Confidentiality Forms & Policies
Rape Kit Backlog Victim Notification Handouts
Victim Notification Guidelines: VN_Guidelines_051314-2
Denver Sample Protocol: VN_SampleProtocol_051314
Handout for Survivors (Spanish): VN_SurvivorHandout_Esp_051314B-2
Handout for Survivors (English): VN_SurvivorHandout_Eng_051314B-2
Talking Points: VN_TalkingPoints_051314-2
Appendix: VN_Appendix_051314-2
Client Notice of Rights / Confidentiality Form
This form is used to provide upfront notice to each client about their rights and your practices, including your agency’s information sharing and confidentiality protections and requirements, and their rights regarding the confidentiality of their personal information and communications.
Client Notice of Rights/Confidentiality Form – English Version
Client Notice of Rights/Confidentiality Form – Spanish Version
Confidentiality Policies
This piece addresses principles that partners can agree to respect regarding: transparent notice of victim/client rights, differing confidentiality and information sharing obligations, confidentiality walls, policy adherence, confidentiality commitments and duration, law, and technology use. It suggests trainings and policies for specific innovative partnership types.
Model Policy: Confidentiality, Privacy, and VAWA 2005 for Community-Based Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Advocacy Programs
This model policy has sections addressing: general principles; a written agreement to maintain confidentiality; definitions including what constitutes confidential and personally identifying information; the prohibition to release information to anyone outside the agency (e.g. shelter address, staff and survivor information); protocols for releases of information; and possible exceptions to confidentiality including mandatory reporting. This policy is intended to be signed by all agency/program staff.
Click here to request this template from NNEDV
Template Policy: Confidentiality and Privacy for Co-Located Domestic Violence / Sexual Assault Advocacy Programs and Partners
This technology and confidentiality model policy has sections addressing: common goals and understandings, information that gets collected during any collaboration intake process, assessing interest in services and safety planning, protecting confidentiality while collecting victim information, and, details around managing the confidentiality of information inflow and outflow.
Click here to request this template from the NNEDV
Template Policy: Securing Paper and Electronic Information for Co-Located Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Advocacy Programs and Partners
This details policies that individual agencies and innovative partnerships should address to secure all electronic, paper and faxed records and information, including computers, electronic networks, and passwords.
Click here to request this template from the NNEDV
Template Policy: Sharing Physical Space for Co-Located Domestic Violence / Sexual Assault Advocacy Programs and Partners
This technology and confidentiality template policy briefly addresses staff roles, office space, and building security for entities that share a building or have physical access to the space occupied by the partnership.
Click here to request this template from the NNEDV
Template Policy: Victim Confidentiality Considerations For Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programs When Responding to Rare or Emergency Situations
A wide range of situations can arise for programs providing services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Given the complex and critical safety issues faced by victims, programs should have policies to address victim safety and confidentiality in unusual or emergency circumstances. Examples of special situations that might arise include: medical and other emergencies; instances where a victim/client (or the victim’s child) commits a crime while accessing or using services; and, situations where a victim brings civil or criminal claims against another client or the agency. Programs/agencies should practice best confidentiality and safety practices in each special circumstance that arises. This piece highlights what programs need to know about confidentiality and discusses how programs can respond in: (A) medical or emergency situations; (B) crime or other claim against a victim advocacy program; and (C) a crime or other claim by one survivor against another survivor using program services.
General Reference
Training Bulletin: Advocates, Routine Notification, and HIPAAA follow-up addressing some common questions and concerns regarding HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
Training Bulletin: Advocates, Routine Notification, and HIPAA
Templates of written statements used for help accessing housing protections for survivors, which may be written by application assistants who have examined or consulted with the victim.
Victim Verification Written Statement Templates
Medical
Colorado Hospital Payment Assistance: As of August 8th, 2012, your local hospital is required to offer you information about its charity care and hospital discount programs. These flyers provide information on Colorado Hospital Payment Assistance Programs for Patients.
Information on Colorado Hospital Payment Assistance Program for Patients – English Version
Information on Colorado Hospital Payment Assistance Program for Patients – Spanish Version
Medical Forensic Exams In Colorado
Fact sheet on the access and methods of payment for Medical Forensic Exams in Colorado
Medical Forensic Exams Fact Sheet
Colorado Sexual Assault and Information Form
This form is for distribution by medical professionals. Collection, Analysis/Release, and Consent Withdrawal of Sexual Assault Evidence/Information
COLORADO SEXUAL ASSAULT CONSENT and INFORMATION FORM
Colorado Consent Form for Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Screening
This form is for distribution by medical professionals.
