weekend 

◗ Planning to shut down or reducing 

services, and if so, time period involved 

◗ Decisions regarding any staffing 

changes. Position(s) responsible for 

handling questions about time off, alternate 

work options, working remotely, etc. 

◗ If a death occurs on-site and other 

residents want to relocate 

◗ Assisting clients who feel they are 

vulnerable or face increased danger 

based on similarities between their 

situation and that of the individual(s) killed 

or injured 

◗ Making the most of media and public 

statements 

◗ Interruptions to program technology, 

and position(s) responsible for bringing 

the program back online 

◗ Position(s) responsible for handling 

building issues, replacement of property, 

etc. 

◗ Position(s) responsible for responding to 

family/families directly affected 

Maintain a Team Approach 

Staff members familiar with personnel (staff, 

BOD and volunteers) and the circumstances 

of the incident are usually the best choice to 

handle a Tier One incident; they are able to 

assess and reassess the events as they unfold 

and respond immediately to the situation. 

Their preparation and response will drive 

how the incident, and potentially the story in 

the media (See Section 6), unfolds. In most 

cases, this will be the role of the executive 

director or senior management. However, 

familiarity with the individual(s) injured or 

killed, or an event that might trigger personal 

traumatic memories, could also impact the 

ability of these individuals to respond. 

Communication Revisited 

When planning for, or responding specifically 

to, an interruption in service provision, 

ancillary communication methods may 

help provide the needed structure when the 

physical structure of carrying out services 

may not be a available. 

Consider holding additional staff meetings to 

address questions and dispel rumors. Meeting 

in smaller groups usually diminishes the 

likelihood that emotions will get out of control 

and can avoid ‘group think’ phenomenon 

that may inhibit individuals from asking the 

questions that are important to them. 

Section five 

In small communities staff, volunteers or 

BOD members could be asked to make a 

statement. A plan to address this issue should 

be determined ahead of time. In these cases, 

a standardized statement, similar to inquiries 

about clients receiving your services, should 

be used: “I can neither confirm nor deny that 

person is a client” or “I have no information. 

You should speak to...” 


Section five 

Bringing in Other Individuals 

Hearing from an outside expert, who is 

objective in their presentation yet sensitive to 

the emotions of the group, is often helpful. 

Factual information can help many people 

to reach a point of acceptance. Addressing 

lingering questions and putting the critical 

incident in its proper context can help 

reestablish a sense of safety, security and 

control so that staff can move forward in their 

daily lives. 

Examples: 

◗ In the case of a building fire, a local 

fire inspector or fire services professional 

can talk about the origins of the fire, how 

the fire may have affected the safety of 

the building and what could or should be 

done differently in the future if a similar 

event occurs. 

◗ Medical personnel can attend staff, 

volunteer, client and community meetings 

to address questions about the manner of 

death or serious injury that continues to 

resonate with those affected by the critical 

incident. 

Getting the Word Out 

During critical incident times ongoing 

communication with the community is 

crucial. It is important to document all inhouse 

communications and to provide 

written media statements. Media statements 

should include information that reassures the 

community that services will resume upon 

stabilization of the program and informs 

them how to access services in the interim. 

Any disruption in services should be 

reported IMMEDIATELY to PCADV 

with the information requested on the 

Domestic Violence Critical Incident 

Response and Management Report 

Form. A plan to maintain services 

until the program is stabilized must 

be identified. 

When A Decision To 

Close Has Been Made 

If it is necessary for your program to close, 

provide enough staffing so advocates are 

available to respond to those clients who 

are not yet aware of the closing. Staff 

should remain available until word of the 

closing is communicated throughout the 

community. Consider how to reach those 

current clients who may not have access to 

any media sources. 

Review your program’s confidentiality 

policy. Questions about confidentiality 

issues should be immediately directed 

to the PCADV Legal Department. 

page 28 


Confidentiality 

Concerns Continue 

Some confusion usually accompanies a 

critical incident and may interfere with staff 

acting as they normally would. Confusion 

may also interfere with one’s ability to 

recall and follow protocols. Upholding 

confidentiality during a critical incident 

continues to be a key tool for protecting 

the safety of victims of domestic violence. 

Good control over client documents remains 

essential even as you stabilize services. 

Continuity of Services 

Your program can take a proactive step by 

creating reciprocal agreements with adjacent 

programs to cover hotlines, offer alternative 

shelter and provide other client services in the 

event of a critical incident. Formalizing these 

agreements in advance will ensure a smooth 

transition of those duties during a time when 

the potential for high stress and disorder 

exists. 

Adjust Staffing to Meet 

Fluctuations in Demands for Service 

As stated previously, victims who personally 

associate their situation with that of another 

victim who has recently been seriously 

injured or killed may not access services 

as readily as they would have prior to 

the traumatic event. If the media has 

sensationalized a domestic violence death, 

this may also contribute to an increase or 

decrease in the numbers of clients accessing 

your services in the days and weeks 

following heavy publicity in your local area. 

Hotline calls may drop off which means 

fewer staff may need to be scheduled. The 

shelter may clear out OR may fill up quickly. 

Be prepared to adjust staffing needs. 

Requests for services typically stabilize within 

a few weeks. In the meantime, this is also 

an opportunity to continue to educate the 

public (and victims who may be considering 

accessing your services) about domestic 

violence lethality and victim and community 

safety through the media. 

PCADV is able to provide technical 

assistance specific to these instances. 

Please contact the Director of 

Communications. 

Handling Specific Types of Incidents 

Tips For Using The Non-Profit Crisis Response 

Plan is an excellent resource that addresses 

incidents likely to occur at a non-profit agency 

and can help to supplement the information 

provided here. (http://hollyhartconsulting. 

com/Resources/docs/Non-Profit%20 

Agency%20Tips.pdf 

© Copyright HollyHartConsulting.com 2010.) 

Section five 


Section five 

Physical Injury 

Severe or moderate injury to clients and staff 

is probably the most frequently encountered 

issue. Severe injury or multiple injuries 

can disrupt services and/or trigger crisis 

reactions in witnesses. When the cause of 

the injury is unknown or there are multiple 

people with injuries or the injuries sustained 

are of a severe nature, staff may be called 

upon to provide assistance. The sight of 

such injuries can be incredibly powerful 

for witnesses and can initiate an emotional 

and/or physical crisis reaction; providing 

assistance to these individuals can also 

distract staff from their usual responsibilities. 

When the nature or cause of the injury is 

unknown, this uncertainty may be enough 

to send someone into a crisis reaction. 

Programs can alleviate the impact of severe 

or moderate injuries by being well prepared 

with a clear response plan in place. 

Assisting Medical Personnel 

When faced with multiple injured people, 

it is a good idea to put a nametag on each 

injured person. This will assist hospital staff 

in accurately identifying the patient and 

will allow them to more quickly provide 

appropriate treatment. 

When calling for assistance, provide 

specific and detailed directions to 

the emergency dispatcher so that first 

responders can locate the correct location/ 

entrance. Accurate communication can 

save crucial time, especially if your shelter 

is in an undisclosed or obscure location or 

has multiple entry points. Sending someone 

outside to greet the ambulance helps secure 

assistance more quickly. 

Transportation 

Transporting a sick or injured client, volunteer 

or staff member in a program or personal 

vehicle should occur: 

◗ Only in extreme circumstances 

◗ If an ambulance cannot reach 

the site 

Issues of liability must be considered. 

Transporting in a program or personal 

vehicle is not advised because it is 

impossible to know the extent of a person’s 

injuries or other health concerns, which 

could become an issue during transport. 

Follow your program’s existing procedure 

on providing emergency transportation to 

clients. 

If a resident, client, volunteer or staff person 

is transported by ambulance, it’s a good 

idea to have two staff accompany her/him 

to the hospital – one person to ride in the 

ambulance, a second to follow in another 

vehicle. (The second vehicle provides 

transportation back to the agency for both 

staff members). 

Staff should remain with the injured person 

until a family member or another responsible 

adult arrives. Do not leave an injured or 

seriously ill person alone at a medical facility. 

