National scoping exercise of advocacy services for victims of violence against women and girls

Appendix 3: Online Survey Questions

Questionnaire for advocacy services

National scoping exercise of advocacy services for victims of violence against women and girls.

We would be most grateful if you could complete this short questionnaire. If you have any questions about it please contact Ella Edginton at Blake Stevenson research on 0131 667 2919 or ella@blakestevenson.co.uk.

If you want to save your partially completed questionnaire to return to later, please click the save button at the bottom of the page and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

Many thanks.

Q1a Name of advocacy service________________________________________

Q1b Name of person completing the survey______________________________

Q1c Job title _____________________________________________________

Q1d Contact telephone number________________________________________

Q2a Does your service fall within the following definition of an advocacy service, which we are using for this work?

"a crisis intervention, focused on risk assessment and safety planning for victims of gender-based violence, with the goal of improving safety and reducing the risk of further abuse. Advocacy is also seeking to enable victims to access, navigate and have a voice through the criminal justice process"

Yes No

Q2b What forms of gender-based violence does your service address? Please tick all that apply:

• domestic abuse
• rape
• prostitution
• sexual assault
• human trafficking
• other

If other, please specify________________________________________________

About your service

Q3 Range of advocacy services provided (please tick all that apply):

• information on victims' rights and entitlements
• risk assessment
• information on the reporting and court processes
• safety planning
• information about the dynamics of gender-based violence
• practical support (such as help to arrange alarms, alternative housing, healthcare)
• support through the reporting process
• specific advocacy support services for children and/or young people
• support and advocacy through the MARAC
• referral for any children involved
• support through court process
• engaging and communicating with other agencies on behalf of the victim
• other

If other, please specify all_____________________________________

Q4 When did this advocacy service start? (please state year) ________________

Q5 Which agencies/organisations/partnerships do you engage with as part of your daily advocacy work? (please tick all that apply)

• MARACs
• Police
• MATACs
• Law centre/ specialist legal services
• Specialist domestic abuse courts
• Other courts
• Other

If other, please specify _____________________________________

Q6 Which geographical area(s) is the advocacy service provided in? (Please tick all that apply)

• Aberdeen City
• East Renfrewshire
• Orkney Islands
• Aberdeenshire
• Na H-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles)
• Perth And Kinross
• Angus
• Falkirk
• Renfrewshire
• Argyll And Bute
• Fife
• Scottish Borders
• Edinburgh City
• Glasgow
• Shetland Islands
• Clackmannanshire
• Highlands
• South Ayrshire
• Dumfries And Galloway
• Inverclyde
• South Lanarkshire
• Dundee City
• Midlothian
• Stirling
• East Ayrshire
• Moray
• West Dunbartonshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• North Ayrshire
• West Lothian
• East Lothian
• North Lanarkshire

Q7 In which organisation is this advocacy service physically located? (Please tick one)

• Co-located with police
• Located within other statutory/public sector setting
• Co-located with health service
• Located within voluntary sector parent body
• Located within local authority hub
• Located within independent voluntary organisation

Please name the statutory/public sector setting the service is based in

___________________________________________________________________

Please name the service's parent body ___________________________________

Q8 Who is responsible for this advocacy service? (Please tick one)

• Local authority directly
• Voluntary sector parent body
• Other statutory/public body
• Independent voluntary sector organisation
• Arms-length local authority organisation
• Other

Please name the statutory/public body responsible for the advocacy service

___________________________________________________________________

Please name the parent body responsible for the advocacy service

___________________________________________________________________

If other, please state which organisation is responsible for the advocacy service

___________________________________________________________________

Staffing

Q9a Number of staff working as advocates _____________

Q9b Number of f.t.e (full time equivalent) advocates _____________

Q9c Number and role of managerial staff _____________

Q9d Number and role of ancillary staff, eg admin _____________

Q10 Do any of the staff hold specialist qualifications in gender-based violence advocacy?

• Yes No

How many? _____________

What are the qualifications? ____________________________________________

Funding

Q11 Please identify the main sources of funding for the advocacy service

• Scottish Government
• NHS board
• Police
• Local authority
• Big Lottery Fund
• Other

If other, please name the other source(s) of funding

___________________________________________________________________

Q12 When does your current funding for your advocacy service come to an end? (Please enter month and year) ___________________________________________________________________

Governance

Q13 How is the advocacy service governed? (Please tick one)

• Board of trustees
• Management committee
• Other
• If other, please state

___________________________________________________________________

Q14 Is the advocacy service delivered under a partnership agreement? (Please tick one)

• Yes No

If yes, please state partner(s)

___________________________________________________________________

Access

Q15 How do service users access your advocacy service? (Please tick all that apply)

• Proactive outreach by your service
• Court officer referral
• Self-referral
• Women's aid referral
• Police referral
• Rape crisis referral
• Social work referral
• Other

If other, please state_________________________________________________

Q16 Which of the following do you provide? (Please tick all that apply)

• Office hours service (Mon to Fri)
• Evening service (Mon to Fri)
• Weekend daytime service
• Weekend evening service
• Other

If other, please specify

___________________________________________________________________

Q17 How do the advocates provide the advocacy service? (Please tick all that apply)

• Telephone
• Face to face in your premises
• Face to face in other premises
• Email
• Other

Which other premises do the advocates deliver face to face services in?

