RASA/VOJO 2025-2026 Funding Announcement To Close!

The RASA/VOJO 2025-2026 Funding Announcement will close on Friday, September 27, 2024, with applications due in E-grants by 11:59pm.

Applications are being accepted for Year 1 funding to support Rights and Services Act (RASA) and Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) initiatives. Year 2 funding will be determined at the Victims Services Advisory Committee (VSAC) meeting in November 2024. A continuation application is required to commence Year 2.

The primary purpose of RASA and VOJO funding is to support responsibilities assigned to the Prosecution and Juvenile Probation under the Crime Victims Act (Act 85 of 2002), the Juvenile Act, and Pennsylvania’s Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure. The goal and objective of RASA and VOJO funding is to ensure that victims of crimes whose cases are processed within the criminal and juvenile justice systems receive all rights, notifications, and services to which they are entitled under the law.  

A link to the funding announcement can be found here.

Please contact PCCD if there are any questions concerning this announcement.

Program-related questions should be directed to Emily Ruzicka at: (717) 265-8451 or emruzicka@pa.gov or Heather Cureau at: (717) 265.8712 or hcureau@pa.gov.

Fiscal questions should be directed to Crystal Lauver at: (717) 265-8525 or crlauver@pa.gov.



Registration requests and general questions concerning the E-grants system should be made directly to the Egrants Help Desk by calling (717) 787.5887 or

ra-egrantssupport@pa.gov.

Recordings Of PCCD's Consolidated Standards Are Available On PCCD's YouTube Channel

Pennsylvania has long been considered a leader when it comes to the OVS Consolidated Standards in their design to deliver quality services and programming led by skilled advocates and staff. To better inform the field, OVS is pleased to announce a series of recordings that will walk program staff through each of the standards. These are short recordings, up to thirty (30) minutes in length available on PCCD’s You Tube Channel: PA Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD) - YouTube. Each recording counts toward OVS annual training requirements. Staff may listen to any number of recordings as they are released. The OVS Newsletter will announce new recordings as they are available.

The Standards are meant to be a guide for victim service professionals to promote excellent service delivery and to ensure the uniformity of services. The Standards provide the minimum expectations for service provision and ensure professionalism in a wide variety of victim service practices. 

The following recording is now available on PCCD’s You Tube Channel:



Use of Technology in the Provision of Services to Victims

Revised Consolidated Victim Service Program Standards

On August 2, 2024, the Victim Services Advisory Committee approved several updates to the OVS Consolidated Standards The updates affect the following standards:

Counseling/Supportive Counseling:

The first update involves the Counseling Standard which emphasizes a shared and continual, collaborative approach where counseling services may be beneficial to the victim. The revised standard requires VSPs to appropriately document counseling services in the victim’s file.  

Crisis Intervention:

The VSP must have a written crisis response protocol addressing the immediate safety, emotional, physical, and financial needs of the victim. 

Training & Ongoing Professional Development:

The Training Standard is renamed as listed above. Initial training requirements are updated for new advocates and staff. 

Victims Compensation Assistance Program:

VSPs must inform victims of eligibility requirements and filing deadlines. Additionally, VCAP materials and claim forms must be relevant to the victim’s primary language needs. VSPs shall cooperate with the VCAP and the Attorney General in any fraudulent claim investigation. 

Witness Management: 

The VSP shall work collaboratively with relevant court departments to obtain trial lists, prepare victims for court proceedings, and to advocate for their needs in attending hearings. Preparing and serving subpoenas is a prosecutorial activity and hence is prohibited under PCCD/OVS grant funding. 

All Victim Services Programs who have OVS as their oversight entity will be required to submit updated policies and procedures with the aforementioned standards beginning October 1, 2024. 

The “Changes” page within the OVS Consolidated Standards details these updates and provides additional information. 

Inquiries regarding these updates may be directed to Heather Cureau, OVS Program Supervisor, by emailing hcureau@pa.gov or by calling 717.265.8712.

Community Violence Intervention Action Plan

The CVI Action Plan strives to save lives, reduce violence in Black and brown communities, and support CVI workers who have committed their livelihoods to ending violence. For the first time, stakeholders from every part of the CVI ecosystem came together to create a groundbreaking community-led vision for the field, set ambitious goals, and refine essential strategies.

Please click here to access.

Intersectionality Across Systems: Creating Better Protections & Opportunities For Girls Of Color

This webinar, hosted by Justice and Joy National Collaborative, provided an overview of intersectionality and discussed how it can be used as a lens to better observe and address overlapping systems of discrimination and disadvantage. Dr. Venus Evans-Winters discussed how intersectionality can reveal the complications and barriers faced by individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups and why taking intersectionality into account is vital in creating programs and opportunities for girls of color. 

Please click here to access.