Wait until adequate support arrives. 

page 30 


If a parent/guardian of a minor client or a 

friend of an injured adult is present, AND the 

injured person prefers to have them transport, 

a judgment call is required. Programs usually 

have emergency procedures that tell them 

to call 911 to obtain transport for injured 

victims. Ask yourself: ”Is the injured 

person capable of making a rational 

decision about their transportation?” 

If not, call 911. 

Death 

Critical incidents of this nature require: 

◗ Strong and competent leadership 

◗ Ongoing clear communication 

◗ Reliable documentation 

◗ Strict adherence to 

confidentiality policies 

Staff, volunteers, BOD and clients may 

be able to maintain a sense of safety and 

security if they see that someone is in charge 

and that the situation is under control. Sudden 

death usually evokes emotional and physical 

crisis reactions, which can be contained 

with proper planning and compassionate, 

trauma-informed responses. It can be 

tempting for the team and its leader to give 

over program decisions to family members 

or other agencies. It is recommended that the 

team stay in charge of program decisions to 

provide the maximum support and leadership 

to staff, volunteers, BOD, clients, the affected 

family, families of other clients, and the 

community. 

Death Notification 

Program staff is not responsible for 

making death notifications to families. 

Only professionals trained to provide 

death notification should be doing so. This 

notification is a task that falls under the 

purview of law enforcement. Religious/faith 

leaders are additional likely resources to 

provide notifications to family members. 

Communication and Confidentiality 

After death notification to the family, the 

next ripple is likely to be staff, volunteers, 

other residents and witnesses who require 

immediate notification. Public statements to 

the media should be reserved until all who 

“need to know” have been notified. 

Confidentiality remains a primary 

concern in such a situation. Contact 

the PCADV Legal Department for any 

guidance or technical assistance. 

Verification of Death, Securing 

Personal Items and Documentation 

In the event of the death of a resident, client, 

volunteer or staff person, do not move or 

touch the body. Secure confirmation of death 

from a medical professional only. Verification 

of information is a critical element when 

responding to sudden death incidents. 

Accuracy must be established and then 

verified by a second source. 

Section five 

Program staff can help the family 

access the Victim Compensation 

Assistance Program for funeral 

expenses and loss of support when 

applicable. 


Section five 

In securing personal items: 

◗ Designate two staff members to 

handle any of the deceased’s personal 

items to ensure that all items are 

secured and turned over to the family. 

Doing so ensures that the program will 

not be held responsible for anything 

that is believed to be missing. When a 

criminal investigation is active, secure 

permission from law enforcement 

before giving items to family 

representatives. 

◗ Inventory the items 

◗ Ask the family member who accepts 

them to sign off on the list. 

Documentation by staff, volunteers and 

other witnesses is crucial for internal 

procedural and liability reviews and 

criminal investigations. It is critical to obtain 

written statements as soon as possible and 

then make additions to documentation 

as witnesses may remember more. As 

individuals begin to process the critical 

incident, they may remember more details 

than they were able to recall initially; this is a 

normal experience as time passes. 

Honoring the Deceased 

Public memorials sometimes spring up 

organically, while others are well organized 

and orchestrated, and some people may die 

quietly with little or no public recognition. 

This depends on many factors including the 

manner of death, location of death, public 

view or position of the deceased prior to 

death and cultural practices. 

Other public responses may be requested 

of your program. For example, a program 

with a flagpole was asked to lower its 

U.S. flag to half-staff. Only the governor or 

president can approve lowering the flag; 

therefore, it is recommended that programs 

redirect requests for public memorials or 

visible commemorations within the scope of 

the program or community, like posting a 

purple ribbon or candles in a public area. 

(An unintended consequence of the lowering 

of the flag is public complaints from veterans 

groups). 

The team should be involved in making 

final decisions about any public memorials 

initiated by program staff or participants 

so that they can thoroughly explore issues 

around confidentiality, community need and 

sensitivity, and unintended consequences or 

backlash to the program. 

page 32 


Death Rituals 

Sensitively removing/retiring objects that 

remind staff and clients of the loss (such as 

memorials, personal items, etc.) is important. 

Handling this issue, like many other aspects 

of responding to a crisis, is a balancing act. 

Some people may be less ready to move on 

than others. Yet, the longer things remain 

in place, the more difficult it is to eventually 

remove them. Work as a team to make these 

decisions. Secure outside professional advice 

if necessary. It is important to remove the 

name of a deceased person from all mailing, 

email and other lists. 

Be sensitive to religious, cultural and ethnic 

traditions and to appropriate etiquette 

related to death, visitation procedures and 

the funeral. Provide information on these 

topics to clients, volunteers, BOD and staff, 

if appropriate. If you believe that clients, 

volunteers and/or staff may need support at 

the visitation or funeral, develop a schedule 

of volunteers who will be able to support 

others at these functions. Secure non-agency 

professionals if necessary. NOTE: KCIT could 

be tapped for its “Companioning Model” to 

provide this support. 

Sudden Death Impacts 

Every culture and every person reacts to 

death differently. Death is often uncomfortable 

to discuss. Grief is a term that typically 

accompanies the topic of death; it is how 

someone feels the loss internally, while 

mourning is the outward, visible way to 

show the grief and loss felt internally. 

Some professionals working in the field of 

anticipated/natural death and loss subscribe 

to the “Five Stages of Grief” by Kessler & 

Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, 

depression and acceptance. The stages 

are not linear and are not the same for all 

people; it’s merely a framework to better 

equip individuals to live with loss. 

The type of loss discussed here is not the 

anticipatory or natural death most expect 

as a result of a terminal diagnosis or old 

age. The type of death discussed here 

is unnatural, unanticipated and 

therefore traumatic. The suddenness of the 

loss typically throws loved ones into an 

emotional crisis response, which includes 

shock and/or denial immediately, followed 

by a “cataclysm of emotions”: anger, grief, 

despair, detachment, sorrow, and depending 

on the circumstances, guilt and self-blame 

could also be included. Eventually survivors 

move toward rebuilding life without their 

loved one but, over the long term, may 

continue to feel spasms of sorrow and find 

ways to remember the person they lost. 

Section five 

Grief is not linear. 

There is no order of emotional reactions. 

There is no timeline. 


Section five 

Children and Death 

When children are the survivors, it is 

necessary to factor in their developmental 

age, as it will impact how they understand 

death, and it suggests how death is best 

explained to them. Sudden loss can impact 

their development. Intervention strategies 

with children change across the stages of 

development continuum. Professionals who 

work with children can be an important 

resource when there are child survivors. 

Immediate family members should be 

consulted and participate in every decision 

to be made with respect to surviving 

children. Similar considerations will apply 

for those children who may have been 

witnesses to the event or knew the victim(s) 

on some other level. The chart below details 

a child’s developmental stages of the 

understanding of death. 

Developmental Stages of the Understanding of Death 

(Hospice Support Care Inc.) 

page 34 


Staff, Volunteers, BOD and 

other Residents/Clients Reactions 

Staff, volunteers, BOD and other residents 

may also react to sudden loss with shock, 

denial, anger, despair, detachment and 

grief. They may also express thoughts 

or feelings of guilt or self-blame: “If I 

had only…” “It should have been me…” 

“I was supposed to be there…” “I was 

supposed to…” Staff may feel that they 

didn’t do enough to “make” her safe, or 

they should have “seen” something that 

wasn’t there. 

Hostage, Intruder 

and Evacuation Situations 

Refer to the PCADV Program Standards and 

your policies and procedures for situations 

of hostage taking, intruders on the premises 

and evacuation situations. 

Implement your Critical Incident Response 

Plan regarding reporting to PCADV for Tier 

One and Tier Two incidents, handling media 

inquiries and responding to the impact of 

crisis on staff and clients. 

Section five 

Staff may need time and resources to move 

through this traumatic response into an 

emotionally healthy grieving place. 

Possible resources include: 

• KCIT or your local crisis response 

team for immediate assistance 

• Referral to trained counseling 

professionals with experience in 

sudden loss and trauma issues for 

longer term counseling 

• VCAP may assist with the costs of 

counseling 

• An Employee Assistance Program 

may help cover counseling costs 

resulting from a work-related incident 

• Additional resources can be 

secured from professionals in 

your area. A resource library of 

appropriate readings may be helpful 

to staff, volunteers and clients. 


