1. 2016 VAdata Changes
Virginia’s Sexual and Domestic Violence Data Collection System

2. General Overview
This brief training module will summarize changes to all of the forms and accompanying changes to data entry practices.

3. Overview
In early 2016, VAdata changed to accommodate the DCJS Sexual Assault Grant Program (SAGP) data, a result of new federal VOCA data collection and reporting requirements. Effective July 1, 2016, the DCJS SAGP program officially transitioned to the DCJS-SADVGP (Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence) Program as a directive from DCJS to collect information regarding sexual assault AND domestic violence services.

4. Overview (continued)
In VAdata, DCJS-SADVGP check box was added to the existing list of funding sources for the field “Service Contact Funded By” on all forms (hotline, advocacy, and community engagement)​
The funding source DCJS-SAGP was removed from all forms (hotline, advocacy, and community engagement) on July 15, 2016.

5. Community Engagement Form

6. There is only one new change to the Community Engagement form for 2016.
This change allows SDVAs to document additional information about each Community Engagement Activity based upon your unique agency needs.

7. A new field, titled Information About Activity appears on the Information about Participants section of the form.
In this section, you can enter more detailed information your agency may wish to track, such as the title of the presentation or its specific location.

8. To the Hotline and Advocacy Forms
OVERVIEW of CHANGES
To the Hotline and Advocacy Forms

9. Hotline form - reflects multiple venues for crisis services
The Hotline form now captures whether the crisis intervention service was delivered over the phone, by , by text or chat, or through the mail.

10. Hotline form - Counts “new” in a different way
Question 5 in the Other Demographics section asks: “Is this the first time this person has contacted your agency this fiscal year?” Affirmative answers will be counted as “new” service recipients.

11. Expanded Demographics
Age of the victim at the time of the EARLIEST VICTIMIZATION (a required field)
This information is about the VICTIM who may not necessarily be the caller
If the victim had multiple victimizations at different ages, you will need to determine the victim’s age at the time of the very first victimization – even if the same victimization type occurred multiple times, different victimization types occurred over time, and/or the person did not disclose the victimization(s) until years after.

12. Expanded Demographics (con’t)
Is this individual:
A veteran?
Deaf/Hard of Hearing?
Homeless?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Queer?

13. Changes to the “presenting experience of violence”
An option to indicate that an experience of sexual violence involved multiple perpetrators;
A distinction between child or youth abuse and neglect and teen dating violence;
An option to indicate “Other Presenting Experience” if neither SV nor DV is present; and
A requirement for “Services Provided” to complete at least one “presenting experience” (the option will remain to include more than one form of violence).

14. Additions to the List of Services SDVAs Provide
Immigration Assistance
Information about Victim Rights
Law Enforcement Interview Advocacy/Accompaniment
On-scene Crisis Response
DOW distributed

15. A Method for Determining Which Services are Included on Which Reports
Federal, state, and local funders have moved in multiple directions simultaneously—creating a challenge for SDVAs as you report on the services you provide.
Some funders want to understand all of the services that you provide and consider their funding a form of support for each of those services.
Other funders prefer to receive a report that only includes the specific services that were directly supported by their funding.

16. How does Vadata make this distinction?
To accommodate this change, a section was added at the bottom of the Hotline form and to the Advocacy “Services & Referrals” tab — “Service Contact Funded By”
This is a REQUIRED field and at least one funding source must be selected.

17. Ensuring Accurate Reports
The “Service Contact Funded By” field will tell VAdata which services to include in which reports
If “DCJS-SADVGP” is checked, the service as well as all of the relevant information about the service recipient will be included in the SADVGP report. Similarly, if “VDSS” or “VSTOP” are checked, the information will appear in those reports. There isn’t currently a report for the “Other” check box, but this box in combination with the “Local Only Data” field can be used to run Advocacy and Hotline Data reports.
Advocates MUST check at least one box, and may check as many boxes as apply.
SDVA Directors should provide guidance to staff about which services are funded by which funders.

18. Changes to the Hotline and Advocacy Forms

19. Hotline Form

20. “Primary” and “Secondary” Agency
This field was added specifically to allow the Virginia Statewide Hotline to track calls during periods when an agency has its lines forwarded. For most agencies, this feature is currently turned off.
This feature can, however, be useful for agencies that take hotline calls on behalf of other agencies (such as regional hotlines) and would like to have a way to distinguish those calls. Contact the VAdata staff for details on how to utilize this feature.
This is NOT a required field and will not be useful to all agencies (i.e. agencies that answer their own hotline 100% of the time).