Colorado Consent Form for Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Screening
Information Sheet for Patients on Obtaining Test Results Following a Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Screening.
Colorado SAVE (Sexual Assault Victim Emergency) Fund Payment Program Information
Information for law enforcement and advocates assisting medical reporting victims.
SAVE Fund – One Page – Law Enforcement
SAVE Fund – One Page – Advocates
Multi-Agency Partnerships
Equipment Ownership Agreement Form
This adaptable agreement form was created for agencies in colocated partnerships although it can be useful in other agency settings as well. It provides agencies in colocated partnerships with an easy way to clearly stipulate who has ownership of any hard drive or devices that holds personally identifiable information. Due to the nature of harddrive memory, certain OVW-funded community based organizations need to maintain ownership of such harddrives and devices in order to comply with their VAWA 2005 confidentiality obligations.
Equipment Ownership Agreement Form
Template Memorandum of Understanding: Partnership Agreement for Community Collaborations
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was created for non-profit victim service agencies in co-located partnerships. This MOU addresses policies to govern the partnership between non-profit organizations and programs that provide services to survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and other community agencies. It details the individual partner’s roles and responsibilities, as well as information sharing and confidentiality obligations for the domestic/dating violence and/or sexual assault agency, law enforcement, prosecutor, court partner, medical partner, faith-based and community organizations, and a confidentiality monitor. All partners must sign to acknowledge the agreement.
Non-profit victim service agencies that provide services to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in innovative partnerships are encouraged to use this adaptable MOU agreement. Agencies may change wording to match organizational language or to reflect the language that the partnership prefers (e.g. client, victim, survivor, program participant).
Click here to request this form from the NNEDV
Visitor Confidentiality Agreement
The purpose of this Template Visitor Confidentiality Agreement is to ensure that each visitor to a shelter, rape crisis center, transitional housing, family justice center or other victim service agency understands their confidentiality obligations and respects the privacy of clients, staff, and volunteers of the agency or colocated partnership. This can be used to address visits to or meetings with clients, staff, or volunteers whenever there are confidentiality obligations.
Visitor Confidentiality Agreement
Release of Information
Client Limited Release of Information Form
This form is used to help a client assess risks and benefits of having an agency release some of her/his confidential information to another individual/agency. The form enables the client to choose what information an agency may share, how it is shared, with whom, and for how long.
Client Limited Release of Information Form – English Version
Client Limited Release of Information Form – Spanish Version
Sexual Offenses and The Statutory Consequences
March 2014 Sex Offenses and the Statutory Consequences
Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)
SART Readiness Assessment
This brief assessment tool provides communities with the opportunity to explore community readiness for sexual assault response team development regarding perceptions, resources and services.
NSVRC SART Readiness Assessment
Planning For a SART
This worksheet helps you asses your readiness for a SART.
Team Building
Here is a resource to help build your response team. This worksheet helps you build your SART by asking you questions that need to be addressed.
SART Development: A Guide for victim service providers
The focus of this technical assistance guide is to help sexual assault service providers build, expand, formalize, and maintain strong interagency responses to sexual violence. It includes a brief overview followed by Practice Tips, Ways to Build SART Excellence, and Key Resources.
NSVRC Sexual Assault Response Team Development
Critical Elements and Agency Leadership
The purpose of this inventory is to encourage the multidisciplinary sexual assault response team to discuss and review which services are and are not offered, by which agency(s), and if duplication/overlap of services is a potential problems.
Critical Elements and Agency Leadership
Existing Community Services
The purpose of this form is to help you identify the services that you have in your community.
Case Review: Confidentiality Rules and Agreements
This is a sample confidentiality rules and agreement for case reviews.
Case Review: Confidentiality Rules and Agreements
Tips for Conducting Focus Groups
These are some tips for teams who are conducting focus groups.
Tips for Conducting Focus Groups
SAMPLE — Needs Assessment Survey
This is a sample of a needs assessment survey.
Florida SART Toolkit
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide users with a step by step guide for creating and maintaining a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)
SART Manual in Tribal Communities
A resource guide for the development of a sexual assault response team (SART) in tribal communities.
SART Manual in Tribal Communities
SART Resource List
A list of resources compiled by the West Virginia Foundation for Rape information and Services.
National Sexual Assault Response Team Survey Report 2009
This report summarizes the information gathered by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
(NSVRC) via a web-based survey regarding how local, state, territory and tribal communities have
developed Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs). The survey is a follow-up to the national needs
assessment conducted in 2005 by NSVRC. The information from the current survey will help NSVRC obtain an updated picture of SARTs nationwide.