Section five 

Appendix Resources 

Responding to a critical incident: 

◗ Psychological First Aid – Field 

Operations Guide. (National Child Trauma 

Stress Network, National Center for PTSD) 

http://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/ 

pfa/english/1-psyfirstaid_final_complete_ 

manual.pdf 

◗ When Emergency Personnel Have 

Losses Too (Jeffrey T. Mitchell, Ph.D., CTS) 

http://www.icisf.org/images/stories/When_ 

Emergency_Personnel_Have_Losses_Too.pdf 

◗ A Guide to Managing Stress in 

Crisis Response Professions (Center for 

Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse 

and Mental Health Services Administration, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services) http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/ 

content/SMA05-4113/SMA05-4113.pdf 

Vicarious trauma: 

◗ Vicarious Trauma and Its Impact on 

Advocates, Therapists and Friends 

(Research & Advocacy Digest: Linking 

Advocates & Researchers; Vol 6:2, March 

2004) http://www.carmelacarlyle.com/ 

wpcc/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ 

Vicarious-trauma-articles.pdf 

◗ Tips for Talking to Children After 

a Disaster: A Guide for Parents and 

Educators (Center for Mental Health 

Services, Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration, U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services) 

http://www.samhsa.gov/MentalHealth/ 

Tips_Talking_to_Children_After_Disaster.pdf 

◗ What Parents Can Do: Helping 

Children and Adolescents Cope with 

Violence and Disasters (National 

Institute of Mental Health) 

http://infocenter.nimh.nih.gov/pdf/helpingchildren-and-adolescents-cope-with-violenceand-disasters-what-parents-can-do.pdf 


Operations Guide: 

• Tips For Parents 

with Infants and Toddlers 


with Preschool Children 


with School-Age Children 

• Tips For Parents with Adolescents 

(National Child Trauma Stress Network, 

National Center for PTSD) 

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/ 

manuals/manual-pdf/pfa/PFA_Appx_E_ 

handouts.pdf 

◗ BOOK: Trauma Stewardship: An 

Everyday Guide to Caring for Self 

while Caring for Others by Laura Van 

Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk; (Berrett- 

Koehler Publishers, Inc.) 

Developmental Stages of the 

Understanding of Death (Hospice 

Support Care, Inc.) 

http://www.hospicesupportcare.org/ 

development.pdf 

Working with children in the 

aftermath of a critical incident: 

A website offered by the Commonwealth 

provides a comprehensive, but concise look 

at planning and preparing for disasters, 

including links specific to people with 

disabilities, older Pennsylvanians and tips 

for parents. Go to www.readypa.org for 

more information. 

page 36 


PCADV MEDIA protocal ◗ 

pcadv speaks on behalf of member programs on issues of statewide 

importance, including policy and legislation. Whenever possible, pcadv 

seeks input from member programs on development of positions and public 

statements to the media. 

Section Six 

STATEWIDE Media 

Advocacy/Response 

◗ PCADV’s Communications Team is the 

first point of contact for media inquiries 

and coordinates the organization’s media 

responses. 

◗ PCADV’s executive director is the primary 

spokesperson for the organization. At times, 

the executive director may delegate this 

responsibility to another PCADV staff or 

Board member or refer media to a member 

program. 

◗ As a general rule, PCADV does not 

comment on specific incidents, cases, or 

individuals. 

LOCAL Media Advocacy/Response 

◗ PCADV programs take the lead on local 

media outreach and response. PCADV 

staff is available to assist programs 

in responding to media inquiries. All 

requests should be referred to PCADV’s 

Communications Team: 

• Ellen Lyon, Communications 

Specialist, 800-934-4632, ext 209 

(elyon@pcadv.org) 

• Judy Yupcavage, Director of 

Communications, 800-932-4632, 

ext 120, or 717-514-3416 (cell) 

(jyupcavage@pcadv.org) 

◗ When appropriate, PCADV staff will 

develop talking points, sample letters, press 

release templates and other background 

material for use by programs. PCADV also 

will connect programs with a PCADV staff 

person to provide in-depth support around a 

topic area. 

◗ PCADV staff may issue statements, in 

consultation with programs, regarding local 

media stories with statewide implications. 

Options include PCADV speaking from a 

statewide perspective, a program speaking 

as local expert, or PCADV and the program 

releasing a joint statement. 

◗ PCADV staff will inform programs when 

they respond to local media inquiries. 

Programs are asked to inform PCADV when 

they send press releases or offer comment to 

local media on statewide issues. 

Coalition Identity 

◗ PCADV will identify itself as “a statewide 

network of 60 community-based programs 

providing free and confidential services to 

domestic violence victims and their children 

in all 67 counties.” 

◗ Programs are encouraged to identify 

themselves as “a member of the Pennsylvania 

Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a 

statewide network of 60 community-based 

programs providing free and confidential 

services to domestic violence victims and 

their children in all 67 counties.” 

At no time will PCADV share information 

with the media about status of services to a 

victim or family, unless authorized to do so 

by the victim or surviving family members. 


Section six 

Managing Communications 

The control, flow, and accuracy of information are critical to the credibility of 

your program, particularly when it is under public scrutiny for all manner of 

incidents, allegations, and circumstances. We offer the following tips to help 

you manage program communications: 

Be Clear on Your 

Program Policies/Practices 

◗ Program Standards 

◗ Non-Discrimination Standards/Practices 

◗ Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality 

Policies 

◗ Referral Process for Victims When You 

Cannot Provide Them With Services 

Make Sure Staff/Volunteers 

Are Trained and Practicing in 

Accordance with Program Policies 

◗ Training should be offered to all program 

staff and volunteers. 

◗ Program should regularly monitor to 

ensure that services are offered according to 

standards. 

◗ You may want to post information internally 

about your program policies and practices 

or create a fact sheet to be kept close to the 

phones. 

Train Staff/Volunteers Who 

Answer Hotline and Office Calls 

◗ Make sure they are sufficiently informed 

to respond to questions about services and 

shelter for all individuals seeking help. 

◗ Advise them not to get caught up in 

conversations about program policies. Have 

them transfer calls or refer callers to the 

designated spokesperson. 

◗ All answers should be consistent and reflect 

your program’s policies/practices. 

◗ Pennsylvania domestic violence programs 

provide services to all victims without 

regard to age, race, creed, sex, ethnicity, 

color, national origin, marital status, sexual 

orientation, handicap or religion. It is never 

okay to state that your program does not 

serve or offer service to certain victims. 

◗ Guide staff on how to make responsible 

referrals. 

Keep Relevant Staff/ 

Board/Volunteers Informed 

of Developing Issues 

Everyone needs to be on the same page 

and have the same information. Decide 

in advance who needs to know pertinent 

information and how it is communicated – 

email, memo, meeting. 

If Applicable, Share 

Information with Shelter Residents 

Don’t underestimate how swiftly information 

can spread throughout a shelter. If something 

is happening that residents are aware of or 

are likely to hear about, gather them together 

or reach out through support groups or house 

meetings to offer reassurance of their safety 

and confidentiality, and provide appropriate 

levels of information about whatever is 

happening. 

Keep PCADV Informed 

◗ Contact the Legal Department for issues of 

confidentiality and conflict of interest. 

◗ Contact the Contracts Department for issues 

relating to program services or complaints. 

◗ Contact the Communications Team for 

media response. 

page 38 


Creating Communications Plan 

Having a communications plan in place (before you need it) is key to 

staying on top of a controversy. The scope of this plan will vary, based on 

the size of the organization; however, all plans should include a number 

of key elements. 

Section Six 

Designate An 

Organizational Spokesperson 

This can be your executive director, 

communications specialist, or someone 

trained to handle media inquiries and 

disgruntled callers. 