21. There were no changes to Presenting Sexual Violence but two changes to Presenting Domestic Violence:
Under Type of Domestic Violence Experienced:
Child/Youth - Domestic Violence/Abuse was changed to Child/Youth - Abuse/Neglect
Teen Dating Violence was added

22. The Other Presenting Experience section was added to the Hotline form
The Other Presenting Experience section was added to the Hotline form. It appears directly below the Presenting Domestic Violence section.
In this section, you can enter types of violence the caller experienced other than Sexual or Domestic Violence that were relevant to the services provided by your agency.
Sexual Violence with Multiple Perpetrators was added to accommodate SDVA advocates who wish to document situations where victims are assaulted by more than one person.
Please note that you may select as many types of presenting experiences as apply.

23. Other Presenting Experience:

24. Two additions were added under “Services Provided”:
Immigration Assistance
Information about Victim Rights

25. Advocacy Form

26. Under Demographics of Person Served, the Approximate Age of the victim at the time of the earliest victimization is a REQUIRED field. The DCJS-SADVGP report requires this information, and it requires that only one age be entered (if the person had multiple victimizations at different ages, you will need to determine the person’s age at the time of the very first victimization – even if the same victimization type occurred multiple times, different victimization types occurred over time, and/or the person did not disclose the victimization(s) until years after.).
Updated January 28, 2016:
Important to note, DCJS has provided new guidance regarding the age of the person at the time of primary victimization that is different from initial instruction that was included in the help topics (the green question mark on the Hotline and Advocacy forms). This guidance can be found at the FAQ page developed by DCJS, which you can access here:
If a person reports multiple victimizations at different ages, you should report the person’s age at the time of the very first victimization, even if the same victimization type occurred multiple times, different victimization types occurred over time, and/or the person did not disclose the victimization(s) until years after. This applies to both the hotline form and the advocacy form.

27. In the section, Other Presenting Experience, you may enter types of violence the person experienced other than Sexual or Domestic Violence that were relevant to the services provided by your agency. Please note that you may select as many types of violence as apply.
If the person has experienced NO VIOLENCE (ex., is homeless), please indicate No Violence Experienced.

28. All Advocacy Forms REQUIRE that at least one of the Presenting experience sheets be completed. Those include:
Presenting Sexual Violence
Presenting Domestic Violence
Other Presenting Experience
As a reminder, a new Presenting Sexual Violence or Presenting Domestic Violence sheet needs to be completed for EACH presenting experience. For example, if a person experienced BOTH child and adult sexual violence, you would need to complete a separate Presenting Sexual Violence sheet for each.

29. The Services and Referrals section has been rearranged and categorized to look more like the DCJS-SADVGP report. Several additional services were added:
Information about Victim Rights
Law enforcement interview advocacy/accompaniment
Immigration Assistance
On-scene crisis response
DOW survey distributed
Immigration Attorney Assistance

31. The DCJS-SADVGP report collects data not only about the number of people served but also the number of services provided.
In order to accurately capture the total number of services provided, you must complete a new Services/Referrals sheet each time you provide services to a person. In the past, some advocates consolidated a week or more of contacts on a single Services/Referrals sheet. This method does not allow a count for “instances” of service, so it is preferred that advocates enter a new sheet for each separate instance of service provided.
For example, if you meet with a client on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for one hour each day, rather than entering 1 service sheet with 3 hours, enter 3 separate sheets with one hour of service per sheet.

32. Help Options You may note this symbol by several fields on the form:
Click on the symbol for more detailed information or requirements of the field.

33. Comments and Suggestions
This is an online bulletin board where you can post comments/suggestions and where you can read what others have posted.
This is a great place to make a suggestion or request support that does not need immediate attention.
If you need immediate attention, please give us a call. Often we will need additional information from you, so a call is usually more expedient than an .

34. If you have questions or problems:
Many changes were made to the VAdata system. In that process, the VAdata staff may have made some unintentional errors. If the system is not operating as you expect, please do not hesitate to call your Action Alliance liaison. You may be able to help us identify a problem that needs to be fixed.
If you have any questions about any changes (or anything else related to VAdata), please contact your Action Alliance liaison.
Call to contact us by phone.

35. Vadata’s Working But I Still Need Help! Who do I contact?
Please contact your assigned SDVA liaison at
If they are unable to respond to your immediate concern, they will contact the VAdata staff for support.