The Network

We welcome you to join the "How to Navigate ROI Issues Ethically" virtual training series. This two-day training will take place on October 29, 3-4:30pm and November 7, 9:30-11am CSFT. If you have questions you would like to submit beforehand, please share them here before Friday October 18. See description below:

Advocates working with domestic and sexual violence survivors know that survivor information shall not be disclosed unless there is written, informed, time-limited consent from the survivor. But what does that mean in everyday practice? How can you use releases in a way that centers survivor agency, rather than centering technical compliance? How should you handle situations where someone is claiming you are supposed to share without a release? Or threatening to punish you and your agency unless you get a survivor to sign a release?

This two-part series on Written Instructions (a/k/a Releases or ROI’s) will cover:

Part 1: October 29 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

1. The foundational ethical reasons for requiring written instructions before sharing violence survivor information; and
2. The technical requirements for a valid release under federal and Illinois law; and
3. The best practices for communicating with survivors about information-sharing.

Part 2: November 7 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

1. The strategies for handling hard situations where a release might be part of the solution;
2. The negotiations with community partners who care more about technical compliance than survivor agency; and
3. The best practices for communicating with survivors when information must be shared regardless of survivor wishes.