Victim Services Training Held in Nashville

Several long-time victim volunteers who have served with MADD supporting victims, speaking at schools and Victim Impact Panels, and sitting in courts as monitors among other roles over the years gathered at the MADD Tennessee State office this week to hear about the latest updates, research, and other important information regarding MADD programming.

The highlight of the day was guest speaker, Tina Fox, Director of Victim Services for the Tennessee Board of Parole who spoke to our volunteers and staff.  She gave an enlightening presentation on the structure, mission, policies, and procedures of the Parole Board.  With humor and genuine compassion for victims, she did a wonderful job of helping us all to have a greater understanding of the parole system and giving us the tools to better serve the victims we support.

The training also demonstrated the new Victim Services database implemented by the MADD National office in 2016 and helped our volunteers understand what kinds of information is tracked and recorded through the system.  We discussed the federal grant that funds a large part of our victims services department and what is needed to satisfy reporting requirements for the grantor.  This information was helpful so that the volunteers would know what kinds of data they would need to report to the State office and how to report it so that we are in compliance with our federal grant and National office.

The group also discussed new victim intake, the importance of relationships with district attorneys, our peer support program, and ways to spread the word about the availability of our services for new victims. In addition, reporting procedures for underage drinking prevention programs, Victim Impact Panel programs, and social media were also covered.

Thank you so much to our faithful volunteers who are so dedicated to staying on top of the latest information available so they can better serve our communities