Make Sure Everyone In Your 

Organization Knows Who Is 

The Designative Spokesperson Is 

There can be no confusion about who 

should be notified when your program 

receives a call, email, letter, or visit from 

someone raising concerns about the 

quality of services, the lack of services, 

alleged discriminatory practices, breach of 

confidentiality, etc. 

Decide If You Want To Give The Name 

Or Title Of Your Spokesperson To 

Callers And Visitors 

Make sure staff is aware of the protocol 

so they’re not giving out unauthorized 

information. 

Gather Information 

As soon as an allegation or controversy 

comes to your attention, pull all relevant staff 

together to chronicle the timeline, statements, 

interactions, referrals, etc. 

Don’t Make It A Story If It’s Not One 

Wait to see if the story hits mainstream 

media before you make public comments. 

Sometimes these things just fade away. 

Get Out In Front Of The Story 

If the issue is picked up by mainstream media 

(or is about to), immediately reach out to 

your media contacts, let them know you’re 

getting the facts together and will be issuing 

a statement. 

Create Talking Points 

Frame points in anticipation of questions. 

Keep on topic and don’t make any 

statements that cannot be backed up. 

Organize A Media 

Response Network 

Be prepared to counter negative public 

comments about your program services, 

operations, or staff through a network of 

community supporters who are lined up and 

ready to respond in a timely manner. 

◗ Ask a program-friendly district attorney, 

judge, county commissioner, township 

supervisor, borough councilperson, police 

chief, physician, business leader, donor, 

etc., to write letters to the editor, op-eds 

or be available for interviews. 

◗ Offer to help draft their responses. 

◗ Emphasize the urgency for quick 

turnaround. 


page 39

Section Six 

A Reference Guide to the Media 

What To Do Before The Media Calls 

◗ Designate a spokesperson -- your 

executive director or someone else who is 

knowledgeable and can quickly respond. 

◗ Make sure everyone in the organization 

knows who the spokesperson is and to refer 

media inquiries to them. 

◗ When something happens that may draw 

media attention, immediately call together 

your media spokesperson and relevant staff, 

decide on an action plan and gather the facts 

you will need to speak to the media. 

◗ Create talking points in anticipation of 

a question. Use them to answer both the 

questions asked and those you wish had 

been asked. 

◗ Contact PCADV for advice and support 

or if you need information on policy and 

legislative issues. 

◗ Be prepared to quickly respond to media 

inquiries and stories. 

Television Interview Tips 

◗ Find out the focus of the interview and what 

questions will be asked so you can prepare 

in advance. Ask if the interview will be live or 

taped. 

◗ Avoid white clothing and busy patterns. 

Limit jewelry. 

◗ Show the crew any visuals you can offer 

them – photos, etc. 

◗ Prepare answers to frequently asked 

offensive questions so you aren’t caught off 

guard. Try to turn the question around to 

something you want to answer. 

◗ Consider preparing a written statement 

instead of doing interviews, if the occasion 

warrants it (i.e. there are questions you don’t 

want to or can’t answer). 

◗ Provide an appropriate place for the 

interview. Natural light is always the most 

flattering. 

◗ Be willing to “walk and talk” or do some 

other kind of active interview. 

◗ Check the mirror before you go before the 

camera. Correct dangling microphones, etc. 

◗ Prepare victims and survivors for the media 

onslaught. Offer to attend interviews with 

them. Help them prepare a written statement. 

Offer to speak to the media if in their place. 

Support their decision. 

◗ Create a plan for countering negative 

public comments and media stories. Line up 

people to write letters to the editor or online 

postings. Offer them model responses. 

◗ Don’t look at the camera. Focus on the 

interviewer. 

◗ Lean attentively toward the interviewer. This 

signals interest and avoids slouching. 

◗ If you are being interviewed with someone 

else, look attentive and interested even when 

you are not talking. You may still be on 

camera. 

page 40 


◗ If you make a mistake or don’t like what 

you are saying, STOP, then start over. If you 

change your mind about something you’ve 

said, make it known while the camera is still 

on. Don’t wait. 

◗ It’s okay to say you don’t know the answer 

to something or you don’t have the information 

requested at your fingertips. Offer to get back 

to the reporter with the information and then 

do so in a timely manner. 

Section Six 

◗ Expect that a lengthy interview may be 

edited to a minute of actual airtime. 

Radio Interview Tips 

◗ Ask about the station’s audience so you 

know to whom you are speaking. 

◗ Contact the station a few weeks before the 

event you want covered. 

◗ Sometimes if the station can’t send 

a reporter to your event they will do a 

telephone interview with you. 

◗ Remember that radio is an auditory 

medium. Create word pictures for the listener. 

Tell them what you want them to see. 

◗ Because of the immediacy of radio, radio 

reporters have little time to track down 

experts on a breaking news story. Make 

yourself known as an expert spokesperson 

on domestic violence, and share your contact 

information so they can call you when they 

need you. 

General Media Tips for Advocates 

◗ If you can’t answer a reporter’s question 

because of confidentiality issues, explain 

that you can neither confirm nor deny who 

is or was a client of your program. Speak 

generally about the issue of domestic 

violence. Use the opportunity to inform 

and educate without getting into the 

specifics a case. 

◗ Treat the media with courtesy. Build a 

relationship with reporters so you can 

have some influence over how they present 

domestic violence issues. Praise them when 

they do a good job. Don’t just call them to 

complain. 

◗ Pitch story ideas to reporters you trust. 

Don’t be disappointed if they can’t do 

every story. Be aware that the media are 

often hungry for stories at slow news times 

(between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, 

August, etc.). 

◗ Educate the media about the problems 

of victim-blaming, victim stereotyping, 

romanticizing domestic violence and 

excusing offender behavior. Give the 

media a better understanding of the victims’ 

perspective. 

◗ Prepare for interviews. Ask about the 

interview’s focus and what kinds of questions 

you should expect. Gather up-to-date facts 

and statistics. Prepare talking points you 

want to cover. Know the audience to whom 

you will be speaking. 

◗ Dress professionally for interviews. Speak 

clearly. Maintain eye contact with the 

interviewer. Limit hand gestures. 

◗ Keep answers brief but informative. Don’t 

use jargon or acronyms. 

◗ Avoid saying “no comment.” It sounds 

evasive and unfriendly. 


page 41

Section Six 

Preparing Victims and 

Survivors for Media Inquiries 

◗ Help them assess how they want to deal 

with the media. You can suggest they appoint 

a family spokesperson. You can offer to help 

them prepare a written statement in lieu of 

interviews. You can offer to accompany them 

on interviews. You can offer to speak to the 

media if they don’t want to. Support and 

respect their decisions. 

◗ Caution them about the negatives of talking 

to the media, including loss of anonymity, 

over-simplification of the crime, hurtful 

stereotypes, sensationalism, and possible 

response in the media from the perpetrator’s 

family. 

◗ Inform them of the positives, including 

gaining a sense of control and empowerment, 

telling their own story, influencing the 

accuracy and sensitivity of the coverage 

and getting wider exposure in the case of 

kidnappings or unsolved cases. 

◗ Help them negotiate the parameters of 

interviews. Ask the reporter what the story’s 

angle will be, what questions will be asked 

and who else will be interviewed. 

◗ Explain that reporters do not write 

headlines, choose photos, write photo 

captions or decide the length or placement of 

a story; editors make those decisions. 

◗ Warn them that lengthy television and radio 

interviews often get reduced to a minute of 

airtime. 

◗ Explain their options when coverage is 

inaccurate. They can complain to the reporter 

or editor, request a correction and/or write a 

letter to the editor. 

page 42 


Media Tips for Victims & Families 

You Have the Right to: 

◗ Tell your story. 

◗ Say “NO” to an interview (even if you 

have given interviews to other reporters.) 

◗ Select a spokesperson to speak for you and 

your family. 

◗ Set the time and place for the interview. 

◗ Have someone with you during the 

interview. 

◗ Provide a written statement instead of 

giving an interview. 

◗ Give, or refuse to give, photographs. 

◗ Ask that offensive pictures and footage not 

be used. 

◗ Exclude children from interviews. 

◗ Decline to answer specific questions. 

◗ Demand a correction when the facts in a 

report are inaccurate. 

