ETA: Evaluation of Technology-based Advocacy Services

Chat and text technology is accessible, timely, and potentially pivotal, modalities for victim service organizations to broaden the reach to people impacted by interpersonal violence. However, little information is currently available to guide implementation and assess efficacy.

This project is a formative evaluation of SAFEline, a chat/text/call advocacy service provided by SAFE Alliance in Austin, Texas. SAFEline provides support for abuse and exploitation victimization, specifically intimate partner violence, child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The formative evaluation will provide critical information about the implementation and improvement of services for crime victims and provide guidance for future technological application of trauma-informed, victim-centered advocacy. Research participants will include up to 100 current and prospective SAFEline users and up to 25 SAFE Alliance staff members. Secondary data of thousands of instances of service use will be analyzed to learn about how advocacy models are used in call/chat/text modalities. Using an accountability and decision-making framework with community-based participatory research approaches, the interdisciplinary research team will work collaboratively with SAFE Alliance on a mixed methods approach aimed to explore the implementation of technology-based advocacy for service users at interpersonal violence focused agencies, as well as the feasibility of conducting a rigorous evaluation.

The first phrase of this project gathers existing sources and new data collection about SAFEline to understand program implementation and staff and client experience. The second phase will involve the collaborative assessment of the draft implementation guidance and logic models and evaluability assessment. The third refinement phase includes pilot testing measures of program fidelity, finalizing logic models and implementation guidance for technology-based victim service advocacy. The outcomes of the evaluation assessment, identification of cost/benefit indicators, and potential for building data assessment systems with be compiled to help make decisions about the type of evaluation to be undertaken.

"Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14). CA/NCF