Listening Session Consent Letter

Consent for Participation in Listening Sessions

Title: Improvements to the Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to Domestic Abuse in Military and Certain Affiliated Personnel (Phase 1)

Primary Point of Contact: Jonathan Grubb, Ph.D; National Organization for Victim Advocacy

Secondary Point of Contact: Ms. Angela Whittaker; DoD, Military Community Advocacy

The Department of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP)/Military Community Advocacy (MCA) office has contracted with The National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA) to conduct listening sessions intended to gather pertinent information needed to implement strategies for response and prevention of domestic abuse in the military. This project supports requirements included in the National Defense Authorization Act (of multiple years) as well as recommendations set forth by the Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military and accepted for implementation by the Secretary of Defense.

The listening sessions, intended to last approximately 90 minutes, will be focused on assessing professional responsibilities, experiences, perceptions, and needs of military Domestic Abuse Victim Advocates (DAVAs). Information collected during the listening sessions will be used along to better understand professional responsibilities along with perceptions and experiences of training as well as credentialing. Participation in the listening sessions is voluntary, and participants are not required to respond to specific questions or discuss particular topics if they so wish to decline.

All discussions/information you provide will not be recorded and kept confidential to the fullest extent allowed by law. Your responses will not be attributed to you, however, if you communicate a direct threat to yourself or others, reporting to the appropriate POC/office may be required. To protect your privacy, your personal information will not be used for purposes other than your participation in the listening sessions.

If you have questions about the listening sessions, you can contact Dr. Jonathan Grubb at JonathanGrubb@trynova.org or Ms. Angela Whittaker at angela.m.whittaker5.civ@mail.mil.

Note: If you wish to participate in the listening sessions, you are not required to sign this form.