◗ Request or deny interviews with specific 

reporters. 

◗ Be treated with dignity and respect by the 

media. 

◗ Grieve in private. 

◗ Avoid a press conference and speak to one 

reporter at a time. 

◗ Refrain from answering media questions 

during trials. 

Drawbacks of Speaking to the Media 

◗ May be misquoted. 

◗ Lose anonymity. 

◗ Compromise physical safety or 

psychological well-being. 

◗ May impede the criminal case. 

◗ May feel exploited. 

Questions To Ask: 

◗ What is this story about? 

◗ How will the interview be used? 

◗ Who else will be interviewed? 

◗ What questions will be asked? 

◗ Is TV/radio interview live or taped? 

Interview Tips: 

◗ Write an outline or statement in advance. 

◗ Keep your answers brief and positive. 

◗ Set limits. You can tell the reporter you won’t 

discuss some things. 

◗ Remember, once you have said something 

you can’t take it back. 

◗ Don’t go “off the record.” Assume 

everything you say will be used. 

◗ Don’t guess or speculate. 

◗ Remember you are really speaking to your 

interviewer’s audience. 

Section Six 

Why Speak to the Media: 

◗ Influence public opinion and policy. 

◗ Help law enforcement catch criminals. 

◗ Prevent others from becoming crime victims. 

◗ Gain a sense of control and empowerment. 

◗ Achieve more accurate and sensitive 

coverage. 

◗ Get your message out. 

◗ Educate the public about your experience. 

When You are Misquoted 

or the Story is Wrong: 

◗ First decide if the error is important enough 

to pursue. 

◗ Call the reporter and request a correction. If 

you don’t get satisfaction, contact the editor. 

◗ Consider writing a letter to the editor to 

correct the record. A correction is in the 

editor’s words. A letter to the editor is in your 

own words. 


page 43

Section Six 

DISPELLING MYTHS 

Myth: It’s Just A Domestic Dispute 

Reality: It’s Actually A Deadly 

Crime 

It’s against the law to abuse a family 

or household member or intimate 

partner. 

Domestic violence often is more 

brutal and deadly than stranger-onstranger 

assault. Without appropriate 

intervention, the violence may only 

get worse and continue into the next 

generation. 

Myth: It Doesn’t Happen In 

My Neighborhood 

Reality: It Can Happen Anywhere 

Myth: It’s Not My Business 

Reality: It’s Everyone’s Business 

Domestic violence takes a toll on the 

entire community. The Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention estimates 

the annual cost of lost productivity due 

to domestic violence equals $727.8 

million, with more than 7.9 million paid 

workdays lost each year. 

The CDC also estimates the healthrelated 

costs of intimate partner rape, 

physical assault, stalking and homicide 

exceed $5.8 billion each year, with 

$4.1 billion going toward direct 

medical and mental health-related 

services. And many times, the cost is 

someone’s life. 

Domestic violence happens in all 

communities, at all income and 

education levels, with victims and 

perpetrators representing a diverse 

cross-section of society. Where 

someone lives has little to do with the 

people they live with and what goes 

Myth: It’s Love Gone Wrong 

Reality: Love Has Nothing 

To Do With It 

on behind their closed doors. 

Domestic violence is about obsession, 

possession, revenge, power and 

control. An abuser doesn’t just “snap.” 

The violence most often is methodical, 

calculating, and intended to cause fear 

Myth: It’s The Economy 

Reality: It’s Domestic Violence 

Made Worse By 

The Economy 

Recession, unemployment and empty 

bank accounts create stress that can 

intensify in situations where domestic 

violence already exists. 

Many programs in Pennsylvania and 

around the country attribute their 

overflowing shelters and waiting lists 

to the financial hardships confronting 

victims and their batterers. Domestic 

violence advocates are gravely 

concerned for the safety of victims 

and their children who now have 

fewer options and resources as the 

abuse escalates and funding for local 

domestic violence programs dwindles. 

page 44 


Myth: She Can Just Leave 

Reality: It’s More Complicated Than That 

Victims stay with or return to their 

batterers for multiple reasons, including: 

◗ Fear the violence will intensify if they 

leave. Victims often are in the most 

danger when they attempt to end the 

relationship. 

◗ Fear their batterers will retaliate 

against their children if they leave or 

seek custody. They may sacrifice their 

own safety so their children can have a 

father, good schools, a roof over their 

heads, and financial security. 

◗ The hope their batterers can change 

with counseling. 

◗ Their love for their partners and their 

willingness to forgive them. 

◗ The lack of support systems to help 

them escape the abuse because 

their batterers have deliberately and 

systematically isolated them from family, 

friends, co-workers and others. 

◗ The lack of economic resources to 

support themselves and their children. 

Batterers often sabotages their partners’ 

credit rating (or prevents them from 

establishing one at all) and damage 

their employment record by harassing 

them at work and causing lateness and 

absenteeism. 

◗ Inaccurate information about battering. 

Professionals, family, friends and the 

batterer may say that alcohol or drugs 

cause battering. Victims are told they are 

co-dependent and enable his behavior. 

Victims find themselves blamed for not 

trying hard enough. 

◗ The lack of available alternative and 

affordable housing 

◗ Religious beliefs that compel them to 

try to make even an abusive marriage 

work. Religious leaders may tell them 

that leaving or divorce is not an option. 

◗ Their fear for their batterer’s wellbeing 

because he threatens suicide if they 

leave or exaggerates the devastating 

effects of prison if they call police. 

Section Six 

Myth: Children Are Unharmed 

Reality: Children Are Always 

At Risk Of Harm 

Every risk, injury, and disruption that 

domestic violence victims endure, their 

children also endure. Their educational, 

social, emotional and behavioral 

development may be adversely 

affected. Often, once the abuse is 

directed toward the children, victims 

may increase their efforts to leave. 

Myth: If She Wanted To Get Help, 

She’d Ask For It 

Reality: It’s Not That Easy 

In homes where domestic violence is 

a way of life, fear and intimidation 

can cripple and paralyze to the extent 

that victims aren’t able to reach out 

for help. Batterers often isolate victims 

from families, friends, neighbors and 

other people who could help, if they 

knew about the abuse. 


Section Six 

Myth: Women Lie About 

Being Abused 

Reality: Their Injuries And Actions 

Speak For Themselves 

Myth: A PFA Is Just A Piece 

Of Paper 

Reality: A PFA Has The Full Power 

Of The Court Behind It 

Our experience working with over 

2.5 million victims, the majority of 

them women, is that they are battered, 

bruised and bloodied; have lived 

in fear and fled in terror; and seek 

justice, safety and peace of mind for 

themselves and their children. 

Our experience collaborating over three 

decades with the statewide network 

of providers of batterer intervention 

services is that many batterers accuse 

their victims of lying because they refuse 

to recognize or don’t realize that their 

behavior is abusive and criminal. It often 

takes months of intensive education and 

one-on-one sessions before a batterer 

acknowledges and stops minimizing and 

trivializing the violence and its impact. 

Myth: Women Use PFAs 

To Get Custody 

Reality: Custody Awards 

Prove Otherwise 

A National Institute of Justice study found 

that 35% of mothers alleging abuse were 

awarded primary custody, compared 

to 42% of mothers who did not allege 

abuse and were awarded custody. 

Protection From Abuse orders have 

protected hundreds of thousands 

of domestic violence victims in 

Pennsylvania from harm. 

A study in the Journal of the American 

Medical Association found that 

protection orders (issued for 12 months 

or longer) are likely to reduce policereported 

physical violence by 80 

percent. 

A protection order is never intended 

to be the only option for victims, who 

are encouraged to also work with 

an advocate at their local domestic 

violence program to create a safety 

plan that may include a shelter stay, 

relocation, pursuit of criminal charges, 

etc. It’s important to recognize that 

a PFA order is only as effective as 

the enforcement behind it, and lax 

and inconsistent enforcement by the 

courts and police can have deadly 

consequences. 

