Section 501.190  Victim/Partner Contact

All programs must expect and have procedures in place to respond to contacts initiated by the victim or current partner.  Procedures must be developed with victim safety as a priority.  Issues such as who should be contacted, purpose of the contact, and documentation must be addressed in the policy.  PAIPs that choose to make victim contact must adhere to the following requirements:

a)         Determine if the victim is safe, discuss safety planning and orders of protection, and link the victim to a domestic violence victim services program, if the victim desires.

b)         Contacts with the participant's current partner, or an ex-partner with whom the participant has an ongoing relationship, must be the priority for PAIPs that include victim contact as a part of their programs.  Other ex-partners who have been abused or current partners may also be contacted, subject to Section 501.210.

c)         PAIPs must inform victims about the nature of the PAIP, participants' attendance at the PAIP, any threats made by participants, and participants' progress or lack of progress.  This information may be given through:

1)         Orientation sessions;

2)         Telephone contacts; and/or

3)         Mailing of written materials explaining the PAIP.

d)         Written or verbal reports of the partner's or victim's calls, comments, or input must not be included in any participant's file.  This includes reports and notes generated by the program, reports and notes not generated by the program, and documents hand carried by the participant.  The information is potentially very dangerous for the victim's safety and must be kept separate.