Centering Survivors’ Voices (CSV)

How might we create a comprehensive advice structure that centers the lived expertise of survivors of domestic and sexual violence, feeds engagement, maximizes resources and efficiency, and creates greater accountability to leadership?

Consultation 

Summer 2021

Significant work and collaboration resulted in a comprehensive system of services and supports for those being trafficked and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Multnomah County. However, the survivor experience and lived expertise is still often missing at tables where advice is being offered to these systems of care. In addition, the current advice structure can unintentionally lead to siloed systems, low engagement, duplication and inefficient decision making processes.

Under the shared leadership of Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, then-Chair Deborah Kafoury, and the Multnomah County Domestic and Sexual Violence Coordination Office (DSVCO), a Design Team was formed to address our design challenge: “How might we create a comprehensive advice structure that centers the lived expertise of survivors of domestic and sexual violence, feeds engagement, maximizes resources and efficiency, and creates greater accountability to leadership?” 

Design Team members included survivors and system representatives. The MIL began with interviewing this team and sending surveys to members of the existing advisory bodies, as well as service providers and advocates to identify the current challenges. In the Design Sprint, the Design Team discussed the type of advice needed within the systems of care, who needs that advice, and for what purpose. The team also imagined a supportive structure; a code of care and decision making process; accountability; and plans for next steps.

As one Design Team member summarized, “We collectively continued to name, repeat, and emphasize survivor leadership and survivor voices and presence.”  

The followings are the recommendations from the Design Sprint 

In all the work we do, we:

• Center survivor leadership, participation, and advocacy
• Promote healthy collaboration within and between advice-giving groups
• Hold the advice groups accountable to survivors’ voices and the group’s code of conduct
• Promote care and resilience practices for group members
• Hire survivors with multiple intersecting identities 
• Compensate survivors for their involvement

The proposed advice structure brings Domestic Violence (DV), Sex Trafficking (ST) and Sexual Assault (SA) teams to a common table in order to build cross systems of care, connection through sharing  information, collaborating on decisions, and centering survivors’ leadership. The Council, the Survivor Leadership Council, and subcommittees are all staff supported

See the capture for the detailed recommendations for accountability, decision making process, code of care, iterations of structure.