The American Psychological 

Association reports that allegations 

of abuse rarely result in the denial of 

parental contact, even when abuse is 

substantiated. 

page 46 


Myth: Victims Violate Their 

Protection Orders 

Reality: This is Legally Impossible 

Protection orders are issued against 

batterers (defendants), not victims. 

Only a person against whom an 

order is entered can violate the order. 

The PFA Act provides that an order 

against the defendant and the victim 

can only be ordered if each party files 

a separate petition for relief and the 

court, after reviewing the evidence, 

concludes that each party committed 

acts of domestic violence. 

Myth: There’s No Penalty for 

Women Who Lie 

Reality: PA Laws & Court Rules 

Provide Sanctions 

for Lying 

Myth: Attorneys Encourage 

Clients to Allege Abuse 

Reality: Some Do, Most Don’t 

The vast majority of attorneys do 

not advise their clients to make false 

statements. Attorneys admitted to 

the Pennsylvania Bar are expressly 

prohibited from using or advising 

their clients to use false statements to 

advance a case under Rule 8.1. Bar 

Admission and Disciplinary Matters. 

Any member of the Pennsylvania Bar 

who encourages their client to make 

false statements should be reported to 

the Pennsylvania Bar Association for 

disciplinary action. When attorneys 

encourage their clients to lie about 

abuse to gain an advantage in court, 

the flaw is with their ethics, not with 

the Protection From Abuse Act. 

Section Six 

Pennsylvania’s Protection From Abuse 

Act provides sanctions for making false 

allegations, including paying damages 

and attorney fees. In addition, 

accountability measures for plaintiffs 

who provide false testimony exist in 

court rule (Pa.R.C.P). No. 1023.1). 

Myth: Judges Rubber Stamp 

Protection Orders 

Reality: It Just Isn’t So 

Judges are charged with providing 

both parties an opportunity to be 

heard and carefully considering 

evidence in a PFA case, just as 

they would in any other civil case. 

Frequently, judges do not rule in favor 

of the plaintiff. 

In addition, both plaintiffs and 

defendants have the right to appeal 

judicial decisions in PFA cases. 


Section Six 

Myth: There’s Nothing I Can Do About Domestic Violence 

Reality: There’s Always Something You Can Do 

If friends or family 

members are being abused: 

◗ Call police if you see or hear abuse. 

◗ Ask if they’re safe or need someone to 

talk to. 

◗ Explain that FREE and CONFIDENTIAL 

help is available for victims and their 

children at their local domestic violence 

programs, and encourage them to call 

the program hotline. 

◗ Offer a ride to a local shelter, or to 

baby-sit while they attend counseling 

appointments. 

◗ Offer to board their pets. 

How to help your local 

domestic violence program: 

◗ Volunteer your time. 

◗ Donate money, phone or gas cards, 

gift certificates, bus tickets, etc. 

◗ Organize a fundraising event or 

activity. 

◗ Offer to board pets or livestock while 

victims are in shelter. 

◗ Sponsor a family for a holiday meal, 

holiday gifts, etc. 

If friends or family 

members are abusive: 

◗ Call police if you see/hear abuse. 

◗ Tell them there are no excuses for 

abuse, and they may lose their families, 

friends, homes and jobs if it doesn’t 

stop. 

◗ Hold them accountable for their 

behavior. 

◗ Support their efforts to obtain batterer 

intervention treatment. 

Contact your local domestic 

violence program to learn more 

about what you can do to help. 

Calling them will also ensure you 

offer the help they really need. 

page 48 


Community Response 

This information can help community leaders* identify and access community 

resources in the immediate aftermath of a critical incident. These resources 

will have lasting impact as the community honors those lost and remembers 

the incident across generations. Programs may want to share this chapter 

with other community leaders and maintain it as a reference for follow-up to 

crisis interventions. 

Section seven 

No disaster, crisis or traumatic event happens 

in a vacuum. Those affected are more likely to 

recover with the support of those around them 

– partners, children, family, co-workers, faith 

communities, and the community within which 

they live and interact daily. Envision ripples 

in a pond when a stone is cast; this is similar 

to the rippled effect trauma may have when 

cast into the life of a survivor. Community 

responses to a traumatic event work to 

address the needs of those “rippled” around 

the survivor(s) and begin to repair the social 

fabric connecting the smaller communities of 

interest and the greater community at large. 

*Community leader is loosely defined for 

these purposes as someone who has: 

• A leadership role across the entire 

community in question 

• Guidance within smaller communities 

that contribute to community-wide social 

fabric 

• Expressed or informally established 

influence and/or access to community 

leaders who have express authority 

to make decisions about community 

services and resource allocation 

In this section you will find information about: 

Individual and 

Community Crisis Reaction 

◗ How communities react to traumatic events 

◗ How community-wide responses can help 

Domestic Violence Intersections 

with Collective Trauma 

◗ Victims living in the community may have 

intense reactions to a domestic violence 

fatality or near fatality 

◗ Education about crisis reactions and 

resources is important for all members of the 

community 

Honoring Victims 

◗ Considerations for planning memorials 

◗ Co-workers and classmates may want to 

participate in planning 

Community Awareness Events – 

Ideas To Help You Get Started 

◗ Links to some national and local initiatives 

honoring victims of domestic violence 

◗ Awareness is more than a month 


page 49

Section seven 

Individual and 

Community Crisis Reaction 

An individual trauma is a “blow 

to the psyche that breaks through 

one’s defenses so suddenly and with 

such force that one cannot respond 

effectively.” 

~ Kai T. Erikson, In the Wake 

of the Flood, 1979 

Communities can also experience trauma 

and react collectively. Every community 

will differ in its immediate and long-term 

reactions to a traumatic event. Factors 

influencing such reactions include: 

◗ Trauma history within the community 

◗ Its identification of risk and preparation for 

traumatic events prior to any trauma 

◗ The duration of the trauma 

◗ How the community responds to the 

traumatic event 

There is a patterned crisis reaction that 

occurs in all of us (as previously mentioned 

in Section 5). The long-term crisis reactions 

each person will experience vary and may 

be impacted by: 

◗ The immediate response in the 

aftermath of trauma 

◗ Trauma history 

◗ Age 

◗ Developmental stage 

◗ Life factors 

◗ Social support 

◗ Access to resources 

◗ Resiliency factors 

◗ Physical and cognitive abilities 

It is necessary to respond to 

communities in crisis to begin to undo 

the harm done and support the healing 

of all communities affected by the 

traumatic event. 

Leaders, responsible for the entire 

community or a smaller subset of the 

community, should recognize that diverse 

groups might react differently based on 

similar factors that influence individual crisis 

reactions. Recognizing the range of possible 

reactions will help communities respond 

and access the resources that are best 

suited for sub-communities that contribute 

to the strength of the overall social fabric. 

According to Erikson, collective trauma 

is a “blow to the tissues of social life 

that damages the bonds attaching 

people together.” 

page 50 


◗ A community-wide response to a traumatic 

event may look different each time a crisis 

occurs. 

◗ Those within one or more of the “ripples,” 

such as schools or workplaces, may want 

to provide assistance to those more directly 

affected by the traumatic event. 

◗ Community leaders should recognize that 

those who are even peripherally affected 

might find comfort in providing assistance in 

some way. 

◗ The media, volunteers, staff and board 

members can help get the word out about 

identifying and filling those needs. 

◗ All parts of the community may be affected 

by the traumatic event. So reach out with 

resources that are designed to address a 

range of needs, questions and concerns. 

◗ Community leaders can help facilitate time, 

place and space for ongoing memorials to 

those lost. 

As a leader within your community, you can 

help! 

◗ DO reach out for help, and DO suggest 

others do the same with the best interest of 

your shared community as the focal point. 

◗ BE proactive. Find out if there is an 

emergency or crisis response plan designed 

for your community. Become familiar with 

the agencies that can/will respond to critical 

incidents. 

Each community will differ in resources and 

capacity to respond; PCADV or KCIT can 

help direct you to those resources upon 

request. Managing critical incidents includes 

preparation. (Refer to Section 6 for more 

information about a program Critical Incident 

Response Plan). 

