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National Census of Victim Service ProvidersMaking the Most of Data

March 27, 2020

VictimResearch.org

Acknowledgements

This webinar was produced by the Center for Victim Research (CVR) under grant number 2016‐XV‐GX‐K006, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, at the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webinar are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

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National Census of Victim Service Providers:

Making the Most of Data

Barbara A. Oudekerk & Heather WarnkenMarch 27th, 2020

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Goal: Provide background on the NCVSP methodology and instrument that is helpful for analyzing and interpreting the data.

Outline: • Brief methodological overview & discussion of roster

development and cleaning

• Instrument goals and resulting data limitations and strengths

• Key findings released to date

• Potential data uses

• Where to find additional information

Why collect data from victim service providers?

OVC Vision 21 report: Increased Victim Service Provider (VSP) funding:

“Victims will be served through a national commitment to support robust, ongoing research and program evaluation that informs the quality and practice of victim services throughout the Nation. 

Evidence‐based, research‐informed victim service programs will become the standard of excellence”

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500,000,000

1,000,000,000

1,500,000,000

2,000,000,000

2,500,000,000

3,000,000,000

3,500,000,000

4,000,000,000

4,500,000,000

5,000,000,000

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Crime Victims Fund Cap:

745 million

4.4billion

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The National Census/Survey of Victim Service Providers collections

Phase 1: Build a roster of active VSPs, conduct a brief census of the field to examine basic characteristics of VSPs

Data collection Oct 2016 -July 2017

Phase 2: Conduct a more detailed survey with a representative sample of VSPs

Data collection May 2019 -Nov 2019

NCVSP: Initial Roster DevelopmentCanvassed for lists nationally, in all 50 states, & DC, and led an outreach campaign. Examples:

Federal

• Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)

• Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

• BJS census data on prosecutors & law enforcement

Other national

• National Center for Victims of Crime directory

• National Children’s Alliance

• Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, formerly NNHBVIP

By type/locale

• Mothers Against Drunk Driving

• Domestic Violence Shelters

• Child Advocacy Centers

• State victim resource lists 

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NCVSP eligibility• Served victims in the past 6-months as the organization’s

primary mission or with dedicated staff or programs.

NCVSP unit of analysis

Each organization or agency that provided services either as the primary function or through dedicated staff or programs. 

For larger organizations with decentralized data 

across programs, accepted  separate 

surveys when needed. Most organizations with 

separate chapters reported at the street‐

address location.

Asked to respond appropriately to items asking for service area.

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NCVSP Instrument: Point of Contact

Roster cleaning via the NCVSP data collection

Step 1 Cleaning (~30,000)

37% duplication

16% did not serve victims

82% participation rate among VSPs 

Step 2 Cleaning (n=14,181)

14% (1,978) no dedicated staff or programs

A few (7) located outside US

Final NCVSP frame: 12,196

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Roster cleaning via the NCVSP data collection

Of the 12,196 VSPs

79% responded through section H on staffing

For the remaining 21%, researchers conducted searches to identify the type of agency

• Referred to as “skeletal variables”

• Remained on the frame – eligibility status not verified, but no evidence for removal

NCVSP Instrument: Key considerations

Define and categorize a complex field

Yield basic characteristics of the universe of victim service providers 

Broad & inclusive for this first effort

Brief and allow for estimated answers to 

ensure a high response rate 

Aims

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How to access the data:• NCVSP data file & codebooks are available for

research and statistical purposes from ICPSR– See tabs for data & documentation– Download button provides codebook of variables, study

information codebook (PI), and data files in multiple formats (Stata, R, SPSS, SAS, etc.)

– Will need to create an account & agree to use the data for statistical purposes

Overview of the NCVSP data file

• 174 variables including--– Items directly from the instrument– “sk_” variables for non-respondents, based on public

information searches– “HD” hot deck imputation variables– Methodological variables (respondent vs. refusal, mode)– Geography variables

• See the codebook created by ICPSR for details

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NCVSP data: Limitations

• Does not provide detailed, specific data– Estimates were accepted for all counts– Many yes/no response options– Asked about broad categories of services provided

• Funding data were not published– High rates of missingness, confusion about whether

funding was provided by the state or federal entities• An Oct 2016-Jul 2017 snapshot of the VSP field

NCVSP data: StrengthsStarting point for understanding the full VSP field:

Type of provider

Types of services provided

Types of crime victims served

Staffing counts

Key concerns about staffing, funding, grant reporting, and technology access

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Specific considerations

Type of agency (“type”) was presented as a hierarchy and respondents selected one.

Data was complete and allows for examining how characteristics differ by agency type.

Instrument did not capture overlap in types of providers (e.g., a non-profit providing services in a hospital or police department).

Specific considerations

Geography variables are available on the data file.

Allows for subnational analysis, which increases the utility of the data.

Unit of analysis differs depending on data available for each agency.• E.g., PO boxes, main office reporting for

a large region

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Specific considerationsSpecific considerations

Staffing counts often based on estimates.

Resulted in more complete data, allowed for more items (part-time and full-time; current, beginning of the year, and hired staff).

Not possible to precisely estimate growth or turnover.• Data on agency merges and similar

changes was not collected.

Key Findings

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vspus17.pdf

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The majority of VSPs are non-profit organizations or programs located in governmental agencies

138 (1%)

179 (1%)

212 (2%)

245 (2%)

262 (2%)

358 (3%)

5,297 (43%)

5,505 (45%)

0 2,000 4,000 6,000

For‐profit

Informal

Unknown

University or college

Tribal

Hospital/medical/emergency

Governmental

Non‐profit/faith‐based

Number of victim service providers by type, 2017

Nearly a quarter (23%) of VSPs were located in the four largest states (California, Texas, Florida, and New York).

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The rate of VSPs ranged from 2 VSPs per 100,000 residents in Florida and New Jersey to almost 15 in Wyoming and DC.

Potential uses of the data

• National or regional research on the characteristics of VSPs• Examine characteristics of providers in your region for

benchmarking purposes• Examine providers who serve victims who experience

particular types of crime, or offer particular categories of services

• Examine in combination with other sources of related data-such as crime data, funding data, etc.

• And many more…..

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Additional background information:• Visit the BJS website for:

– Summary of this work– Brief report on the NCVSP findings– Pilot report on the development of the collections– Instrument– Webinar

• OMB packages • NCVSP data file & codebooks are available for research

and statistical purposes from ICPSR• Podcast on the NSVSP collection

Thank you

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Thank You www.victimresearch.orgContact Ask@victimresearch.orgTwitter @VictimResearchYouTube Center for Victim ResearchFacebook CenterVictimResearchLinkedIn Center-for-Victim-Research

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