Section 110-60A-0325 - Victim safety - What steps must programs take in order to help increase victim safety?(1) Each treatment program certified for assessments or any level of treatment must adequately consider the safety of the victims, current partners, and children of the participants receiving assessments or who are enrolled in the treatment program.(2) All victim contact initiated by the program must be done by a staff or supervisor level employee as defined in WAC 388-60A-0240 and WAC 388-60A-0250, unless the program contracts with a victim services agency to contact victims.(3) Programs that are certified for assessments or any level of treatment must take the following steps, as applicable to help increase victim safety: (a) Notify the victim of each program participant before completing the assessment that the participant is being seen by the certified program for an assessment to determine: (i) If domestic violence intervention treatment is appropriate for the participant, and if so, what level of treatment the participant will start in at the program; and(ii) If applicable, what other treatments may be required or recommended as part of the participant's treatment plan; (b) Inform victims about emergency and safety planning, outreach, advocacy, and other applicable services offered by a domestic violence victim services program in their community;(c) Notify the victim of each program participant within fourteen days of the participant being accepted or denied entrance to the program that the participant has enrolled in or has been rejected for treatment services; and(d) When the participant has been accepted into treatment, give victims a brief description of the domestic violence intervention treatment program including all of the following: (i) The primary objective of the domestic violence intervention treatment program to help increase the safety of the victim and children as well as holding the participant accountable;(ii) The core competencies and minimum completion criteria for the participant in treatment;(iii) The fact that the victim is not expected to do anything to help the participant complete any treatment program requirements;(iv) The limitations of domestic violence intervention treatment; and(v) The program's direct treatment staff's responsibility regarding mandated reporting and duty to warn.(4) The program must document in writing the program's efforts to notify the victim by phone of the requirements in this section.(a) The program may mail the required information in this section if they cannot reach the victim by phone after three documented attempts;(b) The program must document in writing the program's efforts to obtain the victim's contact information; (c) When communicating with the victim at the time of assessment, enrollment, or denial into treatment the program must not assess the victim in any way, but the program may ask if the victim has any information they would like to share; and(d) If on their own accord the victim provides the program with information regarding the participant or aspects of their relationship, then the program must keep the victim's information in a separate file from the participant's file. (5) The program must not invite or require the victim to attend domestic violence intervention treatment sessions or education groups which the program requires participants to attend as a condition of their contracts.(6) Programs may meet the requirements of this section through an agreement or contract with a victim services program, but it is the responsibility of the certified program to ensure and document in writing that all requirements are met.Wash. Admin. Code § 110-60A-0325
WSR 18-14-078, recodified as § 110-60A-0325, filed 6/29/18, effective 7/1/18Statutory Authority: RCW 26.50.150. WSR 18-12-034, § 388-60A-0325, filed 5/29/18, effective 6/29/18.