Domestic Violence Intersections 

with Collective Trauma 

If the traumatic event has occurred within a 

domestic violence program, its impact on 

staff, BOD, volunteers and victims may be 

more or less intense due to: 

◗ Existing trauma history 

◗ Life factors (shelter, food, clothing, etc.) that 

either create a solid foundation for the victim 

or add to her/his vulnerability 

◗ Social supports that may be limited due 

to the imposed isolation on the domestic 

violence victim 

◗ Their ability to tap into resilience factors that 

worked in the past 

Domestic violence fatalities or near fatalities 

may be publicized quickly depending on 

media response and interest. Publicity around 

these tragic events ripples throughout the 

larger community, beyond the program walls. 

Those living in the community as victims 

of domestic violence and those witnessing 

violent acts at home may identify with the 

victim and have trauma histories that yield 

an intense reaction. Others in the community 

may exhibit extreme responses because it is 

a critical incident that reminds them of some 

previous trauma that is not related to domestic 

violence. Education about crisis reactions 

and resources is crucial for all members 

of the community to address these needs. 

Beyond those who exhibit crisis reactions 

will be others who simply want to help the 

victim’s family or generally help restore the 

community in some way. 

Section seven 


Section seven 

Honoring Victims 

Professionals working in community crisis 

response agencies and organizations 

recognize that there is sometimes a need 

for communities to continue to honor and 

remember those lost and/or affected by a 

traumatic event. Community leaders can 

work with these professionals to find ways 

to provide such memorials and to do so in 

a supportive way that promotes healing 

for all groups within the community and 

those more directly affected. Conversely, 

there may be special events, time markers, 

anniversaries and criminal justice activity 

that stir emotional reactions in ways that are 

once again overwhelming, even if planned 

or anticipated. Community leaders should try 

to anticipate and prepare for such events; 

contact PCADV for technical assistance 

and local crisis response professionals for 

community assistance and support. 

Always consider the wishes of the 

surviving family and include them in the 

planning if they choose. 

The ways in which communities honor victims 

vary as widely as the make-up of each 

community. Public or private memorials? Or 

maybe nothing at all? Primary consideration 

rests with the family of the direct victim(s); in 

some situations, families choose or refuse to 

acknowledge certain aspects of a person’s 

life and may not acknowledge the domestic 

violence at all. Don’t be afraid to be creative, 

just anticipate there may be some opposition. 

Considerations when making decisions about 

memorials: 

◗ What would the victim(s) have 

preferred? Who would best know the 

victim’s wishes? 

◗ What does the family want? 

◗ What do other survivors want? 

◗ The purpose of the memorial? 

◗ Location 

◗ Audience 

◗ Cost 

Types of memorials: 

◗ Living memorials such as gardens 

or remembrance centers. Some living 

memorials are now happening online. 

◗ Prayer or religious or spiritual services 

are common for those who rely on a 

higher being for strength through difficult 

times. 

◗ Permanent memorials serve to 

remember and honor victims in future 

generations. 

◗ Marches and speak-outs provide the 

opportunity for actual voices to be heard 

and generate public awareness in the 

aftermath of a traumatic event. 

◗ Races and walks continue to honor the 

victim(s); they also provide an opportunity 

for community education and usually 

include a fundraising component. 

Victims and survivors often have 

compelling stories that resonate with the 

public in immeasurable ways. 

page 52 


Community-driven memorials will include 

others who want to remember and honor that 

person as well. 

◗ Employers and co-workers of 

those lost may want to contribute or 

participate in honoring a colleague lost in 

a critical incident. 

• Workplaces may have access 

to additional human and monetary 

resources to move a project to 

completion. 

Section seven 

◗ Schools and classmates may want 

to recognize young victims. 

• Monitor and address emotional 

well-being issues as necessary. 

Consult with school professionals and 

counselors who have specific training 

working with children affected by 

trauma and grief. 

• Participation in honoring a victim 

can be therapeutic for children and 

teens. 

• Parents should provide input and 

consent. 

• Consider offering them information 

about crisis reactions and traumatic 

grief for their own purposes and to 

equip them to provide support to their 

children. 

• Children can be incredibly 

creative and often find ways to make 

others, including adults, feel better. 


page 53

Section seven 

Community Awareness Events - 

Ideas to Help you get Started 

Empty Place at the Table 

Domestic violence is a deadly crime that 

creates a painful void and a permanent 

empty place at the table for families whose 

loved ones were killed at the hands of 

batterers. Following a cluster of domestic 

violence murders in Lackawanna County, 

PA, in 1993, the community responded 

by holding a rally and march outside the 

courthouse. To keep the momentum for 

social change alive, rally organizers and 

the Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (a 

PCADV member program) worked together 

to create An Empty Place at the Table. This 

exhibit demonstrates the devastating result 

of violence against women and children 

and helps ensure that these deaths are not 

forgotten. 

http://www.pcadv.org/Raising-Awareness/ 

Empty-Place-at-the-Table.asp 

The Silent Witness 

National Initiative 

Clothesline Project 

The Clothesline Project is a visual display that 

bears witness to the violence against women 

and children. The Clothesline Project exhibits 

T-shirts designed by survivors of abuse and 

those who have lost loved ones to it. Shirt 

colors represent a variety of victimizations 

such as child sexual assault or domestic 

violence. Survivors then decorate the T-shirt 

to represent and honor their experience. The 

shirts are hung on a clothesline display to: 

• Honor survivors and memorialize victims 

• Help with the healing process for 

survivors and people who have lost a loved 

one to violence 

• Educate, document, and raise society’s 

awareness about crimes of violence against 

women and children 

• Build a national network of communities 

with their own Clothesline Projects 

http://dvam.vawnet.org/campaigns/ 

clothesline.php 

In 1990, a group of women artists and 

writers, alarmed by the growing number 

of women in Minnesota being murdered 

by their partners or acquaintances, joined 

together with several other women’s 

organizations to form Arts Action Against 

Domestic Violence. They decided to create 

26 free-standing, life-sized red wooden 

figures, each one bearing the name of 

a woman who once lived, worked, had 

neighbors, friends, family, children and 

whose life ended violently at the hands 

of a husband, ex-husband, partner, or 

acquaintance. A twenty-seventh figure was 

added to represent those uncounted women 

whose murders went unsolved or were 

erroneously ruled accidental. 

http://dvam.vawnet.org/campaigns/silentwitness.php 

Purple Ribbon 

Although the exact history of this symbol 

is difficult to pinpoint, across the country 

families and friends of victims have adopted 

the purple ribbon to remember and honor 

their loved ones who have lost their lives 

at the hands of a person they once loved 

and trusted. Shelters and local domestic 

violence programs use the purple ribbon to 

raise awareness about the crime of domestic 

violence in their communities. 

http://dvam.vawnet.org/campaigns/purpleribbon.php 

page 54 


Remember My Name Project 

The National Coalition Against Domestic 

Violence (NCADV), in conjunction with 

Ms. Magazine, started this project in 1994 

to create a national registry of names to 

increase public awareness of domestic 

violence deaths. Since then, NCADV has 

continued to collect information on incidents 

of women who have been killed by an 

intimate partner and produces a poster each 

year for Domestic Violence Awareness Month 

listing the names of those submitted. 

http://www.ncadv.org/programs/ 

RememberMyNameProject.php 

The Emily Fund for a Better World 

The mission of The EMILY Fund is to continue 

Emily Rachel Silverstein’s legacy of hope 

in action for a more peaceful, just and 

sustainable world, through education, 

mentorship and creating and disseminating 

educational resources to facilitate individuals 

and student-centered organizations to 

experience local and global social change 

through community building activities. Emily 

was killed by her ex-boyfriend in April, 2009, 

at Gettysburg College where they were both 

students. 

http://www.emilyfund.org/ 

Section seven 

Telling Amy’s Story 

Hosted by actress and advocate Mariska 

Hargitay, and told by Detective Deirdri Fishel, 

Telling Amy’s Story follows the timeline of a 

domestic violence homicide that occurred on 

Nov. 8, 2001. The victim’s parents and coworkers, 

law enforcement officers, and court 

personnel share their perspectives on what 

happened to Amy in the weeks, months, and 

years leading up to her death. Unfortunately, 

the ending to Amy’s story will not change; 

however her friends, family and community 

hope that telling her story can change 

outcomes for the millions of victims, survivors, 

and loved ones affected by domestic violence 

every day. Telling Amy’s Story is a public 

service media project by Penn State Public 

Broadcasting, made possible with funding 

from the Verizon Foundation and HopeLine 

from Verizon Wireless. 

