Teams must include a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, and community advocate, with enthusiastic support from leadership. Other criminal justice system stakeholders, such as systems advocates and probation officers, and dispatchers, are also welcome to participate.
Yearly Cohort
We will be accepting applications soon. Please check back on this page for updates.
EACH YEAR, THE INSTITUTE PROVIDES COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSE SUPPORT TO RURAL COMMUNITIES.
January-April: Community Needs Assessment
Teams are notified in December if they have been selected to participate in the following year’s cohort, which begins in May. Prior to the official start of the cohort, ICCR will visit each community to conduct a Community Needs Assessment. This assessment helps get community stakeholders on the same page and ensure that ICCR provides the most customized support possible to each team.
The Community Needs Assessment includes:
- Virtual launch meeting
- Interviews with the agency heads of participating fellows
- Summary report of interviews
- Survey sent to all staff in participating agencies
- In-person meeting to review assessment findings and share details of forthcoming ICCR year
Time Commitment: This “pre-work” requires only a few hours of work from each fellow and agency head, over the course of 3-4 months.
May: Cohort Kick-Off & Conference on Crimes Against Women
Fellows kick-off their cohort year with a 90-minute introductory webinar in mid-May and a full day in-person on the Sunday before the Conference on Crimes Against Women in Dallas. Registration, travel, and lodging is included.
Time Commitment: 90-minute webinar and five days at CCAW (Sunday required, Monday-Thursday strongly encouraged).
June-November: Examine current systemic responses to domestic violence
During the first six months of ICCR, teams work closely with consultants from Praxis International to conduct the Best Practice Assessment (BPA), a systemic review of adjudicated cases in the community.
The BPA is a structured, checklist-guided review that examines the impact of current policies and procedures on victims of domestic violence. It serves as the backbone of the ICCR curriculum and sets this program apart from other, less extensive training programs. The BPA encourages each team to build on your county’s own unique strengths, rather than employing a “one size fits all” approach, to ensure that the resulting CCR is the best approach for each individual community. To learn more about the BPA, click here.
During this time, advocates also have the opportunity to conduct focus groups (supported by Praxis) with survivors who have interacted with the local criminal justice system.
Time Commitment: Monthly two-hour meetings and about one hour of “homework” each month.
December-May: Implement changes and grow CCR team
Once the BPA is complete, findings and recommendations are shared with relevant stakeholders and teams have the opportunity to grow their CCR team. Based on BPA findings, survivor focus groups, and other “aha” moments throughout the first half of the ICCR year, teams will create a Collaborative Action Plan (CAP). The CAP is an internal working document to help teams get their CCR work off the ground. It includes actionable “next steps,” templates for organizing the team’s work, and suggestions for long-term considerations.
In the last six months of the ICCR year, teams are encouraged to:
- Choose one-two priorities for the team to implement by May
- Update policies and protocols of participating agencies based on what they have learned during the ICCR year
- Create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for their CCR team to support sustainability
Time Commitment: Monthly meetings (may reduce to one hour) and about 30 minutes to one hour of “homework” each month.
During ICCR Year: Quarterly In-Person Trainings
ICCR will host up to four in-person, half-day trainings in each participating county throughout the cohort year. Topics and speakers are chosen with input from the team and based on current needs. These trainings are free and open to all, with a goal of increasing understanding of domestic violence and support for the CCR team’s work throughout the community.
Time Commitment: Four hours per training, and sharing marketing materials in advance.
May: Cohort Wrap-Up at Conference on Crimes Against Women
The ICCR year officially ends at the Conference on Crimes Against Women in Dallas. There is some ICCR-specific programming during the conference, but fellows are largely free to attend CCAW sessions and the pre-conference on Sunday. Registration, travel, and lodging is included.
Time Commitment: Five days at CCAW (Sunday-Thursday optional).
After ICCR Year: Ongoing Support
Upon completion of the ICCR cohort year, fellows remain eligible for ongoing ICCR support by agreeing to one interview each year for program assessment purposes.
Ongoing support includes, but is not limited to:
- Training for new CCR members: New CCR members will receive free registration, travel, and lodging for periodic, one-two day profession-based training in Dallas.
- Access to conferences: Past fellows will receive free registration to ICCR’s rural virtual conference each October and heavily discounted registration for CCAW each May.
- Policy and protocol consulting: Assistance drafting, modifying, and auditing agency or team documentation.
Time Commitment: One-hour interview each year; additional time commitment varies based on fellow needs.