Navigating Media Pressure And Safeguarding Privacy

Providers of victim services play a critical role in protecting those rights and helping victims cope with the media coverage immediately following a crime and during the trial and verdict. Understanding the media, its goals, internal pressures, training, or lack thereof, and the questions they could ask will help victim service providers better assist the victims and survivors whose lives were thrust into the public eye. This training provides participants with real, life-tested, usable tips on how to help victims navigate intense media interest and pressures and learn strategies on how you can help interested victims and survivors work with journalists to make sure their voices are heard, and their stories are represented accurately.

Please click here to access.

Human Trafficking In LGBTQ+ Youth

LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately likely to face homelessness, are vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking, and encounter institutional barriers which hinder their access to services. This publication, Human Trafficking in LGBTQ+ Youth, was developed as part of the Partnerships to Address Labor Trafficking project, designed to improve awareness, responsiveness, and accountability on labor trafficking among law enforcement, businesses, communities, the courts, and other stakeholders. It provides steps criminal justice and social service agencies can take to serve this population and links to resources providing further information and assistance.

Please click here to access.

In-Flight Sexual Assault Is On The Rise

Public transportation is one of the most common environments where people sexually harass and abuse others. There are a number of factors that contribute to this frequency, including perceptions of anonymity, crowded conditions, and the momentary nature of public transportation where someone may be able to leave before the victim even realizes what happened. 

Please click here to read.

Building Knowledge About Victim Services

Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey showcase trends in victim service use, and how the Bureau of Justice Statistics is addressing gaps in understanding around victim services and their providers.

Please click here to view.

National Center For Culturally Responsive Victim Services

In partnership with The National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA), UJIMA recently introduced the National Center for Culturally Responsive Victim Services (NCCRVS). The NCCRS Aims To:

• Increase the capacity of culturally specific victim/survivor service organizations to successfully manage local, state, and federal grant funds.
• Address system barriers that limit access to Crime Victims' Compensation funds for victims/survivors of crime from communities of color.
• Address historical and current biases, policies, and practices that limit access to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds for culturally specific organizations.
• Identify and address the systems and practices that leave communities of color more vulnerable to experiencing violent crimes.

Please click here to access.

Navigating Situationships: Recognizing Emotional Abuse And Setting Boundaries

Navigating this new dating era can be difficult. The most important thing is keeping yourself safe and mentally healthy.

Please click here to read.

Emergency Department Personnel Training

September 18, 2024

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

$25 registration fee

This session will describe a pathway to implement education related to Human Trafficking for Emergency Department personnel. Post session, attendees will be able to envision, develop and implement a strategy and educational program for health care personnel working in the Emergency Department based upon the session's objectives.

Please click here to register.

Please click here to access the registration site for the Pennsylvania Rural Human Trafficking Summit, to be held in person, October 1, 2024.

Barriers To Reporting Bias: Trust, Trauma, And Threat

Thursday, September 12, 2024 

11:30am - 1:00pm PST



In this CLE, presenters will share information about Oregon’s hate and bias laws, the Bias Response Hotline, and what we’ve learned about the barriers to reporting from the victim’s perspective. We will focus on the lack of trust in our institutions, layers of individual, familial, generational, and community trauma, and the real threats, danger, and retaliation that individuals face in reporting hateful conduct. We will also address common challenges victims face during the investigation and prosecution phases, and ways victims’ rights attorneys can help victims meaningfully participate while reducing risk of re-traumatization.

Please click here to register.

Child Abuse: From Suspicion To Disclosure

September 12, 2024

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Learn the best approach with children who are alleged victims of child abuse in the initial phases of a case, after a concern has been identified. Develop the basic skills and techniques necessary to engage a child in such a way as to minimize suggestibility but still provide support, beyond what is taught in a First Responder Training. Review best practices in identification of a concern and learn to engage these children in a way that maximizes positive case outcomes and minimizes potential behaviors that can hurt cases.

Please click here to register.

Inherited Trauma: How It Shapes Who You Are

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 

11:00am-12:05pm PST

Dr. Galit Atlas, Ph.D. discusses the realities of inherited trauma and its legacies. Dr. Atlas is a psychoanalyst and clinical supervisor in private practice in New York City who teaches and lectures throughout the United States and internationally. This CLE, “Inherited Trauma: How It Shapes Who You Are,” draws on Dr. Atlas’s recent book, Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients and the Legacy of Trauma, which combines stories from her life and her work with patients with decades of psychological research, creating an engaging examination of the links between our parents and grandparents’ history, and our own emotional struggles.

Please click here to register.

Spirituality And The Trauma Of Trafficking-Pathways To Healing

September 30, 2024

11:00 am - 1:00 pm

This comprehensive training program delves into the intricate relationship between spirituality and the trauma experienced by survivors of human trafficking. It is designed to equip professionals, caregivers and advocated with the knowledge and tools necessary to support the healing journey of those affected by trafficking. The training combines theoretical insights with practical strategies to foster a holistic approach to recovery. 

Please click here to read.

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Please click here to view current job opportunities.