___________________________________________________________________

If other, please state _________________________________________________

Q18 For how long do you generally provide the advocacy service? ___________________________________________________________________

Q19 Do you allow re-referral to your advocacy service? (Please tick one)

• Yes No

Q20 Can the advocacy service provide interpretation for:

Those whose first language is not English? Yes No

Those with hearing or visual impairments? Yes No

Q21 Do you draw on other specialist services (for example specialist legal services) alongside your advocacy work?

• Yes No

Please specify _________________________________________________

Q22 Where are service users referred on after receiving advocacy support? (please tick all that apply)

• Social work
• Women's Aid support service
• Rape Crisis/sexual abuse support service
• Law centre/other specialist legal service
• Other specialist gender-based violence service
• Other local support service

Please name the other specialist gender-based violence service(s)______________

Please name the other local support service(s)______________________________

Q23 Who is the advocacy service for in terms of gender? (please tick all that apply)

• Women: Does this include M to W transwomen? Yes No
• Men: Does this include W to M transmen? Yes No
• Other, including non-binary individuals

Q24 Who is the advocacy service for in terms of age? (Please tick all that apply)

12 and under

13-16

17-18

19-25

26 and over

Q25 Do you provide any specialist support for specific groups? (please tick all that apply)

• BME
  • Arab
  • Pakistani
  • Polish
  • Caribbean
  • Indian
  • Gypsy/Traveller
  • African
  • Bangladeshi
  • Black, Black British or Black Scottish
  • Chinese
  • Other
• Disabled people
• Asylum seekers/refugees
• LGBTI
• Specific religion(s)
• Other specific group

If other, please specify which group(s)________________________________

Q25b Please specify all that apply

• Church Of Scotland
• Muslim
• Jewish
• Roman Catholic
• Buddhist
• Hindu
• Other Christian
• Sikh
• Other

If other, please specify___________________________________________

Q26 In the last 12 months (April 2015 to March 2016), how many people were referred to the service, including self-referral? (Please tick one)

• 0-10
• 11-25
• 26-50
• 51-100
• 101-150
• over 150

Q27 Of those, how many accepted the service? (Please tick one)

• 0-10
• 11-25
• 26-50
• 51-100
• 101-150
• over 150

Q28 How would you assess the level of demand for your advocacy service compared to your capacity? (Please tick one point on the scale)

Very low demand excess capacity				Capacity meets demand					Very high demand insufficient capacity
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Q29 Do you have a waiting list? (Please tick one) Yes No

How many people are currently on it? _____________________

Q30 What is your target initial response time?

• Within 12 hours
• Within 24 hours
• Within 36 hours
• Within 48 hours
• Longer
• Don't know

Please specify ______________________________________________________

Risk assessment

Q31 Do you use a risk assessment tool? (please tick one)

Yes No

Q31a Which risk assessment tools do you use? (please tick all that apply)

• Safe lives DASH-RIC
• Police Scotland DAQ
• Other

Please specify ______________________________________________________

Q31b At what point/s do you use the risk assessment tool?

___________________________________________________________________

Q31c If you don't use a formalised risk assessment tool, please comment further on your approach to safety planning

___________________________________________________________________

Outcomes and impact

Q32 Do you set outcomes for your advocacy service(s)? (please tick one)

Yes No

If yes, please state what these are:

___________________________________________________________________

How are they set? ____________________________________________________

How do you monitor progress against them?

___________________________________________________________________

Q33 Do you keep any statistical/numerical information about your advocacy services? (Please tick one)

Yes No

Q34 Have you conducted an internal evaluation of the advocacy service? (Please tick one)

Yes No

If yes, in which year? _______________________

Q35 Has an external evaluation of the advocacy service been conducted? (please tick one)

Yes No

If yes, in which year? _______________________

Looking forward

Q36 Do you have any future plans to (please tick the one that best applies):

• extend the service?
• stay about the same?
• decrease the service?

Please comment

___________________________________________________________________

Q37 Is there any further comment you would like to make about advocacy services in your area for victims of gender-based violence, or any gaps you perceive in service provision?

___________________________________________________________________

Q38 Would you be willing to be interviewed (face to face or by telephone) as part of the more detailed qualitative work for this scoping exercise?

Yes No

Thank you for completing this survey.

Please now click submit below to return your completed questionnaire.