AVA/OVW Conference Call Summary – May 2016
Summary of Monthly Conference Call between AVA& OVW
Date: Monday, May 9, 2016
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
OVW Staff: Associate Director Amy Loder
AVA Board Members: MaryEllen Garcia, Bill Schaefer, Michelle Bynum, Debbie Rollo, Julia Fuller-Wilson, Diana Fleming
AVA Executive Director: Dorene Whitworth
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS
This meeting offered an opportunity for the AVA board and the new Associate Director Amy Loder to get to know one another better. Everyone on the call had an opportunity to share their professional experiences and discussed the programs they are currently administering. The conversation included positive discussions regarding the relationship between AVA and OVW including what’s working, where can we improve, and where do we go from here.
Communications:
The overarching message was the importance of communication and continued collaboration. AVA’s strength lies in its ability to foster peer-to-peer communications among administrators. The AVA board is representative of STOP administrators and through these communications is able to communicate with OVW various issues and questions. Amy expressed a commitment to a strong collaborative relationship with AVA with open lines of communication. AVA and OVW will continue to hold monthly calls; however, Amy encouraged the AVA board to reach out immediately should anything urgent arise. We also discussed that on occasional calls, we will have a state administrator present on the status of VAWA activity in their state, highlighting some of the promising practices and challenges we are all facing with STOP administration. This will help OVW understand the challenges administrators encounter at the state level.
VAWA Reauthorization
Dorene discussed her outreach to national partners regarding upcoming meetings regarding VAWA reauthorization. Although nothing formal has yet been scheduled, it appears discussions will be ramping up soon. Amy discussed that updated STOP regulations will be posted soon and she will let us know when these are posted so we can offer public comment. Also, revised PREA FAQs are currently under review and will be available soon to administrators.
Technical Assistance
Amy inquired into the use and knowledge of the various TA opportunities that are available to STOP administrators and to STOP subgrantees. AVA board members discussed that the use varies across the country and that knowledge of and access to are very different as often times travel restrictions come into play. Amy relayed that she would like to have a running dialogue regarding access to, use of and the value of the various TA providers for administrators and their subgrantees. Amy shared that the TA2TA website is updated regularly – AVA has shared this with administrators as a valuable resource especially for newer administrators. OVW is currently going through peer review for new TA contracts and the website will be updated to reflect new TA awards.
Next Call is scheduled for June 6th at 11:00 EST.