Summary of Form Changes

RURAL PROGRAM Semi-annual Progress Report Revisions to Reflect VAWA 2005 Changes, to Address Suggestions from Grantees and to Ensure Consistent Usage of Terms with other OVW Grant Program Reporting Forms

The name of the grant program has been changed to reflect Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005) amendments.

Throughout the form, dating violence has been added to domestic violence.

Throughout the form, the crimes of child sexual abuse, stalking and sexual assault have been added to reflect statutory changes from the Violence Against Women Act which have added these crimes to those authorized to be addressed by grant funded activities. Definitions for these crimes have been added as appropriate throughout the forms to make them consistent with statutory amendments and with the definitions used on other OVW grant program progress report forms.

Grant Information including type of grantee organization

Questions were revised to clarify type of lead organization.

Grantees will be asked whether the lead organization is a faith-based organization.

Percentage of funds directed to sexual assault, domestic violence/dating violence, or stalking

This question has been revised to reflect the addition of new crimes permitted to be addressed in grant-funded activities.

Staff information

The list of types of staff has been revised to reflect statutory changes in permissible activities, comments from grantees and to make them consistent with other OVW grant program progress report forms. Some have been removed as they were no longer necessary.

Purpose Areas

This question has been revised to reflect statutory amendments.

Community Education

The question was revised to reflect statutory amendments and ensure consistency with other OVW forms in terms of types of people educated and topics covered in education events.

Policies

This question has been revised to reflect the addition of new crimes permitted to be addressed in grant-funded activities and to ensure consistency with other OVW grant program reporting forms.

Community Coordinated Response

The question was revised to reflect statutory amendments and ensure consistency with other OVW forms that listed types of organizations participating in community coordinated response activities.

Specialized Units

The questions in this section were revised to add additional types of specialized units and another question was added to identify specific crimes to be addressed by the different types of specialized units.

Victims Services

These questions were revised to reflect the addition of new crimes permitted to be addressed in grant-funded activities and to ensure consistency with other OVW grant program reporting forms. New questions were added to address hotline calls and victim-witness notification/outreach to victims/survivors. In addition, the question on protection orders was revised to reflect the additional crimes addressed in the Rural Program.

Child Victims

Previously, the Rural Program form counted victims and children separately and now the form has been revised to count victims in one question and another question has been added to count secondary victims. The questions on the previous form that addressed Child Protective Services (CPS) and referrals to CPS have been revised to remove all references to CPS.

Criminal Justice System

Throughout the Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Courts, and Probation and Parole subsections, the form has been revised to reflect statutory amendments adding additional crimes to the types of crimes permitted to be addressed in grant-funded activities and to ensure consistency with other OVW forms.

Optional focused narrative questions

At the end of the specific sections of the form, an optional narrative question has been added that gives grantees the opportunity to provide additional information regarding that particular activity area.

Optional data clarification question

A final narrative question allows grantees to provide additional information to explain and clarify the data contained in the reporting form.