http://telling.psu.edu/index.html 

Emily Fund, Stop Dating Violence 

Stop Dating Violence is a project of The 

Emily Fund and encourages teens to take 

a pledge to be non-abusive in their dating 

relationships. It also encourages communities 

to promote healthy dating relationships and 

issue community-wide proclamations to end 

violence against women. 

http://www.stopdatingviolence.org/ 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 

Frank Baird created Walk a Mile in Her 

Shoes ® in 2001. What started out as a small 

group of men daring to totter around a park 

in high heels has grown to become a worldwide 

movement with tens of thousands of men 

raising millions of dollars for local rape crisis 

centers, domestic violence shelters and other 

sexualized violence education, prevention 

and remediation programs. Walk a Mile in 

Her Shoes ® asks men to literally walk one 

mile in women’s high-heeled shoes. It’s not 

easy walking in these shoes, but it’s fun and 

it gets the community to talk about something 

that’s really difficult to talk about: gender 

relations and sexual violence. 

http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/index. 

html 


page 55

Section seven 

Randi’s Race 

This annual race is a tribute to Randi Trimble 

who was brutally murdered by a hit man 

hired by her husband in 2003. An on-going 

fundraising event such as Randi’s Race is 

essential to Domestic Violence Services 

of Cumberland and Perry Counties (a 

PCADV member program) to ensure that 

the necessary funding will be available to 

assist victims of domestic violence in our 

community. 

http://www.dvscp.org/Randi-s-Race.html 

Step Out Against 

Domestic Violence 

Step Out is a 5K Walk/Run held in 

communities across the country to raise 

awareness about domestic violence and the 

services available locally. It also helps raise 

funds to support the elimination of domestic 

violence. Turning Point of Lehigh Valley 

sponsors a Step Out event annually as part 

of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

http://www.turningpointlv.org/news-events/ 

news-events/ 

Awareness Is More Than A Month! 

Domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking 

and child abuse each have a designated 

month in which many programs focus energy 

to raise awareness within their communities. 

VAWnet (National Online Resource Center 

on Violence Against Women) provides 

information annually about suggested events 

and activities. 

http://vawnet.org/domestic-violence/ 

education.php?filterby=DVAM 

The Domestic Violence Awareness Project 

developed a “Sample DVAM Events” pdf that 

included information about different types of 

events, costs and planning considerations for 

those events. 

http://dvam.vawnet.org/docs/materials/ 

event-ideas/sampledvamevents.pdf 

If you’re looking for awareness-raising events 

throughout the calendar year, Beyond April 

and October (also available on VAWnet 

website) maps out a year of events and 

suggestions to keep your message visible to 

multiple audiences. 

http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_ 

VAWnet/BeyondAprilandOctober.pdf 

page 56 


Appendix Resources 

(included only on enclosed CD or at 

www.pcadv.org) 

◗ Checklist of Do’s and Don’t’s 

◗ Sample PCADV Critical Incident 

Response & Management Report Form 

◗ Continuity of Operations 

Checklist and Forms 

◗ Communication Log 

Responding to a critical incident: 

◗ Psychological First Aid – Field Operations 

Guide. (National Child Trauma Stress Network, 

National Center for PTSD) http://www. 

nctsn.org/sites/default/files/pfa/english/1- 

psyfirstaid_final_complete_manual.pdf 

◗ When Emergency Personnel Have 

Losses Too (Jeffrey T. Mitchell, Ph.D., CTS) 

http://www.icisf.us/images/pdfs/rar/When_ 

Emergency_Personnel_Have_Losses_Too.pdf 

◗ A Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis 

Response Professions (Center for Mental 

Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration, U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services) http://store. 

samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA05-4113/ 

SMA05-4113.pdf 

Vicarious trauma: 

◗ Vicarious Trauma and Its Impact on 

Advocates, Therapists and Friends 

(Research & Advocacy Digest: Linking Advocates 

& Researchers; Vol 6:2, March 2004) http:// 

www.carmelacarlyle.com/wpcc/wp-content/ 

uploads/2010/03/Vicarious-trauma-articles.pdf 

◗ BOOK: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday 

Guide to Caring for Self while Caring for Others 

by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk; 

(Berrett- Koehler Publishers, Inc.) 

Working with children in the 

aftermath of a critical incident: 

◗ Tips for Talking to Children After 

a Disaster: A Guide for Parents and 

Educators (Center for Mental Health Services, 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services) http://store.samhsa.gov/ 

product/Tips-for-Talking-to-Children-and-Youth- 

After-Traumatic-Events-A-Guide-for-Parents-and- 

Educators/KEN01-0093R 

◗ What Parents Can Do: Helping 

Children and Adolescents Cope with 

Violence and Disasters (National Institute of 

Mental Health) http://infocenter.nimh.nih.gov/ 

pdf/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-withviolence-and-disasters-what-parents-can-do.pdf 


Operations Guide: 

• Tips For Parents with Infants and Toddlers 

• Tips For Parents with Preschool Children 

• Tips For Parents with School-Age Children 

• Tips For Parents with Adolescents (National 

Child Trauma Stress Network, National Center 

for PTSD) 

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/ 

manuals/manual-pdf/pfa/PFA_Appx_E_ 

handouts.pdf 

◗ Developmental Stages of the 

Understanding of Death (Hospice Support 

Care, Inc.) http://www.hospicesupportcare. 

org/development.pdf 

A website offered by the Commonwealth 

provides a comprehensive, but concise look 

at planning and preparing for disasters, 

including links specific to people with 

disabilities, older Pennsylvanians and tips 

for parents. Go to www.readypa.org for 

more information.

Section 1: General Information 

Program Name: 

Staff Name: 

Phone: 

County: 

Title/Position: 

Email: 

Was the incident contained to one county? Yes No 

If not, list other county(s): 

 

 

 

Tier One Incidents – Major incidents, such as domestic violence fatalities, near fatalities, or natural deaths of shelter 

residents; Requires immediate notification to PCADV by phone along with submission of this form. 

Tier Two Incidents – Other incidents, such as fires, floods, bed bugs, or no heat in shelter, that disrupt your 

program’s continuity of services and may attract unwanted media attention; Requires report submission only. 

Incident Tier Level: 1 2 

Date of Incident: 

Location of Incident: 

Please provide a brief description of the incident and its impact on services and staff: 

Please describe how the program was notified: 

Were there any witnesses? Staff Volunteers 

Clients Relatives Bystander 

Law Enforcement U Unknown 

Children-Ages & How Many: 

0-5 

6-10 

11-13 

14-17 

Fire Department EMS/Paramedics County Emergency Management 

Health Department Coroner 

Other - Please list: 

1 

PCADV Incident Reporting Procedure 7-1-11/ rev. 4-3-13

Did the Program request crisis intervention/critical supports? 

KCIT CVVC NOVA/Bucks 


Were there any media contacts? If so, please list: 

Other Funders Notified: PCAR PCCD United Way 


Section 3: Continuity of Service 

How will the program ensure continuity of services? Describe any modification of intake/referral 

processes for victims in your county in order to access domestic violence services: 

Section 4: PCADV Follow-Up 

How can PCADV provide additional supports or assistance? 

*Tier One Incidents – Major incidents, such as domestic violence fatalities, near fatalities, or natural deaths of 

shelter residents; Requires immediate notification to PCADV by phone along with submission of this form. 

Tier Two Incidents – Other incidents, such as fires, floods, bed bugs, or no heat in shelter that disrupt your 

program’s continuity of services and may attract unwanted media attention; Requires report submission only. 

2 

PCADV Incident Reporting Procedure 7-1-11/ rev. 4-3-13

Toolkit with Report Form - Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic ...

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