Yearly Cohort

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.